Project Poster
A Project Poster is a one-page living document that a team fills in together at the start of a project, moving through three parts: the problem space, the assumptions that still need validating, and the proposed solution and plan. It is a play from the Atlassian Team Playbook, positioned there as a lighter and revisable alternative to a formal project charter. The poster is meant to be updated as the team learns, and to be shown to stakeholders while it is still unfinished.
Facilitation script
- 1
Prep in the room: open the template, skim the background material together and agree the timebox for each part.
10 min - 2
Problem space: write the problem, who it affects, why it matters and what success looks like. Park solution ideas in a side list.
20 min - 3
Validation: list unknowns and assumptions, mark the riskiest and note how each will be tested.
20 min - 4
Ready to make it: sketch the solution, the scope boundaries, milestones and the people involved.
20 min - 5
Read the poster end to end, fix contradictions, and agree who shares it with which stakeholders and when it will be revised.
10 min
Tips
Spend the most energy on the first part; teams arrive with a solution in mind and will fill in the problem section backwards to fit it unless you ask who actually said this was a problem and what evidence there is.
Treat an empty validation section as a warning: it usually means the assumptions have not been looked for, not that there are none.
Put a date on the poster and on each revision so readers can see it is a working document.
Common pitfalls
The team writes the solution first and reverse-engineers a problem statement to match, so the poster justifies a decision instead of testing it
The validation part lists assumptions but no test, owner or date, and the project proceeds on the same guesses it started with
The poster is filled in once and never opened again, which turns a living document into a charter nobody signed
One person completes the template alone before the meeting and the session becomes a review, so the disagreements the format is meant to surface stay hidden
Success is described in terms of output, such as 'feature shipped', which leaves the team unable to tell later whether the problem was solved
Variations
Two sittings: run the problem space in a first session, give the team a week or two to test the main assumptions, then meet again for the solution and plan. Pitch version: one person drafts the poster alone and uses the session to have the team challenge it. Remote: work in a shared document with a few minutes of silent writing at the start of each part before discussing. For a project that needs formal sign-off on scope, budget and sponsors, follow the poster with a 1-Page Project Charter.
Where it fits
When to use it
A project is about to start and team members give different answers when asked what problem it solves
Someone has a solution in mind and the team needs to check whether the problem behind it is real
Stakeholders must approve or fund the work and want a short document they can read in five minutes
The project carries open questions about users or feasibility that should be tested before building
New people join a running project and need the reasoning, not only the task list
When not to use it
The work is a small, well-understood task: a poster adds ceremony, and a ticket with a clear acceptance criterion is enough
The organisation requires a signed commitment on scope, budget and sponsors; use a 1-Page Project Charter, which is built around stakeholder sign-off
The team has no background information at all: the session turns into guessing, so run customer interviews or an Assumption Storming first
You need to choose between several candidate projects; prioritise first, for example with an Impact/Effort Matrix, then write a poster for the winner
The solution is fixed by contract or regulation and only delivery is open; go straight to planning and a Premortem
Related methods
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is Project Poster?▾
A Project Poster is a one-page working document that a team completes together when a project begins. It covers the problem space, the assumptions still to be validated, and the proposed solution and plan. It is a play from the Atlassian Team Playbook and is intended to be revised as the project learns.
How is a project poster different from a project charter?▾
A charter fixes scope, objectives, constraints and stakeholders and is usually signed off once. A project poster is looser and expects change: it gives a whole section to what the team does not know yet and is updated when assumptions are tested. Many teams use a poster in the early, uncertain phase and a charter when formal commitment is needed.
Who should take part in a project poster session?▾
The core project team and the person who owns the outcome, typically three to ten people. Include whoever knows the customer evidence best. Stakeholders who only need to be informed can read and comment on the poster afterwards.
How long does a project poster session take?▾
About 60 to 90 minutes: roughly ten minutes of setup and twenty minutes for each of the three parts, plus time to read the result through. If the problem discussion shows the team lacks evidence, stop after the first two parts and reconvene when assumptions have been tested.
How often should the poster be updated?▾
Whenever an assumption has been tested or the scope changes, and at least at each major milestone. Note the date of each revision. A poster that has not changed since kick-off is a sign that either nothing was learned or nobody wrote it down.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Atlassian Team Playbook.