The best way to start a new project — CAQ matrix

Picture: Unsplash

You already have been in a meeting, dynamic, started a new project or a task in your work and questioned yourself: "How I should start?"

Probably you already started with some assumptions about the subject, related with some data that you collected with stakeholders or data that you already have in your "hands" when you researched before.

In this article we gonna talk about one very interesting dynamic and tool called "CAQ" that is about use a map to identify and align:

• Convictions (all we already know about the subject);
• Assumptions (what we assume, but we are not sure, and we have to confirm);
• Questions (what we need to find out, the research we have to make and the questions we have to ask for our costumers, for example).

Example created on Miro — Columns added: CAQ, Convictions, Assumptions and Questions

How we begin?

1- The first step is to organize a Canva, like this example below, and define:

• a timebox to everyone feels comfortable to share their opinions;
• a sticky note with your issue or topic to help participants remember the focus of the exercise.

A little tip: Being transparent and be careful not to draw attention to what individuals stick notes unless you are in a tight-knit group.

Example created on Miro — Focus Area was “How to improve candidates’ experience in online interviews?” Part 1 — filling in the post-its

By defining the dynamic timebox, put some music on. You can use 7 or 15 minutes depending on the theme you're working on.

Another tip: remember to put some songs that everyone enjoys — you can make a collaborative playlist, for example. And is also important to remember that this dynamic can be made remotely and also in office.

2- Second part of the dynamic — clustering the ideas

After everyone finished, we can ask if we want more time, and if is not needed we can start clustering the post-its.

We start grouping similar stickers together to create patterns and use the theme’s sticky note to name them. Remember: this can also be done after the workshop to synthesize learnings in particular.

Example created on Miro — Focus Area was “How to improve candidates’ experience in online interviews?” Part 2 — clustering the post-its

The CAQ Matrix, also known by CSD Matrix, can and may be used throughout the project, being reviewed and constantly updated until our doubts disappear and our convictions multiply.

Now you have main topics to attack, and this method will help your team to get rid of false positive assumptions. Share this article with them and start practicing.

Want to know more about the subject?
Here it is one of the articles that I read about it recently and helped me to write this one: Tracking Research Questions, Assumptions, and Facts in Agile (By NN/g Nielsen Norman Group)

Hope you had enjoyed the reading! This is my first article here on Medium.

Follow me on LinkedIn and feel free to reach me out as we talk about research when we have a coffee! ☕