Project Toolkit

Workshop Planner

Workshop Planner

Planning and facilitating effective project workshops, from requirements gathering to retrospectives, ensuring productive outcomes and engaged participants.

Workshop Planner

Effective workshops bring stakeholders together to achieve specific outcomes through structured collaboration. This guide covers planning, facilitating, and following up on project workshops.

Purpose

Well-planned workshops:

  • Achieve specific outcomes efficiently
  • Engage stakeholders meaningfully
  • Build consensus and alignment
  • Generate ideas and solutions
  • Make decisions collaboratively
  • Build team relationships

Types of Project Workshops

Workshop Type Purpose Typical Duration
Requirements Gather and validate needs Half to full day
Design Explore and agree solutions Half to full day
Planning Develop plans collaboratively 2-4 hours
Risk Identify and assess risks 2-3 hours
Retrospective Review and improve 1-2 hours
Problem-solving Resolve specific issues 1-3 hours
Kick-off Launch project/phase 2-3 hours
Prioritisation Rank and select items 2-3 hours

Workshop Planning Process

flowchart LR A[Define
Purpose] --> B[Plan
Session] B --> C[Prepare
Materials] C --> D[Facilitate
Workshop] D --> E[Document
Outputs] E --> F[Follow
Up] classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff class A,B,C,D,E,F blue

Workshop Planning Template

Workshop Overview

Field Content
Workshop Name Requirements Discovery Workshop
Project Customer Portal Enhancement
Date 20 January 2026
Time 09:00 - 16:00
Location Conference Room A / Teams
Facilitator Jane Smith
Scribe Bob Wilson

Purpose and Objectives

Element Description
Purpose Gather and validate customer portal requirements
Objective 1 Identify core customer needs
Objective 2 Prioritise requirements by value
Objective 3 Agree scope for Phase 1
Success criteria Prioritised list of 20-30 requirements

Participant Planning

Participant Selection

Role Name Why Needed Confirmed
Sponsor Sarah Williams Decision authority ☐
Business SME Mike Brown Domain knowledge ☐
End User Rep Carol Jones User perspective ☐
IT Lead Dave Taylor Technical feasibility ☐
BA Jane Smith Facilitation, documentation ☐

Ideal Group Size

Workshop Type Ideal Size Maximum
Requirements 6-10 15
Design 5-8 12
Planning 4-8 10
Retrospective 5-10 15
Problem-solving 4-6 8

Agenda Design

Sample Full-Day Agenda

Time Duration Activity Purpose
09:00 15 min Welcome & Introduction Set context
09:15 15 min Icebreaker Build rapport
09:30 45 min Context Setting Share background
10:15 15 min Break Refresh
10:30 60 min Activity 1: Need Identification Brainstorm needs
11:30 45 min Activity 2: Grouping & Themes Organise ideas
12:15 45 min Lunch Refresh & network
13:00 60 min Activity 3: Prioritisation Rank requirements
14:00 15 min Break Refresh
14:15 60 min Activity 4: Detail Key Items Elaborate top items
15:15 30 min Review & Validate Confirm outputs
15:45 15 min Wrap-up & Next Steps Close session

Sample Half-Day Agenda

Time Duration Activity
09:00 10 min Welcome & Context
09:10 10 min Icebreaker
09:20 50 min Main Activity 1
10:10 15 min Break
10:25 50 min Main Activity 2
11:15 30 min Review & Prioritise
11:45 15 min Wrap-up & Actions

Facilitation Techniques

Idea Generation

Technique Description Best For
Brainstorming Free-flow idea generation Quantity of ideas
Brain-writing Silent written ideas Quieter participants
Round-robin Each person shares in turn Equal participation
Mind-mapping Visual idea connections Complex topics
SCAMPER Structured prompts Innovation

Grouping and Analysis

Technique Description Best For
Affinity mapping Group similar items Organising ideas
Dot voting Quick prioritisation Large lists
MoSCoW Must/Should/Could/Won’t Scope decisions
Impact/Effort matrix 2x2 grid plotting Prioritisation
Five Whys Root cause analysis Problem-solving

Decision Making

Technique Description Best For
Fist of five Confidence voting Quick consensus
Pros/Cons List advantages/disadvantages Evaluating options
Decision matrix Score against criteria Complex decisions
Consent-based “Can you live with this?” Team decisions

Materials and Setup

Physical Workshop

Item Purpose Quantity
Flip charts Capturing ideas 3-4
Sticky notes (multiple colours) Brainstorming 5 pads
Marker pens Writing 10+
Dot stickers Voting 1 sheet/person
Name cards Identification 1/person
Handouts Reference materials 1 set/person
Timer Time management 1

Virtual Workshop

Tool Purpose
Video platform Communication (Teams, Zoom)
Digital whiteboard Collaboration (Miro, Mural)
Polling tool Voting (built-in or Mentimeter)
Shared document Note-taking (Word, Google Docs)
Breakout rooms Small group work

Room Setup

Layout Best For
U-shape Presentations with discussion
Cabaret Small group activities
Boardroom Formal decision-making
Theatre Presentations
Open space Movement, physical activities

Virtual Workshop Considerations

Virtual Best Practices

Practice Rationale
Shorter sessions Screen fatigue
More breaks Every 45-60 minutes
Cameras on Engagement
Clear facilitation Prevent talking over
Digital collaboration Replace physical artefacts
Backup plans Technical issues

Engagement Techniques

Technique How
Chat questions Regular prompts
Polls Quick input from all
Breakout rooms Small group discussion
Screen annotations Interactive marking
Hand raising Managed contributions
Reactions Non-verbal feedback

Facilitation Tips

Opening the Workshop

Activity Purpose
Welcome participants Make comfortable
State purpose and objectives Set expectations
Review agenda Show the plan
Set ground rules Establish norms
Icebreaker Build rapport

Ground Rules

Rule Description
One conversation No side discussions
Respect all views No wrong answers
Time-box Stick to schedule
Devices away Focus on workshop
Participate Everyone contributes
Vegas rule Safe space for honesty

Managing Dynamics

Situation Response
Dominant participant Direct to others, use round-robin
Silent participant Invite directly, use written input
Off-topic discussion Park in “parking lot”
Conflict Acknowledge, focus on interests
Energy drop Break, energiser, change activity
Running late Adjust, prioritise, defer items

Workshop Activities

Icebreakers

Icebreaker Duration Group Size
Two truths and a lie 10 min 5-10
Project connection 5 min Any
One word check-in 5 min Up to 15
Speed networking 10 min 10+
Show and tell 10 min 5-8

Energisers

Energiser Duration When to Use
Stretch break 2 min After sitting
Quick poll 3 min Re-engage
Pair share 5 min Change pace
Stand-up discussion 5 min Physical change

Capturing Outputs

During the Workshop

Method Responsibility
Flip chart notes Scribe
Photographs Facilitator/Scribe
Digital whiteboard All
Action items Scribe
Decisions Scribe

After the Workshop

Output Timing Owner
Summary email Same day Facilitator
Full write-up 2-3 days Scribe
Action tracking Ongoing PM
Follow-up items As agreed Various

Workshop Outputs

Output Documentation

Section Content
Workshop details Date, attendees, purpose
Summary Key outcomes
Detailed outputs Requirements, ideas, decisions
Actions Who, what, when
Parking lot Items deferred
Next steps What happens next

Sample Output Summary

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS SUMMARY
========================
Workshop: Requirements Discovery
Date: 20 January 2026
Attendees: 8 participants

Key Outcomes:
- Identified 45 customer requirements
- Grouped into 8 themes
- Prioritised top 15 for Phase 1
- Agreed scope boundary

Actions:
1. Document detailed requirements (Jane, 24 Jan)
2. Validate with customers (Mike, 31 Jan)
3. Technical feasibility review (Dave, 31 Jan)

Parking Lot:
- Integration with legacy system (needs investigation)
- Mobile app requirements (Phase 2)

Next Steps:
- Requirements sign-off meeting: 5 Feb
- Design workshop: 12 Feb

Common Workshop Types

Requirements Workshop

Element Detail
Duration Half to full day
Participants Business users, SMEs, BA
Activities User stories, prioritisation
Outputs Requirements list, priorities

Risk Workshop

Element Detail
Duration 2-3 hours
Participants PM, team leads, SMEs
Activities Brainstorm, assess, plan responses
Outputs Risk register inputs

Retrospective

Element Detail
Duration 1-2 hours
Participants Delivery team
Activities What went well/poorly, actions
Outputs Improvement actions

Workshop Checklist

Planning (2+ weeks before)

  • Purpose and objectives defined?
  • Participants identified and invited?
  • Date, time, location confirmed?
  • Agenda drafted?
  • Facilitator and scribe assigned?

Preparation (1 week before)

  • Agenda finalised and sent?
  • Pre-reading distributed?
  • Materials prepared?
  • Room/technology booked?
  • Catering arranged (if needed)?

Day Before

  • Room setup confirmed?
  • Technology tested?
  • Materials ready?
  • Participant reminders sent?

On the Day

  • Arrive early to setup?
  • Test technology?
  • Welcome participants?
  • Follow agenda?
  • Capture outputs?

After the Workshop

  • Summary email sent?
  • Full write-up completed?
  • Actions tracked?
  • Follow-up scheduled?
Last updated: 13 January 2026
Themes

Stakeholder Engagement

Planning