Collaboration Blueprint

Facilitation script

1. 1

   Informal get-together with coffee and, if useful, a short icebreaker so that members of the different parties mix.

   30 min
2. 2

   Orientation: everyone writes what they bring, what they get and what they need, one item per sticky note, then shares in turn.

   30 min
3. 3

   Mutual expectations: each member in turn asks 'What do you expect from me?'. A note-taker records every expectation on a sticky note. The asker only asks clarifying questions.

   30 min
4. 4

   Align: cluster notes into similarities and differences, turn similarities into working agreements, and work out compromises on the differences that can be bridged.

   20 min
5. 5

   Blueprint: agree the main goal, the success criteria and why the collaboration matters, and write them on the template with the working agreements.

   30 min
6. 6

   Create a team symbol, phrase or pose, add it to the blueprint and decide where the page will live and when it will be reviewed.

   15 min

Tips

• Let the person with the most formal authority ask 'What do you expect from me?' first; it signals that the question is real and makes it easier for others to be direct.

• Protect the rule that the asker only clarifies, because the round collapses the moment someone starts justifying themselves.

• In the alignment step, spend your time on the differences.

• The similarities take care of themselves.

Common pitfalls

• The asker responds to each expectation as it is voiced: the round becomes a negotiation, later speakers soften what they say and the honest expectations stay hidden

• Only the junior members ask the question: the exercise then confirms the hierarchy, and expectations toward the lead or the client never get stated

• Vague expectations such as 'good communication' are accepted: the working agreements built on them cannot be checked and settle nothing when the first deadline slips

• Differences are skipped because the similarities feel good: the unaddressed gaps return as friction a few weeks into the project

• The blueprint is filed and never looked at again: agreements drift, and new members join without knowing they exist

Variations

For a client project, replace the three academic roles with the parties actually present, for example client sponsor, delivery team and subcontractor, and have people answer the expectations question by role where the group is larger than ten. A shorter version of about 90 minutes drops the informal start and the team symbol. Online, use a shared whiteboard with one frame per person for the expectations round and stay in plenary, with no breakouts, so that everyone hears every answer. If the team already has working agreements, run only the expectations round and update the existing document.

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