Workshop Team Canvas
- Apr 4
- 6 min read
Team building with Team Canvas in the workshop
Teams work best together when they pursue a common goal and have a shared understanding of their values, skills, rules, and, not least, the purpose of their work. The TeamCanvas is a great, agile method for encouraging and efficiently facilitating communication about these aspects within the team.
As an Agile Coach and a big fan of canvases in general, I regularly work with the Team Canvas in addition to the Business Model Canvas and the Leadership Canvas. The method allows teams to engage in open, interactive discussions and, thanks to its clear structure, remains organized and focused.
Do you want to unlock your team's full potential with the Team Canvas? Then this blog post will help you, because here you'll find a detailed guide for a Team Canvas workshop in your company:
What is a "Team Canvas"?
The term "canvas" comes from English and means "canvas" or "paper." A canvas, therefore, represents selected relevant questions on a specific topic on a surface, the canvas. In the case of a team canvas, these are questions about goals, values, competencies, rules, and behaviors. Working with a canvas—like most agile methods—aims to simplify and reduce complex structures.
The Team Canvas works particularly well because the entire team engages intensively with the questions during the process and always has them in view afterward. Walls of text and cumbersome searches for specific answers are a thing of the past. The example image shows what a completed canvas can look like. Thanks to this structure, the method is clear and focused.
The Team Canvas Workshop – When is it worthwhile and for whom is it suitable?
That roughly describes the tool – the Team Canvas. I'll explain in more detail later how to fill in the individual sections. For now, let's look at how to go from a blank canvas to a tool your entire team can actually use. Ideally, the Team Canvas isn't filled out by a solopreneur, and certainly not dictated from above. Instead, it should be filled in collaboratively by all team members – ideally during a workshop.
This is always worthwhile when teams are newly formed, take on new tasks, when you or your team members notice that workflows are sluggish, or when there is high employee turnover in the company – also to help prevent precisely that. Therefore, the Team Canvas Workshop is particularly interesting for:
Leadership: A team that is meant to work hand in hand must first think hand in hand. Goals and values that are defined by everyone will also be respected by everyone. This not only increases efficiency, but above all, employee satisfaction.
Project managers: Project teams are often (or at best) very diverse. The people don't know each other, and while different backgrounds and skills are valuable for working on the project, they need a common baseline for working within the project.
Trainers and educators: Students, trainees, and other learning groups also benefit from stronger cohesion and a shared vision. This makes it easier to absorb and implement learning content in a more sustainable way.
Companies and teams undergoing agile transformation: In this blog post, I explain how to build self-organized, agile teams.
Objective of a Team Canvas Workshop
Creating the foundations for good teamwork;
Start/promote discussions about the team's goals, roles, values, rules, and purpose;
Creating a shared understanding;
Onboarding new team members;
Clear up any potential misunderstandings/irritations;
Create alignment;
Create a starting point for a team building process.
The Team Canvas makes it possible to bring unspoken issues to the surface and to develop shared wishes and goals within a team. Thanks to its structure, the method is very clear and focused.
Preparing for a Team Canvas Workshop
To prepare for a Team Canvas workshop, a facilitator should first be appointed. This can be – depending on their reluctance or facilitation experience – the manager or someone from the team, or – my recommendation – an external facilitator.
The facilitator invites the participants and clarifies the framework: What is to happen? How and where will the team meet? How much time should each individual plan to spend? Based on this, the participants can prepare mentally and scheduling-wise, and perhaps even reflect on important points beforehand.
Team Canvas Template
Even before the workshop invitation arrives, the decision regarding the content is which version of the Team Canvas to use. In my experience, the Team Canvas Basic is universally applicable and offers real added value for all teams, regardless of their experience in self-reflection or team building. The Team Canvas Advanced , in my opinion, is better suited to more advanced teams that regularly engage in open discussions about themselves and possess a high degree of reflective capacity and openness.
Furthermore, the presenter should also provide the necessary equipment :
Conducting in person: print a team canvas in poster size (A0) , obtain enough (small) sticky notes and good pens , book a suitable room.
Conducting the meeting virtually: Create a template for a team canvas on a digital whiteboard (e.g., Miro or Conceptboard) ( you can find templates for Miro here ), set up a video conference, and invite the participants. The moderator should join the virtual meeting 10 minutes early.
Conducting a Team Canvas Workshop
The basic content of a Team Canvas workshop is clear: filling out the Team Canvas. But how should you go about it?
I recommend the following procedure:
Presentation of the Team Canvas to the entire team
Clarification of questions of understanding
Agreement on general “rules of the game” (How do we want to work together today?)
Brainstorming of the individual fields
Create Team Canvas Basic:
Purpose : What is the purpose of the team? What do we stand for? (Do we have a team name?)
Roles & Skills : Who is part of the team? What role do they have? What informal roles exist? What skills might be lacking?
Common Goals : What goals does the entire team pursue? What goals does each individual pursue?
Values : What values are important to each individual? What are the core values of the team?
Rules & Activities : What are the basic rules the team wants to agree on?
Create Team Canvas Advanced:
Purpose : What is the purpose of the team? What do we stand for? (Do we have a team name?)
People & Roles : Who is part of the team? What role do they have? What informal roles exist? What skills might be lacking?
Common Goals : What goals does the entire team pursue?
Personal Goals : What goals does each individual pursue?
Values : What values are important to each individual? What are the core values of the team?
Needs & Expectations : What does each individual need to be successful in the team?
Rules & Activities : What are the basic rules the team wants to agree on?
Strengths & Assets : What are the team's strengths?
Weaknesses & Risks : What are weaknesses and risks?
The individual fields or topics will be addressed one after the other. First, each participant is asked to note the relevant aspects on sticky notes. At the moderator's request, these sticky notes are displayed. Following this, questions of understanding and the content-related significance of the points are discussed. It is important that the fields are addressed successively, one after the other (and not simultaneously!).
The facilitator should also consider the time frame to assess which areas will require more or less discussion and content. Experience shows that the topics of "values" and "rules" tend to be more intensive than "goals" and "roles." Furthermore, there are more appropriate methods for clarifying purpose and roles within a team. Nevertheless, the canvas can be a good starting point for delving deeper into these topics in other formats.
The length of time a team spends working on a Team Canvas depends heavily on the facilitator and the specific objectives. After all, the canvas may raise questions that can't be answered quickly. In my experience, depending on the team size, you should plan for at least 2.5 to 4 hours for a thorough Team Canvas workshop. There's usually more need for discussion than there isn't.
After the workshop - and now what?
A Team Canvas workshop is not an end in itself. While teams usually find the constructive and structured exchange based on a Team Canvas very beneficial and team-building, the ongoing integration of the points developed into the daily work of team members is, of course, important. Specifically, the following questions can help:
How do we ensure that everyone on the team knows our purpose and our identity?
How do we keep the team's goals transparent on an ongoing basis – even when changes occur?
How do we deal with missing roles and skills within the team?
How are the team's defined values and rules taken into account in everyday practice?
How do we embed reflection on ourselves as a team as an integral part of collaboration?
PS: A team canvas can certainly be used multiple times within the same team – possibly with iterations. Regular alignment can be particularly beneficial when a team operates in a highly dynamic environment!
Please feel free to contact me anytime if you have any further questions about the procedure or my template. I'm happy to help!