Evolve and Improve with Experiments
What is it?
The Evolve and Improve with Experiments Canvas is a practical template designed for teams and facilitators to convert challenges into tangible, targeted changes. It supports teams in defining and implementing experiments to evolve their systems of work, enabling continuous improvement and encouraging self-organization.
This canvas is ideal for use in retrospectives, workshops, and events. It provides clarity on what teams aim to address, how they plan to achieve change and the signals they’ll use to measure success.
It is especially useful for:
Teams beginning their agile journey.
Advanced teams refining their practices.
Teams encountering resistance or hesitancy towards self-organization.
This template can be easily integrated into existing workshops, retrospective and event workflows, as participants move towards action and implementing change.
When to use it
The Evolve and Improve with Experiments Canvas is effective when teams are:
Conducting retrospectives or workshops to reflect on system-level progress and challenges.
Struggling to move forward due to resistance or uncertainty about next steps.
Aiming to implement small, measurable changes that build confidence and capability over time.
Who is it for?
Facilitators, Agile Practitioners, and Consultants looking to guide teams in defining and implementing changes.
Teams of all maturity levels aiming to improve their systems of work through iterative experimentation.
Organizations seeking a structured way to address challenges and enable continuous improvement.
How to use it
Identify What to Change - Begin your retrospective, workshop, or event by discussing challenges, impediments, or areas for improvement. Collect these as potential items to address.
Prioritise and Add to the Canvas - Choose one or more key items to focus on. Add these to the 'Prioritised Impediments, Challenges or Changes' column as your starting point.
Define Experiments Using Prompts - For each selected item, use the canvas prompts to answer questions such as:
What outcome are we aiming for?
What will we try to address the challenge?
How will we know we’re succeeding (signals and indicators)?
Implement and Learn - Use the defined experiments to make changes in your workflow or practices. Gather insights to determine whether these experiments result in positive improvements.
Return to the Canvas - Revisit the canvas to reflect on the experiment’s impact. Validate what worked, refine approaches, or pivot based on what you learn.
Tips
One Line at a Time - We recommend specifying one item/line at a time. One clearly specified experiment or change is preferable to several partially completed items.
Save Each Canvas - Print it for onsite sessions or upload it to your online workspace, wiki pages, Team API, or a physical/virtual Obeya Room for ongoing visibility.
Iterate as You Go - Experimentation is iterative. Adjust your experiments based on what you learn; nothing is finite or fixed.
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