Session Brief: Impact Filter

Goal

Artifact: Impact Filter

Working Question

Is this initiative worth starting now, and if so what is the smallest next step?

Context

Proposal in one to three sentences; trigger (problem, opportunity, instruction); known time or budget frame; previous attempts or existing workarounds.

Setup

• Format: Method session
• Duration: 20-45 min
• Mode: Workshop or async
• Participants: Initiator or proposed owner of the initiative; one sparring partner (manager, coach, experienced colleague); optional stakeholder representative if initiative has cross-functional impact.
• Owner: Initiator or proposed owner of the initiative
• Participation mode: Team round, shared work and alignment
• Outcome logic: Finish artifact

Participation Logic

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome Logic

The session works directly toward Impact Filter. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

Input

One-pager template with sections Initiative, Purpose, desired Impact, stakeholders, success criteria, risks/assumptions, smallest next step; timer; link list to relevant data or prior work.

Preparation

Keep template open. Proposal as header. Seven sections visible and empty. Rule: every section requires a written answer; skipping one means the initiative is not ready.

Agenda

1. 0-5 min (5 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Formulate the initiative in one sentence. Purpose: why now, why at all. If the purpose requires more than one sentence, refine it. Hint: Who cannot explain the purpose in one sentence has not thought it through. A vague purpose leads to vague success criteria. Output: Impact Filter

2. 5-15 min (10 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Desired impact: what change in the world happens if the initiative succeeds. Stakeholders: who benefits, who carries effort, who could block. Hint: Impact is outcome, not output. "We built X" is not impact. "X customers spend Y less time on Z" is. Output: Success Criteria

3. 15-25 min (10 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Success criteria: how to recognize success, ideally measurable. At least three criteria, and one outside our own perception (data, external signal). Hint: Criteria such as "it feels better" are not testable. If no measurability is found, the initiative is premature or exploratory and needs a learning phase first. Output: Next Step

4. 25-35 min (10 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Risks and assumptions: what must be true for impact to happen? What could go wrong? Identify top 3-5 assumptions and mark one as "falsifiable in 2 weeks". Hint: If no risks can be named, they were not actively searched. A common blind spot is: "no risks" means lack of analysis, not real security. Output: Impact Filter

5. 35-45 min (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Smallest next step: what can be done in 1-2 weeks that makes success or failure visible. Fix owner and date. Hint: If the first step cannot be completed in 14 days, the initiative is scoped too large. The step must test an assumption or validate a stakeholder, not refine concept only. Output: Success Criteria

6. Publish artifact (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients. Output: Impact Filter

Closeout

• Update result artifact: Impact Filter
• Define location, version, and review recipients.
• Define owner, next step, and review date.

Impact Filter: Impact Filter

Working Question

Is this initiative worth starting now, and if so what is the smallest next step?

Context

Proposal in one to three sentences; trigger (problem, opportunity, instruction); known time or budget frame; previous attempts or existing workarounds.

Participants

• Owner: Initiator or proposed owner of the initiative
• Participants: Initiator or proposed owner of the initiative; one sparring partner (manager, coach, experienced colleague); optional stakeholder representative if initiative has cross-functional impact.

Input

One-pager template with sections Initiative, Purpose, desired Impact, stakeholders, success criteria, risks/assumptions, smallest next step; timer; link list to relevant data or prior work.

Template

Impact Filter Checklist

• Goal and context clarified
• Input material gathered
• Participants and roles named
• Execution prepared according to the runsheet
• Output artifacts created
• Impact Filter updated
• Success Criteria updated
• Next Step updated
• Open questions documented
• Next step set with owner and date

Completion Check

• Impact Filter is complete enough for review:
• Location:
• Version / status:
• Review by:
• Next step:

Next Step

• Review result
• Mark open questions
• Schedule review or decision