My noteboek
I read and write about sales, marketing, product development. In addition, here I share my experiences about living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by a brain tumor. On this site you will find a small part of my notes but also the tools I use. I wish you much reading pleasure and inspiration!

The Sailboat Canvas

This canvas is not about kicking off a complaint parade.  It’s designed to gather information about improvements. Sailboat Canvas is a short and clear way to determine what your employees or clients don’t like about a product or service, or what stands in the way of a shared goal.

Duration:

± 30 minutes

Difficulty:

Participants:

± 4-6

Author:

Ruud Olijve

Download as a pdf (free)

How to use the The Sailboat Canvas?

  1. In a white space visible to the players, draw a sailboat with anchors attached and name the boat after the product/service or goal under discussion. This picture is the metaphor for the activity—the boat represents the product/service or goal and the anchors represent the obstacles slowing the movement toward a desired state.
  2. Write the question under discussion next to the boat. For example, “What are the features you don’t like about our product?” or “What’s standing in the way of progress toward this goal?”
  3. Introduce Sailboat as a game designed to show what might be holding a product/service or goal back. Ask the players to review the question and then take a few minutes to think about the current features of the product/service or the current environment surrounding the goal.
  4. Next, ask them to take 5–10 minutes and write the features of the product/service they don’t like or any variables that are in the way on sticky notes. If you’d like, you can also ask the players to estimate how much faster the boat would go (in miles or kilometers per hour) without those “anchors” and add that to their sticky notes.
  5. Once they are finished, ask them to post the sticky notes on and around the anchors in the picture. Discuss the content on each sticky note and look for observations, insights, and “ahas”. Notice recurring themes, because they can show you where there’s consensus around what’s holding you back.

Arrange in advance:

  1. Assemble the right team
  2. Reserve a large piece of wall or space
  3. Print or draw the canvas on a large sheet of paper
  4. Have plenty of Post-it's and markers at the ready
  5. Allow yourself undisturbed time 

 

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