“Align the team” is a starting intention. “Choose one owner and an escalation rule for each enquiry type” is a working output.
Choose a decision the room can make
Fictional assignment: a service company wants to agree how incoming enquiries should be routed.
The workshop needs people who know the current work and someone able to approve the routing decision. If a necessary decision-maker cannot attend, define what can be recommended and who will approve it later.
Do not promise a final decision when the participants only have authority to advise.
Request preparation that serves the session
Ask for a small set of representative, appropriately redacted enquiries, the current routing description and any fixed constraints. Avoid requesting a large database you will not use.
A preparation note might say:
Bring three examples that reached the wrong team and one that worked well. Remove unnecessary personal details. We will use these to agree routing rules, not evaluate individual staff performance.
A 90-minute agenda
| Time | Activity | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 | Confirm the decision and constraints | Shared working question |
| 10–30 | Walk through the four examples | Current routing problems and useful practices |
| 30–55 | Compare possible rules | Options with exceptions |
| 55–75 | Test rules against examples | Revised routing table |
| 75–90 | Choose owners and next checks | Decision sheet |
The agenda is an original example, not a claim that every workshop should take ninety minutes.
Make the deliverable concrete
Completed fictional decision:
Enquiry type: existing customer asks for an additional service.
First owner: account manager.
Exception: urgent service failure goes directly to operations.
Missing information: account manager asks one clarification rather than forwarding an incomplete request.
Check: team reviews five new examples after two weeks.
The client leaves with a rule they can try. A photograph of sticky notes can supplement that output, but should not be the only record.
Agree what follows
State whether the fee includes the summary, one factual correction round or an implementation session. Additional analysis and ongoing support should have their own scope.
Asana’s kickoff guidance highlights agreeing roles and communication before work. Apply that preparation to the workshop so participants know why they are there and what is expected.
If the discussion exposes a larger problem, record it without turning the session into an unplanned sales pitch. Finish the commissioned decision, explain the unresolved issue and let the client choose whether further work is worthwhile.