Plus/Delta
Plus/Delta is an ideation warm-up exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.
How to run it
- Make two columns: one for “plus” and one for “delta” (the Greek symbol for change).
- Ask the group to reflect on what was positive or repeatable about an activity and capture their thoughts under the “plus” column.
- Ask the group then to brainstorm about what they would change about it, and capture these under the “delta” column.
- This feedback method can apply to any activity, idea, work product, or action. By focusing on change as opposed to direct negatives, the group will be more likely to share its true assessment while also generating improvement ideas.
- The earliest known use of the Plus/Delta game is at The Boeing Co circa 1980.
- . Ask the group to reflect on what was positive or repeatable about an activity and capture their thoughts under the “plus” column.
- . Ask the group then to brainstorm about what they would change about it, and capture these under the “delta” column.
- Template created by: EasyRetro Team - Has been used 88 times
- All methods All authors IAF Library Library Plus/Delta 92 36 This feedback method can apply to any activity, idea, work product, or action.
- By focusing on change as opposed to direct negatives, the group will be more likely to share its true assessment while also generating improvement ideas.
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Prompts to use +
Ask the group to reflect on what was positive or repeatable about an activity and capture their thoughts under the “plus” column.
Ask the group then to brainstorm about what they would change about it, and capture these under the “delta” column.
This feedback method can apply to any activity, idea, work product, or action. By focusing on change as opposed to direct negatives, the group will be more likely to share its true assessment while also generating improvement ideas.
The earliest known use of the Plus/Delta game is at The Boeing Co circa 1980.
. Ask the group to reflect on what was positive or repeatable about an activity and capture their thoughts under the “plus” column.
. Ask the group then to brainstorm about what they would change about it, and capture these under the “delta” column.
Run this with your AI assistant +
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.
Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Plus/Delta. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Ask the group to reflect on what was positive or repeatable about an activity and capture their thoughts under the “plus” column.; Ask the group then to brainstorm about what they would change about it, and capture these under the “delta” column.; This feedback method can apply to any activity, idea, work product, or action. By focusing on change as opposed to direct negatives, the group will be more likely to share its true assessment while also generating improvement ideas.; The earliest known use of the Plus/Delta game is at The Boeing Co circa 1980.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Gamestorming; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (3 sources observed, including Gamestorming, EasyRetro, SessionLab.)
- What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
- No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
- Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.