Foundation Sprint is NOT an agile / Scrum sprint. 2-day workshop methodology (Knapp/Zeratsky). For disambiguation see Workshop Sprints vs Agile Sprints.
At a glance
flowchart LR
R[/readiness/] --> B[/brief/]
B --> D1AM[/Day 1 AM<br/>basics<br/>90-120 min/]
D1AM --> D1PM[/Day 1 PM<br/>differentiation<br/>120-180 min/]
D1PM --> D2AM[/Day 2 AM<br/>approach options<br/>60-90 min/]
D2AM --> D2PM[/Day 2 PM<br/>magic lenses<br/>90-120 min/]
D2PM --> FH[/Day 2 end<br/>founding hypothesis<br/>30-45 min/]
style R fill:#e1f5ff
style B fill:#e1f5ff
style FH fill:#f0e1ff
Roles
| Role | Required? | Days |
|---|
| Decider | YES | Both days, all blocks |
| Facilitator | YES | Both days, all blocks |
| PM | YES | Both days |
| Design | Recommended | Both days |
| Engineering OR Customer expert | Recommended (one of) | Both days |
Team total: 3-5 people. Smaller fails (“not enough perspectives”); larger fails (“debate doesn’t converge”).
Day-by-day timeboxes
Pre-sprint (days before Day 1)
tool-foundation-sprint-readiness (30-45 min): Go / Conditional Go / Wait against 8 canonical criteria.tool-foundation-sprint-brief (45-60 min): one-page scope contract.
Day 1
| Block | Time | Skill | Output |
|---|
| Morning | 09:00-12:00 | tool-foundation-sprint-basics | Target customer + important problem + team advantage + competitor map |
| Lunch | 12:00-13:00 | - | - |
| Afternoon | 13:00-16:00 | tool-foundation-sprint-differentiation | Scored differentiators + 2x2 chart + decision principles + Mini Manifesto |
| Day-end review | 16:00-17:00 | - | Decider signs off on Day 1 strategic summary |
Day 2
| Block | Time | Skill | Output |
|---|
| Morning | 09:00-11:00 | tool-foundation-sprint-approach-options | 3-7 candidate approaches as one-page summaries |
| Late morning | 11:00-12:00 | - | Continuation / buffer |
| Lunch | 12:00-13:00 | - | - |
| Afternoon | 13:00-15:00 | tool-foundation-sprint-magic-lenses | 4 classic + 1+ custom lens scoring; Decider top-bet + backup supervote |
| Late afternoon | 15:00-16:00 | tool-foundation-sprint-founding-hypothesis | Canonical hypothesis sentence + assumption scorecard + recommended next test |
| Day-end ratification | 16:00-17:00 | - | Decider ratifies Founding Hypothesis; sprint closes |
Decider Checkpoints (do not skip)
| Moment | What the Decider commits to |
|---|
| End of readiness | Go verdict; running the 2-day workshop |
| End of brief | Scope, team, dates |
| End of basics | Target customer + problem + advantage + competitor frame |
| End of differentiation | 2 chosen differentiators + Mini Manifesto |
| End of approach options | Candidate set advancing to Magic Lenses |
| End of magic lenses | Top bet + backup + decision rationale |
| End of founding hypothesis | Ratified hypothesis sentence; next test |
Top 5 failure modes (and recovery)
- No Decider available → postpone; do not run without committed authority.
- Team only generates 1-2 approaches → research gap signal; pause Approach Options for customer research.
- Magic Lenses scoring becomes consensus exercise → Facilitator enforces silent scoring; Decider applies supervote.
- Founding Hypothesis sentence is hedged → re-write; Decider must commit publicly to the unhedged version.
- Decider wants to change top bet next day → only acceptable with new evidence; otherwise hold the line.
Print this page to PDF for in-room facilitator reference. Part of PM-Skills.