Complete firstStakeholder Mapping
A list of relevant stakeholders per sub-question is available so each small group can be balanced.
Without: Without this list, some groups become unbalanced and deliver solutions that later block other stakeholders.
RunsheetInnovation
Design Charrette
ComplexityMedium
TimeHalber Tag bis mehrere Tage
Participants10-50
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
01
Prerequisite
What needs to be finished first
Complete firstProblem Framing Workshop
A framed challenge with clear sub-questions or sub-topics is prepared so parallel groups can work on them.
Without: Without clean sub-questions, unconnected island results emerge and do not fit during final integration.
02
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Room with stations per sub-question (table, wall, flipchart, pens, stickies, sketch paper); central integration wall; timer; templates per station; camera for snapshots; refreshments.
People / roles
One lead facilitator; one sub-facilitator per station; one decider or sponsor with decision authority for final integration; 10-50 participants; one documenter for photo and note export.
Pre-read
Framed challenge with sub-questions; stakeholder mapping; background reader (max 2 pages); known constraints (budget, regulation, technology); definition of done for workshop output.
Time needed
Half day (4 h) to 3 days
Setup
Stations physically or on board separated. One template per station with sub-question, constraints, empty fields for sketches, assumptions, risks. Rotation plan visible. Final integration wall prepared.
03
Core question
The one question this method answers
What solution sketch emerges when multiple stakeholders work on sub-questions of a complex challenge in parallel and combine results in one day?
04
Flow
Marker: Phase
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
1Phase 1: Plenary and briefing | 30-45 min | Present challenge, sub-questions, and constraints. Explain station overview. Assign groups (each person starts at one station). Clarify rotation rules. | If the challenge is unclear during briefing, extend the briefing and do not start in stations. Any ambiguity multiplies in all groups. |
2Phase 2: First station round | 60-90 min | Groups work on sub-question: assumptions, solution sketches, risks. Sub-facilitator keeps template sections. End with interim state on flipchart. | If a group gets stuck in discussion for 30 minutes, the sub-facilitator enforces the first sketch. Rough sketches are sufficient; convergence happens later. |
3Phase 3: Rotation and cross-critique | 60-90 min | Rotation: 30-50% of each group moves to neighboring station. Sub-facilitator stays, new participants add, challenge, and refine. At least two rotations. | Rotation must be enforced; people do not switch voluntarily. Anyone staying twice at the same station only sees one area and blocks final integration. |
4Phase 4: Station synthesis | 30-45 min | Each station synthesizes its solution in a 3-frame format: what, why, risks. Three-minute pitch per station in plenary. Other stations give structured feedback. | Timebox pitches strictly. Anyone talking longer steals integration time. Feedback only in format I like / I wish / What if, no open discussion. |
5Phase 5: Integration and direction | 45-60 min | Decider and facilitator pull station sketches onto integration wall. Explicitly surface conflicts. Decide direction and log follow-ups with owner and date. | Without a decider, Phase 5 fails. If the sponsor is absent, direction is logged as a proposal with a decision date, not as final decision. |
05
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Form
Synthesis document with challenge, sub-questions, solution sketch per station (photo plus text), integration sketch, consolidated direction, open conflicts, and follow-ups with owner and date.
Versioning / ownership
Date, sponsor, and participant list in header. Export station outputs as attachments, no overwrites. Follow-up charrettes get own entry with delta reference to prior version.
Tool alternatives
- Physical stations with flipcharts and photo export
- Miro with station frames and integration frame
- FigJam with templates per sub-question
- Notion or Confluence for synthesis document
design-charrette-working-template.md
Compact working template for Design Charrette with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
Design Charrette Working Template
Goal
Intensive, time-boxed workshop that splits larger groups into parallel work streams.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Execution
Short notes along the runsheet.
Output artifacts
- Sketches and concepts:
- Consolidated solution sketch:
- Prioritized direction:
Assumptions and open questions
- ...
Decision / next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
06
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
design-charrette-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Design Charrette — Redesign of Quartiersplatz Nordstadt (18.05.2026, 9-17 h)
Participants: 28 people (residents, city planning, retail, mobility, social services, administration).
Sub-questions / stations:
- Daytime quality of stay
- Mobility and delivery
- Evening and nighttime use (safety)
- Water and climate adaptation
- Retail and hospitality
Synthesis per station (excerpt):
- Station 1: Add shade with 12 new trees and mobile seating elements. Risk: maintenance cost.
- Station 3: Lighting with adaptive dimming, keep sight lines clear. Conflict with Station 1 (trees block sight lines).
Integrated direction (Decider: @sabine, building administration): Tree clusters in north section, open sight lines south-north. Water feature in center. Pop-up dining along west side. 12-month pilot, then review.
Follow-ups: Traffic study (owner @marcus, by 30.06.), maintenance concept (owner @lisa, by 15.06.), evening resident survey (owner @anna, by 30.05.).
07
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Trap
Stations without rotation
Symptom
Groups stay at one station for three hours, so ideas do not cross-pollinate.
What to do
Make rotation a hard rule and announce it with a timer. Sub-facilitator enforces actively. At least two rotations per station, otherwise insulated outputs emerge.
Trap
Decider not present
Symptom
Phase 5 ends with a recommendation list, direction not decided.
What to do
Schedule charrette only when decider has confirmed attendance. Name a back-up decider with authority in advance. Otherwise convert workshop to preparation charrette.
Trap
Sub-questions overlap or compete
Symptom
Two stations produce conflicting solutions and nobody can integrate both.
What to do
Check disjointness of sub-questions before workshop. If conflict still appears, name it explicitly in Phase 5 and let the decider decide.
Trap
Too many stakeholders per station
Symptom
Stations with 12+ people, noise and hierarchy block sketching.
What to do
Keep station size at 6-8 people. Add station for overflow or split sub-question; do assignment clearly in briefing.
Trap
Briefing too short
Symptom
In Phase 2 multiple groups ask the same context questions about the challenge.
What to do
Plan at least 30 minutes briefing with Q&A. Send background reader before session and communicate reading requirement. Anyone coming unprepared must catch up in Phase 1.
Trap
No final integration
Symptom
Workshop ends with station outputs and nobody combines them, participants leave.
What to do
Block Phase 5 as fixed time, not as 'if there is time'. Direction must be communicated before workshop end, otherwise parallel work dissipates.
08
Stop criteria
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Decider or sponsor is not available for at least Phase 1 and Phase 5.
Challenge does not split into disjoint sub-questions and stations would cannibalize each other.
Fewer than 10 participants or more than 50 participants, station and rotation dynamics not feasible.
No room or board with at least four stations is available.
Time budget under 4 h, making station rounds, rotation, and integration impossible.
Stakeholder mapping is missing, some stations would be unbalanced.
Decision is already made; charrette would be theater instead of co-design.
Finished the runsheet?
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.