Do, Redo & Undo

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Identify failure modes in a workflow or system design and map concrete prevention, correction, and recovery mechanisms for each one.

Use it when: Use when a team has an initial concept, workflow draft, or product feature spec and needs to account for edge cases, mistakes, and rollbacks before implementation.

Skip it when: Skip during early divergent ideation when no baseline concept exists yet, or when evaluating fixed regulatory rules that cannot be redesigned.

Group arrangement: Subgroups of 3 to 5 participants working in parallel on dedicated templates.

Timing: Based on the source indication of 1 hour or more depending on system complexity.

Materials and tools

• 1 shared template per subgroup with 4 columns: Failure Scenario, Do (Avoid), Redo (Course Correct), Undo (Revert)
• Sticky notes (2 pads of 3x3 inch notes per subgroup in distinct colors: 1 pad yellow for errors, 1 pad green/blue for solutions)
• 1 fine-tip marker per participant
• Wall tape or tabletop surface for templates
• 1 visible countdown timer

Before participants arrive

1. Write or print the baseline scenario, user flow, or feature spec where everyone can see it.
2. Draw or post the 4-column template (Failure Scenario | Do | Redo | Undo) on a wall or table for each subgroup.
3. Distribute sticky notes and markers to each subgroup workspace.

Say this to open

Most plans assume smooth execution, but real systems need ways to handle mistakes, changes of mind, and interruptions. Today we are examining our baseline draft through three lenses: Do, which means redesigning to avoid the mistake entirely; Redo, which means course-correcting midstream; and Undo, which means completely rolling back to a safe prior state. Your subgroup will first brainstorm everything that could go wrong, and then design specific remedies across these three categories.

How to run it

1. Review baseline concept 10 minutes

   Facilitator introduces the session purpose and reviews the baseline concept, process map, or feature draft. Subgroups spend 5 minutes reading through the flow, clarifying ambiguities, and confirming where user or operator actions occur.

2. Brainstorm failure scenarios 15 minutes

   Working individually for 5 minutes, participants write potential mistakes, missteps, or interruptions on yellow sticky notes (one idea per note), prompted by questions like 'What happens if someone pulls the plug?' or 'What if an untrained person tries to use this?' Subgroups then spend 10 minutes posting notes in their Failure Scenario column, clustering duplicates, and selecting their top 3 to 5 highest-risk scenarios to address.

3. Map Do, Redo, and Undo remedies 20 minutes

   Subgroups address their selected scenarios using the hierarchy of solutions. On green notes, write remedies across the three categories: Do (change the design to eliminate the risk), Redo (provide a mid-action adjustment or buffer), or Undo (revert completely to a clean prior state). Subgroups place their remedy notes in the corresponding column next to each failure scenario.

4. Cross-group walk and debrief 15 minutes

   Give subgroups 5 minutes to read other groups' templates. Reconvene the full room for a 10-minute debrief. Hear brief examples from 2 or 3 subgroups on which Do redesigns eliminated a problem entirely, and how recovery paths were defined.

Debrief questions

• Which failure mode was successfully eliminated by changing the baseline design (Do)?
• Where in our process is an Undo necessary because a Redo cannot safely fix the error?
• What is the most critical recovery mechanism we need to build into the next version of this plan?

Finished output: A populated 4-column matrix mapping prioritized failure scenarios to concrete Do, Redo, or Undo system changes, ready to incorporate into the revised plan.

Remote

Set up a shared digital whiteboard with duplicate frames for each subgroup. Each frame contains the baseline workflow summary and four columns: Failure Scenario, Do, Redo, Undo. Break participants into breakout rooms of 3 to 5 people. Run the timer centrally and broadcast step transitions via room announcements.

Hybrid

Form distinct remote-only and in-person-only breakout groups. In-person groups use physical wall templates while remote groups work on the digital board. During the cross-group review, screenshare digital boards in the physical room and assign an in-person representative to photograph and paste physical boards into the shared virtual canvas.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may contribute failure ideas silently via sticky notes, verbally within their subgroup, or digitally in shared docs.
• Any participant may opt out of speaking during the room-wide debrief without justification.

If the session gets stuck

Groups focus entirely on edge-case recovery (Undo) without considering design fixes (Do).

Remind participants of the preference order: ask 'Can we change the initial step so this user mistake is physically impossible, eliminating the need to undo it?'

Subgroups get stuck generating dozens of trivial mistakes and run out of time for solutions.

Enforce the 15-minute cap on failure brainstorming. Direct groups to vote or pick their top 3 to 5 most severe risks immediately and move to solution columns.

Terms used here

• Do: Altering the base design or workflow to prevent an error from occurring in the first place.
• Redo: Allowing an actor to adjust or correct an action while it is currently taking place.
• Undo: Providing a mechanism to reverse an action entirely and return to an earlier known state.