Assumption Grid Template
Make decisions with confidence with the assumption grid template.
Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies
About the Assumption Grid Template
Most business models and decisions are based on assumptions. Whether you’re a startup, an enterprise company, or somewhere in between, you’re probably making assumptions almost every day. But when resources and time are on the line, it can be hard to decide whether your assumptions are worth making -- and if you’re making tough judgment calls, it’s not always easy to know which assumptions to test.
Developed by IBM, an Assumption Grid is a powerful tool that helps you decide which assumptions from your business model you should test first. The grid plots your assumptions on two axes: high impact assumptions for which you have little information, and low impact assumptions for which you have little information. Visualizing your assumptions can empower you to make judgment calls, prioritize, mitigate risk, and overcome uncertainties.
Once you’ve placed a variety of items on the grid, the Assumption Grid becomes a great conversational tool. Bring your team into a room and have them go over the results. New assumptions might materialize, or you might move items around on the grid.
How do you use the assumption grid template?
Here are the steps to use our template effectively: 1. Customize the template according to your specific requirements. 2. Invite team members to join your board and collaborate with you. 3. Create color-coded sticky notes to keep track of each person’s contributions. 4. Use the username or video chat feature if you require input from others. 5. Upload various file types, such as documents, photos, videos, and PDFs, to store all the relevant information in one place. By following these steps, you can effectively use our assumption grid template and streamline your team's workflow.
When should you use the Assumption Grid template?
IBM recommends using the Assumption Grid as often as possible, and that is sound advice. For most organizations, risk is the only constant. The sooner you can recognize and evaluate your teams’ assumptions, the more quickly you can mitigate potential risk and make judgment calls. You can use the Assumption Grid anytime you’d like to promote critical thinking about your ideas. The grid prompts you to consider levels of certainty and risk, which can help you and your team to uncover some of your biases and unfounded beliefs. The Assumption Grid is also a useful tool for overcoming decision-making roadblocks. If your team is divided on a decision, bring everyone together to build an Assumption Grid. The ensuing conversations might clarify goals and expectations.
Get started with this template right now.
Kano Model Template
Works best for:
Desk Research, Product Management, Prioritization
When it comes down to it, a product’s success is determined by the features it offers and the satisfaction it gives to customers. So which features matter most? The Kano model will help you decide. It’s a simple, powerful method for helping you prioritize all your features — by comparing how much satisfaction a feature will deliver to what it will cost to implement. This template lets you easily create a standard Kano model, with two axes (satisfaction and functionality) creating a quadrant with four values: attractive, performance, indifferent, and must-be.
Startup Canvas Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Documentation, Strategic Planning
A Startup Canvas helps founders express and map out a new business idea in a less formal format than a traditional business plan. Startup Canvases are a useful visual map for founders who want to judge their new business idea’s strengths and weaknesses. This Canvas can be used as a framework to quickly articulate your business idea’s value proposition, problem, solution, market, team, marketing channels, customer segment, external risks, and Key Performance Indicators. By articulating factors like success, viability, vision, and value to the customer, founders can make a concise case for why a new product or service should exist and get funded.
Reverse Brainstorming Template
Works best for:
Ideation, Brainstorming, Team Meetings
Reverse brainstorming is a technique that prompts a group to think of problems, rather than solutions. Because we naturally think of problems, it’s a great way to get a group to anticipate problems that may occur during a project. To engage in reverse brainstorming, start by identifying the problem, and then think of things that might exacerbate it. Ask your team to generate ideas around ways in which the problem could get worse. Reverse the problems into solutions again, and then evaluate your ideas.
Lean Inception Workshop
Works best for:
Agile, Lean Methodology
The Lean Inception Workshop streamlines project kickoff by aligning teams on goals, scope, and priorities. It leverages Lean principles to eliminate waste and maximize value, guiding exercises to define user personas, map user journeys, and prioritize features. By fostering cross-functional collaboration and customer-centric thinking, this template accelerates project initiation and ensures alignment between stakeholders, empowering teams to deliver customer value faster.
Mitch Lacey's Estimation Game Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Agile Methodology, Prioritization
A wordy name but a simple tool, Mitch Lacey’s Estimation Game is an effective way to rank your work tasks by size and priority — so you can decide what to tackle first. In the game, notecards represent your work items and feature ROI, business value, or other important metrics. You’ll place each in a quadrant (ranking them by size and priority) to help you order them in your upcoming schedule. The game also empowers developers and product management teams to work together and collaborate effectively.
UML Component Diagram Template
Works best for:
Mapping, Diagrams, Software Development
Use our Component Diagram template to show how a system’s physical components are organized and wired together. Visualize implementation details, make sure planned development matches system needs, and more — all in a collaborative environment.