Shared Success Criteria

What participants gain

• Collaboratively define measurable success criteria for the project.
• Develop a shared understanding of project goals and objectives.
• Enhance decision-making and prioritization skills.
• Foster a sense of collective ownership and accountability.

Materials needed

• Whiteboard or flip chart
• Markers
• Sticky notes
• Dot stickers or voting tokens
• Timer

How to run Shared Success Criteria, step by step

1. Introduce the activity and its purpose (5 min).
2. Explain the concept of SMART goals and provide examples (5 min).
3. Instruct participants to individually brainstorm success criteria for the project on sticky notes (10 min).
4. Facilitate a sharing session where participants present their criteria and explain their rationale (10 min).
5. Guide a discussion to identify common themes and prioritize the most important criteria using dot voting or a prioritization matrix (10 min).
6. Summarize the final set of success criteria and ensure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (5 min).
7. Introduce the activity and its purpose.
8. Explain the concept of SMART goals and provide examples.
9. Instruct participants to individually brainstorm success criteria for the project on sticky notes.
10. Facilitate a sharing session where participants present their criteria and explain their rationale.
11. Guide a discussion to identify common themes and prioritize the most important criteria using dot voting or a prioritization matrix.
12. Summarize the final set of success criteria and ensure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Facilitator tips

• Frame the activity as an opportunity to co-create a shared vision of success, emphasizing the importance of collective ownership.
• Encourage participants to think beyond traditional metrics and consider qualitative factors that contribute to project success.
• Use a voting or ranking system to prioritize the most important success criteria.
• Ensure that the final set of criteria is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
• Regularly revisit and refine the success criteria throughout the project lifecycle to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with evolving goals.

Common challenges

• Participants struggle to define measurable success criteria - Provide examples of SMART goals and guiding questions to stimulate their thinking.
• The group becomes stuck in endless debate - Use a structured decision-making process, such as dot voting or a prioritization matrix, to move forward.
• Some participants dominate the discussion - Use a talking stick or round-robin approach to ensure everyone has a chance to share.
• The final set of criteria is too broad or vague - Encourage participants to refine the language and make the criteria more specific and actionable.

Running it virtually

Adaptable to Google Jamboard. Create a shared digital whiteboard where participants can add sticky notes with their success criteria and vote on their favorites.

Expected results

A shared set of measurable success criteria that will guide the project and define what constitutes success.

Build a session around Shared Success Criteria

METODIC drops Shared Success Criteria into a complete session plan with timing, materials, worksheets, and a facilitator guide — for any workshop, meeting, or team session.

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