Team health check
A check on how the team is working, not on what it shipped. It shows where the team disagrees about what's wrong, and ends in two or three changes someone owns.
90 minutes, in person. Serves 8 to 12.
How to run it
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Check-in
10 minSay what the room will leave with and point to the three steps on the wall. Then ask: "In one sentence: what do you need from the next ninety minutes?" Take answers in any order, not round the circle. If someone passes, move on.
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Start, Stop, Continue
25 minThoughts per column: up to two thoughts
Draw three columns on the wall: Start, Stop, Continue. "This is about how we work together, not what we shipped. Start: something we don't do yet and should. Stop: something that costs us more than it gives. Continue: something worth protecting." Give two minutes of silent thinking, then everyone writes up to two thoughts for each column, each on its own note, and posts them. Finish with the room reading the wall in silence and stacking duplicates.
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Fist of Five
20 minItems tested: the three biggest stacks
Take the three biggest stacks from the Start and Stop columns, and read each as a statement, such as "We should stop running meetings without an agenda." On three, everyone shows a hand at once: five fingers to agree completely, three for "I can live with it", one to disagree, a fist for strongly against. Count out loud. Only people showing two fingers or fewer speak, one sentence each: what do they see that the rest don't? A split count is the check working, because it shows where the team doesn't agree on what's wrong.
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Dot Voting
20 minChanges taken on: three
Give everyone three dots for the Start and Stop notes. "Vote for the changes that would make the biggest difference to how we work." Count, then take the top three and write each as a change someone could check in a month, such as "From Monday, every meeting has an agenda in the invite." The Continue notes stay on the wall as what to protect.
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Commit: who does what by when
15 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. The owner writes "I will [what] by [when]" on a card, reads it out and sticks it under the result. Only owners speak. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Write that on the wall too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
In the 90 also: Ask each owner one question: "What could stop this?" One sentence back. If the answer is another person, that person is in the commitment too.
90 minutes, in person. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
10 minSay what the room will leave with and point to the three steps on the wall. Then ask: "In one sentence: what do you need from the next ninety minutes?" Take answers in any order, not round the circle. If someone passes, move on.
-
Start, Stop, Continue
25 minThoughts per column: up to two thoughts
Draw three columns on the wall: Start, Stop, Continue. "This is about how we work together, not what we shipped. Start: something we don't do yet and should. Stop: something that costs us more than it gives. Continue: something worth protecting." Give two minutes of silent thinking, then everyone writes up to two thoughts for each column, each on its own note, and posts them. Finish with the room reading the wall in silence and stacking duplicates.
-
Fist of Five
20 minItems tested: the three biggest stacks
Take the three biggest stacks from the Start and Stop columns, and read each as a statement, such as "We should stop running meetings without an agenda." On three, everyone shows a hand at once: five fingers to agree completely, three for "I can live with it", one to disagree, a fist for strongly against. Count out loud. Only people showing two fingers or fewer speak, one sentence each: what do they see that the rest don't? A split count is the check working, because it shows where the team doesn't agree on what's wrong.
-
Dot Voting
20 minChanges taken on: three
Give everyone three dots for the Start and Stop notes. "Vote for the changes that would make the biggest difference to how we work." Count, then take the top three and write each as a change someone could check in a month, such as "From Monday, every meeting has an agenda in the invite." The Continue notes stay on the wall as what to protect.
-
Commit: who does what by when
15 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. The owner writes "I will [what] by [when]" on a card, reads it out and sticks it under the result. Only owners speak. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Write that on the wall too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
In the 90 also: Ask each owner one question: "What could stop this?" One sentence back. If the answer is another person, that person is in the commitment too.
90 minutes, remote. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
10 minSay what the room will leave with and show the three steps on the board. Then ask: "In one sentence: what do you need from the next ninety minutes? Type it in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go." Say "Go" and read the chat out loud in one pass. It's faster than a round, and nobody answers in the shadow of the person before them.
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Start, Stop, Continue
25 minThoughts per column: up to two thoughts
Put three columns in the Health frame: Start, Stop, Continue. "This is about how we work together, not what we shipped. Start: something we don't do yet and should. Stop: something that costs us more than it gives. Continue: something worth protecting." Give two minutes of silent thinking, then everyone adds up to two thoughts to each column, each on its own sticky. Finish with the room reading the frame in silence and dragging duplicates together.
Board: Frame 1, "Health": three columns, Start, Stop and Continue.
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Fist of Five
20 minItems tested: the three biggest stacks
Take the three biggest stacks from the Start and Stop columns, and read each as a statement, such as "We should stop running meetings without an agenda." "Type a number from 0 to 5 in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go. Five is agree completely, three is I can live with it, one is disagree, zero is strongly against." Say "Go" and read the numbers out. Only people who typed two or less speak, one sentence each: what do they see that the rest don't? A split count is the check working, because it shows where the team doesn't agree on what's wrong.
Board: Uses the Health frame.
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Dot Voting
20 minChanges taken on: three
Use the board's voting tool on the Start and Stop notes, with three votes each and results hidden until everyone has voted, or give everyone three dot stickers. "Vote for the changes that would make the biggest difference to how we work." Count, then take the top three and type each into the Changes frame as something someone could check in a month, such as "From Monday, every meeting has an agenda in the invite." The Continue notes stay in the Health frame as what to protect.
Board: Frame 2, "Changes": the changes taken on, each with space for its owner.
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Commit: who does what by when
15 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. Owners type "I will [what] by [when]" into the Commitments frame, under the result they own. Read every commitment back out loud. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Type that into the frame too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
In the 90 also: Ask each owner one question: "What could stop this?" One sentence back. If the answer is another person, that person is in the commitment too.
Board: Frame "Commitments": one column per result, with space for "I will [what] by [when]".
60 minutes, in person. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
5 minSay what the room will leave with. Then ask: "One word for how you're arriving." Take the words in any order, not round the circle.
-
Start, Stop, Continue
20 minThoughts per column: one thought
Draw three columns on the wall: Start, Stop, Continue. "This is about how we work together, not what we shipped. Start: something we don't do yet and should. Stop: something that costs us more than it gives. Continue: something worth protecting." Give two minutes of silent thinking, then everyone writes one thought for each column, each on its own note, and posts them. Finish with the room reading the wall in silence and stacking duplicates.
-
Fist of Five
10 minItems tested: the two biggest stacks
Take the two biggest stacks from the Start and Stop columns, and read each as a statement, such as "We should stop running meetings without an agenda." On three, everyone shows a hand at once: five fingers to agree completely, three for "I can live with it", one to disagree, a fist for strongly against. Count out loud. Only people showing two fingers or fewer speak, one sentence each: what do they see that the rest don't? A split count is the check working, because it shows where the team doesn't agree on what's wrong.
-
Dot Voting
15 minChanges taken on: two
Give everyone three dots for the Start and Stop notes. "Vote for the changes that would make the biggest difference to how we work." Count, then take the top two and write each as a change someone could check in a month, such as "From Monday, every meeting has an agenda in the invite." The Continue notes stay on the wall as what to protect.
-
Commit: who does what by when
10 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. The owner writes "I will [what] by [when]" on a card, reads it out and sticks it under the result. Only owners speak. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Write that on the wall too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
60 minutes, remote. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
5 minSay what the room will leave with. Then ask: "One word for how you're arriving. Type it in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go." Say "Go" and read the chat out loud in one pass. It's faster than a round, and nobody answers in the shadow of the person before them.
-
Start, Stop, Continue
20 minThoughts per column: one thought
Put three columns in the Health frame: Start, Stop, Continue. "This is about how we work together, not what we shipped. Start: something we don't do yet and should. Stop: something that costs us more than it gives. Continue: something worth protecting." Give two minutes of silent thinking, then everyone adds one thought to each column, each on its own sticky. Finish with the room reading the frame in silence and dragging duplicates together.
Board: Frame 1, "Health": three columns, Start, Stop and Continue.
-
Fist of Five
10 minItems tested: the two biggest stacks
Take the two biggest stacks from the Start and Stop columns, and read each as a statement, such as "We should stop running meetings without an agenda." "Type a number from 0 to 5 in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go. Five is agree completely, three is I can live with it, one is disagree, zero is strongly against." Say "Go" and read the numbers out. Only people who typed two or less speak, one sentence each: what do they see that the rest don't? A split count is the check working, because it shows where the team doesn't agree on what's wrong.
Board: Uses the Health frame.
-
Dot Voting
15 minChanges taken on: two
Use the board's voting tool on the Start and Stop notes, with three votes each and results hidden until everyone has voted, or give everyone three dot stickers. "Vote for the changes that would make the biggest difference to how we work." Count, then take the top two and type each into the Changes frame as something someone could check in a month, such as "From Monday, every meeting has an agenda in the invite." The Continue notes stay in the Health frame as what to protect.
Board: Frame 2, "Changes": the changes taken on, each with space for its owner.
-
Commit: who does what by when
10 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. Owners type "I will [what] by [when]" into the Commitments frame, under the result they own. Read every commitment back out loud. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Type that into the frame too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
Board: Frame "Commitments": one column per result, with space for "I will [what] by [when]".
Comments & Discussion
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Recent Comments (3)
This workshop was incredibly effective for our remote team! We adapted it slightly for a virtual setting and it worked wonderfully. The key was breaking into smaller breakout rooms.
Great resource! One tip: prepare all materials the day before to avoid any last-minute rushes.
Used this for our quarterly planning session. The structured approach really helped us stay on track!