It's Template Thursday again – this week we’ve been working with Olina Glindevi and Ben Walder from The Visual Agile Coach to bring Visual Practices to life in a practical and artistic way.

Our first collaboration is a Team Canvas.

Why Create a Team Canvas

This Team Canvas is perfect for the Team Forming stage – in fact its valuable throughout the entire team lifecycle.

When a team forms it can be a first step into the unknown.   Creating a Team Canvas together will provide an initial focal point and define the what, the how and the why of the team. 

Indeed the Canvas creation may be the first activity you complete as a team.

It's not set in stone but it is a great visual foundation to build on.

When to Create a Team Canvas (or Charter or Contract)

• A newly formed team
• An influx of new joiners
• Refocusing a team in response to a change i.e. new strategy

How to  Create a Canvas (with Drawify)

1. Select the base template – we always place the ‘Team Why’ or ‘Value Objective’ by the team at the centre of the Canvas, you can select the number of ‘blocks’, start small and scale or go for the full scope.

2. Label each block (we have suggested some labels), search Drawify for icons to provide a visual shortcut.

3. After a team workshop or brainstorm, use the Canvas to refine and boil down to the core information.  After which, your team’s objectives, rules, ways of working, culture etc. can all be defined and communicated with words and visuals.

4. Structure the canvas logically i.e. left-side for internal factors, rights side for external, or tell a story in a clockwise direction.

5. Use Personas or avatars to represent customers, team members or stakeholders -Drawify has visuals for these too.

6. Decorate the Team Canvas with a context or a theme – use the theme to show what business you work in, or the products and services your team provide, or any other way you wish to identify or promote your team.

That’s it – now stand back and admire your Team Canvas – as a Team!