Umbrella or funnel?

I’m sitting in the Little Rock Airport on a delay and I am checking out Linked In, when I came across this picture by Sketchplanations:

Of course, this was written in the context of managers protecting employees from things that keep them from getting things done. I like it.

But I am just returning from a weeklong design sprint and this picture also made me think of that. For those that haven’t participated in one, it is a 4- or 5-day immersive experience in solving a major challenge. You go behind closed doors, remove distractions, build something, test it with people who matter, and walk out with something close to fully formed.

Let’s face it - in higher education, we often struggle with agility. However, what we achieved in this sprint - the development of a comprehensive five-year program, complete with curricular, service, internship, and thought leadership interventions - would have typically required months, if not years, of meetings in our traditional setting.

Design Sprints are the ultimate umbrella. They set you up to start right, by setting clear goals, measurable outcomes, written questions to pursue. They encourage curiosity, accountability, collaboration, candor…and remove distractions.

In my previous post, I discussed microsteps. A design sprint is like a macrostep—it’s going all in.

What’s the recurring theme here?

Start. Try. Fail. Learn. Repeat. Succeed.