methodatlas
Agile

ROAM Board

Moves backlog, sprint work, and team flow toward a concrete result through "create a board with the four columns Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated", "carry over risks from earlier stages such as Risk Storming", and "update the board at every review".

Core question
Which risks are in which follow-up state, who is responsible, and which need movement between columns now?
LowWorkshop + async20-40 min initial, dann laufend
Open runsheetPlan sessionStart comparison
Purpose

Helps clarify backlog, sprint work, and team flow in concrete terms. It sorts work by value, risk, and delivery ability. The result is captured as a ROAM Board and an Owner List.

How it works

The team follows the steps "create a board with the four columns Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated", "carry over risks from earlier stages such as Risk Storming", "assign a column and an owner to each risk", "set a review cadence", and "update the board at every review". Each step is made visible. At the end, ROAM Board and Owner List are available so decisions, tests, or actions can continue directly.

Visual orientation

Method sketch for a quick mental model.

ROAM Board · Risikostatus klärenRisiken aus Workshops in Resolved, Owned, Accepted oder Mitigated überführen und mit Owner sowie Review-Kadenz sichtbar halten
ROAM BoardDas Visual zeigt ein ROAM Board mit Resolved, Owned, Accepted und Mitigated sowie Owner- und Review-Kadenz.Risiken in klare Folge-Zustände überführenROAM verhindert, dass Risiken nach Workshops verschwinden: jede Karte bekommt einen Status, Owner oder bewusste Entscheidung.Risiken übernehmenaus Risk Storming, PI Planning oderRisk MatrixROAM BoardResolvederledigtOwnedOwner beobachtetAcceptedbewusst akzeptiertMitigatedMaßnahme läuftR1R2R3R4Owner & Reviewjede offene Karte hatVerantwortliche und KadenzAktualisierenBoard im Review pflegen,stale Risiken schließenein Risiko genau in einen Statusnicht im ProtokollverlierenReview-Kadenzfestlegen

Flow

  1. 1Create a board with the four columns Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated
  2. 2Carry over risks from earlier stages such as Risk Storming
  3. 3Assign a column and an owner to each risk
  4. 4Set a review cadence
  5. 5Update the board at every review

The runsheet guides execution with 4 phases, timeboxes, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.

Open runsheet

Ideal for

  • PI planning follow-up
  • Program reviews
  • Cross-team risks

Not good for

  • Detailed risk assessment with probabilities

Deep dive

In detail

The ROAM Board is a simple state tracker often used in scaled agile after PI planning. Resolved means done, Owned means deliberately monitored with an owner, Accepted means consciously accepted without action, and Mitigated means active countermeasure. Each risk stays visible until it is Resolved or explicitly Accepted.

Facilitation

Keep the definitions of the four categories visible. Allow only one bucket per risk so clarity remains high. Set a review cadence, for example weekly.

Output artifacts
ROAM BoardOwner-Liste
Tags
riskagiletrackingalignment

Sources

ROAM Board | Untoolsuntools.co
Artifact templates
ROAM Board Working TemplateCompact working template for ROAM Board with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
canvas

roam-board-working-template.md

Compact working template for ROAM Board with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.

ROAM Board Canvas

Context

What is this method used for?

Core question

Which question should be answered at the end?

Input

Which data, observations, or materials are available?

Working area

  • Area 1:
  • Area 2:
  • Area 3:
  • Relationships / patterns:

Output artifacts

  • ROAM Board:
  • Owner List:

Open questions

  • ...

Next step

Owner, date, success signal.

When to choose differently

Short decision aid for existing alternatives.

RAID Log

Statt ROAM Board, wenn ihr Risiken, Annahmen, Issues und Abhängigkeiten knapp im Projekt festhalten wollt.

Similar methods

All methods
Decision Making
Risk Matrix

Moves options, criteria, and risks toward a concrete result through "set the scales for likelihood and impact", "collect risks or carry them over from earlier identification", and "define actions for each high-risk item".

Delivery
RAID Log

Moves scope, sequence, and delivery flow toward a concrete result through "create a table for Risks, Assumptions, Issues, and Dependencies", "carry over initial entries from discovery and kickoff", and "archive resolved items instead of deleting them".

Statt ROAM Board, wenn ihr Risiken, Annahmen, Issues und Abhängigkeiten knapp im Projekt festhalten wollt.

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