What? So What? Now What? Template

Here’s a breakdown of its three-step framework:

1. What?

   Identify and understand the event or experience. This involves asking, “What happened?” and gathering an objective account of the situation.

2. So What?

   Extract and analyze all relevant information, focusing on what went well, what didn’t, and why. This stage encourages the team to reflect on the implications and lessons learned from the event.

3. Now What?

   Based on the insights gathered, brainstorm a set of actionable steps to improve future approaches. This final step promotes constructive planning to ensure better outcomes in similar situations.

By guiding your team through these stages, the template helps identify areas for improvement, allowing you to make more informed decisions and avoid past mistakes.

Benefits of using the What? So What? Now What? Template

Using the What? So What? Now What? Template offers several benefits for teams:

1. Promotes self-awareness: Engaging in this framework helps individuals and teams identify gaps in understanding and learn from others' viewpoints, which can broaden their perspective and improve future decisions.
2. Reduces subjective bias: Reflecting on past actions can be challenging without bias, as personal pride and professional self-image may influence perceptions. This structured approach encourages a more objective review, helping to strip away subjective barriers and foster open, productive discussions.
3. Encourages open communication: By breaking down experiences into clear, reflective stages, this model facilitates honest conversations, allowing team members to express insights and concerns more freely.
4. Enhances learning and growth: The structured reflection process enables teams to turn past mistakes into learning opportunities, ultimately improving their strategies and approaches.
5. Supports agile practices: Especially useful in Scrum workflows, this framework fits seamlessly into sprint reviews and retrospectives, making it adaptable for iterative processes and continuous improvement across different situations.

Create your own What? So What? Now What? Template

Creating your own What? So What? Now What? Template in FigJam is straightforward, and it’s perfect for team collaboration to reflect on past experiences. Follow these steps to make it your own:

1. Choose the Template: First, select the What? So What? Now What? Template from the Template Library in FigJam and open it on a new board.
2. Define the Event (What?): Start by identifying a recent issue or challenge. For example, if your team faced a low customer conversion rate, add it as a sticky note under the "What?" section. This stage is all about clearly defining the situation.
3. Analyze the Impact (So What?): Discuss with your team what this issue means for your company. How does it affect your goals, team morale, or customer satisfaction? Encourage team members to add sticky notes with their thoughts, focusing on the implications.
4. Outline Next Steps (Now What?): Collaborate on potential solutions or steps forward. In the case of a low conversion rate, brainstorm ways to address it—maybe revising your marketing strategy or optimizing the user experience. Add these ideas under the "Now What?" section.
5. Use as a Guide: After completing the template, save it as a reference for future strategy discussions. You can revisit it to track your progress and adjust plans as needed, ensuring your team stays aligned and focused on improvement.

Using the What? So What? Now What? Template

The What? So What? Now What? Template guides you or a group through a structured reflection exercise. To start, think of a specific event or situation you want to analyze. Then, move through each phase of the model, using guiding questions to encourage reflection on thoughts and experiences.

If you’re conducting this exercise with a group, assign different colored sticky notes to each participant, making it easy to distinguish responses. For remote teams, use video chat to touch base after each phase, ensuring everyone is aligned and engaged.

By asking targeted questions and collaborating, you can wrap up the session with a clear understanding of how to improve processes and outcomes going forward.

What are some examples of What? So What? Now What? Questions?

What?

Questions that detail the experience:

• What happened?
• What did you observe?
• What role did you play?
• What were your expectations?
• What part of the experience was challenging?
• What part did you find exciting?
• What surprised you?
• What did you learn?

So What?

Questions to explore the significance of the experience:

• What questions are you asking after this experience?
• How did this event impact you?
• What feelings did this experience bring up?
• What conclusions can you draw from it?
• What did you learn about yourself?
• What did you learn about others?

Now What?

Questions to guide your next steps:

• How will you apply what you learned from this experience?
• What would you like to explore further?
• What steps are needed to address any challenges?
• How will this experience contribute to your career?
• How will this change your community going forward?
• How can you stay involved in similar experiences?

These questions help you reflect on the event, analyze its importance, and determine how to use the insights for future growth and action.

A structured approach to reflection helps keep discussions on track and ensures you get the most out of each session. Without a template or framework, it’s easy for conversations to drift, which can lead to longer meetings and an unclear direction.

The What? So What? Now What? Template provides a clear structure for each phase, allowing you to present questions to your team virtually and gather insights all in one place. Using this template can help you maintain focus, define your meeting length, and capture the key points from each reflection session efficiently.