methodatlas

Facilitation Facilitation method

Open Space Technology

Enables self-organized sessions whose agenda, proceedings, and actions emerge from participants’ needs.

Die Teilnehmenden setzen selbst Schwerpunkte, bilden dazu Sessions und wechseln dort dorthin, wo ihre Aufmerksamkeit am meisten Nutzen verspricht. So entsteht ein offenes Arbeitsfeld, in dem relevante Fragen statt vorgefertigter Programmpunkte die Energie lenken.

Core question
Which topics must participants put on the agenda themselves to act on the theme?
Plan Open Space TechnologyMethod guide
Start comparison
Give feedbackIs this method useful to you?
Participants
20-500+
Time
Half a day to two days.

The steps express the method mechanics in one complete run.

Paper illustration for Open Space Technology.

  1. Frame

    Marketplace frame

    Explain the theme, invitation, available spaces, and hard time boundaries

  2. Proposals

    Session proposals

    Participants propose sessions with title, question, and host

  3. Marketplace

    Agenda

    Place session proposals into time slots and rooms together

  4. Sessions

    Session reports

    Participants choose and move between sessions based on learning or contribution, and document results

  5. Proceedings

    Proceedings

    Publish session reports and consolidate next steps with owners

Test open questions through the agreed next step and append new evidence as a version.

A good fit when

Wenn ein komplexes Thema noch keine passende Agenda hat, gibt Open Space Technology den Beteiligten die Themenhoheit zurück. Das Format eignet sich für Fragen, die nur dann vorankommen, wenn echtes Interesse die Reihenfolge bestimmt.

Ideal for

  • Conferences
  • Community Alignment
  • Complex Change Topics

Not good for

  • Tightly controlled deliverables
  • Groups without decision space

Outputs

  • Proceedings

    Proceedings with evidence, open points, owner, and review.

Open Space Technology · working structure

Fictional example

Fictional values are assigned to explicit method fields.

Open Space Technology · working structure
SessionTimeRoomHostWorking questionProceedingsNext step
Slots and capacityTrack session proposal with time, room, host, question, result, and follow-up.10:00ElbeLeaHow do we link slots to real warehouse capacity?Three bottlenecks, board photoPilot eight slots on 4 Nov, Lea
Express pickupTrack session proposal with time, room, host, question, result, and follow-up.11:15AlsterMuratWhich express cases justify interruption?Four case types and one open data questionReview 30 cases by 27 Oct, Cem

  1. 1. Time

    Slots and capacity
    10:00
    Express pickup
    11:15

  2. 2. Room

    Slots and capacity
    Elbe
    Express pickup
    Alster

  3. 3. Host

    Slots and capacity
    Lea
    Express pickup
    Murat

  4. 4. Working question

    Slots and capacity
    How do we link slots to real warehouse capacity?
    Express pickup
    Which express cases justify interruption?

  5. 5. Proceedings

    Slots and capacity
    Three bottlenecks, board photo
    Express pickup
    Four case types and one open data question

  6. 6. Next step

    Slots and capacity
    Pilot eight slots on 4 Nov, Lea
    Express pickup
    Review 30 cases by 27 Oct, Cem

All details are fictional.

Reference source · original teaching example

First step

Set an urgent theme, open invitation, rooms, and time slots; prepare the proceedings repository.

Open the method guide

Where to go next?

Paper illustration for Responsibility Poker.
Facilitation
Responsibility Poker

Negotiates clear ownership for the bundled action topics.

Paper illustration of a four-column Kanban board with limited ongoing work, a visible blocker and a review loop.
Engineering
Kanban

Carries the session outcomes into visibly tracked work.

Deep dive

Purpose

When a complex topic does not yet have a fitting agenda, Open Space Technology hands topic ownership back to the participants. The format suits questions that only move forward when real interest determines the order.

How it works

Participants set their own priorities, form sessions around them, and move to wherever their attention promises the most value. This creates an open working field in which relevant questions, rather than a fixed program, direct the energy.

In detail

Open Space Technology replaces a preplanned detailed agenda with a marketplace of concerns. Whoever brings in a topic takes responsibility for a session; everyone else chooses freely where they want to contribute or learn. This lets the work follow the real energy and relevance in the room. From many parallel conversations come documented insights, connections, and action areas.

Facilitation

Prepare the room, time grid, session surfaces, and documentation mechanism. Explain the principles and the law of two feet clearly and hold the frame without steering content. A typical mistake is too much moderation; the value comes from self-organization inside a clear container.

The method guide walks execution through 5 phases, timing, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.

Open method guide

Your perspective

Does this method help with your work?

Your feedback helps shape the next improvements to methodatlas.

Sources and topics

Topics
FacilitationLarge groupAutonomy
Sources
Open Space Technologyopenspaceworld.orgArticle by Michael Herman on openspaceworld.org; describes the principles, Law of Two Feet, and process of Open Space Technology.
Artifact templates
Open Space Technology: WorksheetPlan subject, participation, complete flow, and review.
markdown

open-space-technology-working-template.md

Plan subject, participation, complete flow, and review.

Open Space Technology: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Complete run Time: Half a day to two days.

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

  • Materials: Guiding question, visible agenda, work surfaces, timer, and result repository
  • Roles: Facilitator · participants · hosts or session owners · scribe
  • Advance information: Set an urgent theme, open invitation, rooms, and time slots; prepare the proceedings repository. Prepare real cases, sources, and boundaries.
  • Overall time needed: Half a day to two days.
  • Setup: Create a workspace with Marketplace frame · Session proposals · Agenda · Session reports · Proceedings; keep example values separate from live data.

Prepare for the work steps

Frame: Marketplace frame

  • Set an urgent theme, open invitation, rooms, and time slots; prepare the proceedings repository.
  • Guiding question, visible agenda, work surfaces, timer, and result repository

Proposals: Session proposals

  • Marketplace frame

Marketplace: Agenda

  • Session proposals

Sessions: Session reports

  • Agenda

Proceedings: Proceedings

  • Session reports

Open Space Technology · working structure

SessionTimeRoomHostWorking questionProceedingsNext step
Slots and capacity
Express pickup
  • Slots and capacity: Track session proposal with time, room, host, question, result, and follow-up.
  • Express pickup: Track session proposal with time, room, host, question, result, and follow-up.

The blank worksheet contains prompts only.

Reference source · original teaching example

Frame: Marketplace frame

Expected artifact: Marketplace frame

Explain the theme, invitation, available spaces, and hard time boundaries

Entry:

...

  • Are theme, invitation, time boundaries, and law of two feet explained?

Proposals: Session proposals

Expected artifact: Session proposals

Participants propose sessions with title, question, and host

Entry:

...

  • Does each proposal have a title, working question, and accountable host?

Marketplace: Agenda

Expected artifact: Agenda

Place session proposals into time slots and rooms together

Entry:

...

  • Is each proposal assigned to exactly one room and time slot?

Sessions: Session reports

Expected artifact: Session reports

Participants choose and move between sessions based on learning or contribution, and document results

Entry:

...

  • Does every session create an accessible report with insights and open points?

Proceedings: Proceedings

Expected artifact: Proceedings

Publish session reports and consolidate next steps with owners

Entry:

...

  • Are proceedings published and actions assigned an owner and date?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/open-space-technology/run-sheet

Alternatives and neighbors

Fitting alternatives with decision guidance, followed by other related methods.

All methods
Paper session grid with two time blocks, three rooms, colored session cards and an open topic pool.
Facilitation
Barcamp

Instead of Open Space Technology, choose Barcamp when you need an open conference format in which participants set the content themselves.

Paper illustration for Fishbowl Discussion.
Facilitation
Fishbowl Discussion

Separates an inner and outer circle so discussion, observation, and tensions become visible at the same time.

Paper Kanban board with To Discuss, Discussing and Discussed columns, topic cards, votes and timer.
Facilitation
Lean Coffee

Prioritizes topics by voting and timeboxed discussion, so many points turn into clear action items.

Paper illustration for World Café.
Facilitation
World Café

Rotates small conversation groups so table notes, questions, and emergent themes are built on together.

Paper illustration for Troika Consulting.
Facilitation
Troika Consulting

Gives one person precise peer feedback through three roles and records key next actions and observations.

Paper illustration for 1-2-4-All.
Facilitation
1-2-4-All

Moves ideas from silent reflection through pair exchange into the group and condenses patterns.

Constraints and origin
HighWorkshop0.5-2 Tage

Profile

Method form
Facilitation method
Participants
20-500+
Time
0.5-2 Tage
Maturity
Canonical
Origin
Harrison Owen
Paper illustration for Responsibility Poker.
Next up: Responsibility Poker