Rich Pictures • WorkshopBank
At the start of a project or initiative when the group needs to understand the full picture before jumping to solutions When a team is stuck in analysis paralysis and needs a different way to surface what they already know During stakeholder workshops where different perspectives on the same situation need to be made...
How to run it
- At the start of a project or initiative when the group needs to understand the full picture before jumping to solutions
- When a team is stuck in analysis paralysis and needs a different way to surface what they already know
- During stakeholder workshops where different perspectives on the same situation need to be made visible
- When the situation is genuinely complex with multiple interacting elements, relationships, and emotions
- To diagnose why something feels wrong but nobody can pinpoint the issue
- When written problem statements keep missing important dynamics
- As a diagnostic tool before choosing which structured method to use next
- Rich Pictures is a visual technique where participants draw messy, holistic illustrations of a complex situation, system, or challenge.
- Also Known As Soft Systems Pictures Situation Pictures When to Use It At the start of a project o
- At the start of a project or initiative when the group needs to understand the full picture before jumping to solutions When a team is stuck in analysis paralysis and needs a different way to surface what they already know During stakeholder workshops where different perspectives on the same situation need to be made visible
Run this exercise live
The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.
What participants need now
Materials:
This is a participant-safe snapshot, not a response form. It sends nothing back to the facilitator.
Prompts to use +
At the start of a project or initiative when the group needs to understand the full picture before jumping to solutions
As a diagnostic tool before choosing which structured method to use next
Rich Pictures is a visual technique where participants draw messy, holistic illustrations of a complex situation, system, or challenge.
Also Known As Soft Systems Pictures Situation Pictures When to Use It At the start of a project o
At the start of a project or initiative when the group needs to understand the full picture before jumping to solutions When a team is stuck in analysis paralysis and needs a different way to surface what they already know During stakeholder workshops where different perspectives on the same situation need to be made visible
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: Rich Pictures • WorkshopBank. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: At the start of a project or initiative when the group needs to understand the full picture before jumping to solutions; As a diagnostic tool before choosing which structured method to use next; Rich Pictures is a visual technique where participants draw messy, holistic illustrations of a complex situation, system, or challenge.; Also Known As Soft Systems Pictures Situation Pictures When to Use It At the start of a project o. 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 WorkshopBank; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including WorkshopBank.)
- 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.