Techniques for Brainstorming Team Goals

One critical skill of great Product Managers is that they can take an immense amount of information and make sense out of it to find a path forward. Your job isn’t just to get the data, it’s to create action out of that data. But this is where many people get paralyzed. For product managers who struggle with this, I find tools like Affinity mapping extremely helpful to help organize your thoughts. Affinity Mapping is a basic facilitation and collaboration tool, but it’s extremely powerful. Put simply, it’s a practical way to sort through different pieces of data, group them into common themes, and discover valuable insights. Whether you're dealing with complicated user research or trying to get everyone on the same page, this method helps you focus and find your way forward. Here's how to run an Affinity Mapping session that's not just productive, but also a bit of fun: 1️⃣ Gather Your Data: Start with all the raw data you have – post-its from brainstorming, customer feedback, interview notes, you name it. Get it all on the table. Literally. 2️⃣ Invite the Right People: Bring together a diverse group from your team. Yes, diversity! You want different perspectives – designers, developers, marketers, and especially those who are often quiet but have brilliant thoughts simmering under the surface. 🧠 3️⃣ Create a Safe Space: Before diving in, set the stage for open collaboration. Remind everyone that every idea is valuable and we're here to discover, not judge. This is about finding patterns, not picking favorites. 4️⃣ Sort and Cluster: Now, get sticky! Start placing related ideas together. Don't overthink it. Go with your gut. You'll see themes start to emerge as you cluster similar thoughts. It's like a puzzle where the picture becomes clearer with each piece. 🧩 5️⃣ Label the Themes: Once you have your clusters, give each one a name that captures the essence of the ideas within it. These labels will be your guideposts for action later on. 6️⃣ Reflect and Discuss: Take a step back. What do you see? Any surprises? Discuss as a group and make sure everyone's voice is heard. This is where the magic happens – insights start to bubble up to the surface. 7️⃣ Prioritize and Act: Finally, decide what's most important. Which themes align with your goals? Which insights are game-changers? Make a plan to act on these priorities. Affinity mapping is not just about organizing thoughts; it's about unlocking the collective wisdom of your team. It's a powerful way to build consensus and ensure everyone's voice is heard. So, next time you're grappling with data overload, grab some sticky notes and start mapping! What else have you used to help organize your thoughts and data? #ProductManagement #UserResearch #Collaboration #AffinityMapping

One of my favorite tricks when goal-setting is to have side-by-side comparisons of actuals and efficiency bets to spark trade-off conversations. → This exercise allows the team to prioritize work and challenge current performance → Generate insightful conversations + brainstorming within groups → Prioritize modeling realistic yet challenging goals – many companies model to improve every data point (which is often unrealistic) &  don’t factor in ramp time to improve the metrics 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘀: The metrics you're betting on improving based on focused efforts over time. Example inputs are highlighted in green below. When creating and roadmapping goals in a documented format, I make two sections to compare side-by-side actuals (based on current performance) and then the efficiency bets (chosen inputs to take chances on to improve as a team). Let’s walk through a rough, simple example to illustrate this concept: 1. Inbound revenue goal: Planning to achieve X in new ARR for Q1 2. Work backward within your funnel to obtain various goals (win rate, ACV, avg. deal size, conversion rates, etc.) 3. For the actuals section: Put in these inputs as they have been performing for the last 6 mo.'s. Keep this exercise and the inputs as simple as possible 4. For the efficiency bets section: Decide on only 1-2 inputs you believe you can improve as a team. Pro-tip: ramp these over time for work to impact the improvements. E.g., you could model a ramp to improve the win rate by improving the quality of leads. Or you may improve the demo → deal created conversion rate by improving the sales handoff process (adding a direct sales calendar link in your form is one tactic to help here). 5. Compare the delta between the actuals and efficiency bets and decide on the bets you’ll be taking. Often, the actuals section will cause teams to flag the plan as not doable, especially when you layer in the program spend needed to achieve the goals. However, we know we should constantly be improving our performance. But, many teams try and achieve everything at once and overnight. This creates a lack of focus and sets up failure in reaching the goals. This approach adds a layer of the discipline of intentionally choosing what and how to improve a metric. In this example, choosing the realistic efficiency bets saves the fictional company ~$262k, brings a more efficient ROI (typically benchmark the Ad CAC to 6 months or less), and reduces the number of opps by ~49. A bonus with this exercise is that once you have brainstormed with your team and had conversions on choosing your efficiency bets, you already have the rough outline of work the team needs to prioritize working in. And, of course, it also provides a roadmap to achieve easily understood goals that are much more attainable. (Everyone likes to win ;).) If anyone does something similar to this, I’d love to hear more about your thoughts and experiences!

"Six Thinking Hats" isn't just a brainstorming tool—it’s a game-changer for project managers. Here’s how to apply it: 1️⃣ White Hat: Dive into the data. What’s missing? What do we need to decide wisely? 2️⃣ Red Hat: Consider others' emotions. How does the team feel about this project? 3️⃣ Black Hat: Spot risks early. What could go wrong if we don’t act? 4️⃣ Yellow Hat: Focus on wins. How will this project benefit the business? 5️⃣ Green Hat: Get creative. What’s a new way to solve old problems? 6️⃣ Blue Hat: Drive clarity. What's our plan, and how do we keep it on track? Bonus: Rotate “hats” to avoid missing angles. Join the conversation: Which hat do you wear most often? Share in the comments! Project success is all about perspective—make sure you’re seeing them all. #ProjectManagement #TeamLeadership #StrategicThinking