Turn an ambiguous collaborative idea into a clear, bounded activity another person can understand and help run.
Draft upgraded
Readiness
Not yet assessed
Rate every readiness dimension in Stage 5 to assess whether the activity is ready to run.
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Secondary score
No readiness cap applies until every dimension is rated.
You do not need perfect answers. Capture the best current decision and revise it as the activity becomes clearer.
Stage 1
Capture and Frame
Begin wherever the idea actually is. Rough language, uncertainty, and contradictions are useful raw material; progressively shape them into a purpose, audience, reason, and protective boundary.
Capture the unfinished thinking
Write it as it currently exists. Fragments, uncertainties, contradictions, and rough language are welcome.
Think with what is known
Facts, observations, constraints, or decisions already established.
Beliefs or expectations that have not yet been confirmed.
Questions that should be answered before committing further.
A practical internal name. It does not need to be the final public title.
Use this to describe the activity. It does not change the workflow.
What should this activity enable?
Who is this for, and what relevant context do they bring?
What opportunity, need, problem, or trigger makes this worth doing?
What failure, burden, behavior, or scope expansion would undermine the activity?
Framing summary
Add a title, participants, and purpose to create a concise framing summary.
Current synthesis
What the current design says
What remains unresolved
Recommended next decision
Stage 2
Define Success
A strong activity begins with the desired change, not with an agenda. Describe what will be different for participants and what evidence will show that the activity was worthwhile.
Design for outcomes: attendance, enthusiasm, and completing the agenda are not enough on their own.
What should participants gain, understand, decide, create, practice, or experience?
This may be organizational, team, customer, community, educational, professional, or public value.
What will exist when the activity is complete?
What observable result would indicate that the activity achieved its purpose?
What is explicitly outside the scope of this activity?
Current synthesis
What the current design says
What remains unresolved
Recommended next decision
Stage 3
Shape Participation
Define how people take part, how much effort is reasonable, and which boundaries make participation understandable and safe.
Current synthesis
What the current design says
What remains unresolved
Recommended next decision
Stage 4
Design the Flow
Describe the practical conditions, roles, and five phases another person would need to run the activity.
Current synthesis
What the current design says
What remains unresolved
Recommended next decision
Stage 5
Stress-Test It
Rate the design that exists now. Every dimension must be explicitly rated before Activity Foundry reports readiness.
Purpose and outcome clarity
Is the intended change and evidence of success clear?
Participant clarity
Can participants understand what is expected without hidden steps?
Accessibility and inclusion
Can the intended participants take part equitably?
Participation and engagement fit
Does the interaction model fit the purpose and participants?
Workload and capacity
Can participants and organizers meet the effort boundaries?
Fairness and psychological safety
Can people participate without avoidable pressure, bias, or retaliation?
Safety, privacy, consent, and compliance
Are sensitive information, permissions, and obligations handled explicitly?
Operational resilience
Can the activity finish safely if plans or people change?
Not yet assessed. Rate all eight dimensions.
Current synthesis
What the current design says
What remains unresolved
Recommended next decision
Stage 6
Plan the First Run
Turn the design into a bounded first execution. The activity owner from Stage 4 remains accountable.
Activity owner:Needs decision
Immediate next actions
Add up to five bounded actions. One complete row is required only when proceeding to first-run planning.
Current synthesis
What the current design says
What remains unresolved
Recommended next decision
Stage 7
Share the Plan
Generate platform-neutral materials without inventing missing decisions. Required gaps appear as “Needs decision.”
Final execution status
Concept needs work
Safety and completeness rules override an incompatible selection.
Launch checklist
Decision brief
Participant message
Facilitator runbook
Stage 8
Review and Preserve
Capture what happened, make the next decision explicit, and preserve enough context for the next owner.