Form
Markdown or wiki entry with object description, variation goal, all seven columns with collected ideas, marked top ideas, three to five formulated concepts and follow-up list with owner and date.
RunsheetInnovation
SCAMPER
ComplexityLow
Time30-60 min
Participants2-10
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
01
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Whiteboard or Miro board with seven columns (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse); stickies; pens; timer; photo, screenshot or description of the object to vary in a central place.
People / roles
One facilitator who provides the questions and holds timeboxes; two to ten contributors with context on the object; one scribe for consolidating top ideas at the end.
Pre-read
Clearly bounded object (product, feature, service step, process); goal of variation (cost reduction, new target group, faster cycle time); known non-negotiable constraints.
Time needed
30-60 min
Setup
Place the object centrally. Prepare seven columns, each with its guiding question above it. Split timer across column slots. Rule: one idea per sticky, no evaluation during collection.
02
Core question
The one question this method answers
Which of the seven variations of the existing object creates an idea that reaches the goal better than the original?
03
Flow
Marker: Minute
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
10-5 min | 5 min | Sharpen the object: what exactly will be varied (which feature, which process step). Formulate the variation goal in one sentence. | If the object is too large ("our product"), decompose it and choose one part. SCAMPER on whole products mostly produces marketing slogans. |
25-40 min | 35 min | Spend 5 min per column: Substitute (what to replace), Combine (what to combine), Adapt (what to transfer), Modify (what to amplify or reduce), Put to another use (which other use), Eliminate (what to remove), Reverse (what to invert). | If a column stays empty, the question is too narrow. Put an example on the wall. Eliminate and Reverse often create the most radical ideas, so do not shorten them. |
340-50 min | 10 min | Mark top ideas across all columns (dot-voting, 3 dots per person). Explicitly look for combinations across columns. | A SCAMPER session often produces the best idea as a combination of Combine + Eliminate or Adapt + Reverse. Do not skip combinations. |
450-60 min | 10 min | Formulate three to five concepts from the top ideas. For each concept, name owner, next validation step and rough effort as T-shirt size. | Without a next validation step, ideas disappear into the backlog. At least concept number 1 needs a date for an assumption test within the next 14 days. |
04
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Versioning / ownership
Create one entry per session with date and object ID in the title. Add follow-up sessions on the same object as new versions, keep previous ideas and add status (pursued, rejected, implemented).
Tool alternatives
- Miro or FigJam with SCAMPER template
- Notion or Confluence with table layout
- Whiteboard photo plus Markdown cleanup
- Mural with SCAMPER column grid
scamper-working-template.md
Compact working template for SCAMPER with prompts, ideas, shortlist, and next test.
SCAMPER Working Template
Goal
Generate variations by moving through the SCAMPER prompts.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Working area
- Substitute:
- Combine:
- Adapt:
- Modify:
- Put to another use:
- Eliminate:
- Reverse:
Output artifacts
- Idea list:
- Concept shortlist:
- Variation notes:
Open questions
- ...
Next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
05
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
scamper-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
SCAMPER — Onboarding email series for new trial users (2026-05-15)
Object: 5-part onboarding email series, current click rate on day-1 email is 8%. Goal: Double click rate on day-1 email without additional emails.
Substitute: Replace text with embedded 30-sec video. Change sender from "Team" to @lisa-CEO. Combine: Link email with personalized demo dataset in the product. Adapt: Borrow Calendly pattern, slot selection directly in email. Modify: Shorten subject to 4 words; body from 280 to 90 words. Put to another use: Day-1 email as Slack DM for connected workspaces. Eliminate: Remove footer logo, disclaimer and hero image. Reverse: User sends first email to us, we reply personally.
Top ideas (dot voting): Modify + Eliminate (short bare email), Reverse (user first), Substitute (CEO sender).
Concepts for validation:
- A/B test "short bare email" vs. current email (Owner: @anna, start 2026-05-22, 7 days).
- Pilot "Reverse Onboarding" with 30 trials (Owner: @ben, start 2026-05-29).
06
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Trap
Object too large
Symptom
Ideas are generic and fit "any product"; variations feel interchangeable.
What to do
Reduce the object to one process step or concrete feature. SCAMPER works on one screw, not the whole machine.
Trap
Evaluation during collection
Symptom
Participants reject ideas immediately ("that will not work because compliance"), columns stay empty.
What to do
Strictly separate collection and evaluation. Ignore constraints during collection, reapply them during selection.
Trap
Eliminate and Reverse skipped
Symptom
The last two columns have only one or two ideas because they feel "harder".
What to do
Do these columns first, not last. They create radical ideas that contextualize the middle ground from the other columns.
Trap
No combinations
Symptom
Top ideas all come from one column, nobody combines across columns.
What to do
Add an explicit combination phase: each person forms a pair from two columns and writes a concept. This is often where the best idea emerges.
Trap
Ideas without validation
Symptom
Workshop ends with 50 stickies, backlog grows, nothing gets tested.
What to do
At least the top concept gets an owner and validation date within 14 days. Without that commitment, the workshop is unfinished.
07
Stop criteria
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Object is not bounded, variations stay superficial.
Variation goal is missing or not measurable, top-idea selection becomes arbitrary.
Team has no mandate to change the object, result stays theoretical.
Problem requires user understanding rather than variation; Design Thinking or Jobs-to-be-Done is a better fit.
Object needs to be newly developed rather than varied; classic brainstorming or Crazy 8s is more suitable.
Group consists only of people without domain knowledge, variations become ahistorical.
Finished the runsheet?
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.