--- title: "Who/What/When Matrix" description: "Participants construct a shared action grid starting from individual names, recording self-assigned deliverables and specific completion dates. This turns session decisions into visible peer commitments." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/who-what-when-matrix/" --- # Who/What/When Matrix Participants construct a shared action grid starting from individual names, recording self-assigned deliverables and specific completion dates. This turns session decisions into visible peer commitments. **Time:** 25 minutes. Gamestorming indicates 15 to 30 minutes; 25 minutes allows 1.5 to 2 minutes per person for up to 10 participants. **People:** 2 to 10. Whole group working on a single visible matrix. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Document accountable individual commitments and completion dates for agreed meeting outcomes. **Use it when:** At the close of a working meeting or planning session where outcomes and direction have been decided. **Skip it when:** During early problem framing, open-ended exploration, or sessions where the team does not yet agree on direction. ## Materials and tools - 1 whiteboard or flip chart - Dry-erase markers or flip chart pens in 2 colors - 1 smartphone or digital camera to record the completed board - Optional digital whiteboard or shared spreadsheet software for remote or hybrid sessions ## Before participants arrive 1. Draw a three-column table on the whiteboard, flip chart, or shared digital canvas. 2. Label the three columns: WHO, WHAT, and WHEN. 3. List the name of every attendee down the WHO column before starting the clock. ## Say this to open We will close our work today by establishing next steps. Rather than generating a disconnected list of tasks and assigning them out, we start with the people in this room. Everyone has a row. State one concrete task you commit to deliver, along with the specific completion date. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce matrix and model row (3 minutes) Point out the three-column format and note that every attendee's name already appears in the WHO column. Model a concrete entry using a hypothetical example row: 'WHO: Alex / WHAT: Send draft project schedule to client / WHEN: Thursday by 3 PM'. Contrast that specific output with a vague entry like 'Work on project timeline'. ### 2. Collect individual commitments (15 minutes) Work down the WHO column row by row. Ask each participant what specific deliverable they commit to complete and their exact deadline. Write their exact words in the WHAT and WHEN columns. If a task sounds broad, ask what tangible output will exist when it finishes. A participant may pass or claim a support role if their scope has no separate action. ### 3. Review balance and support (4 minutes) Review the full board with the whole group. Identify any individuals carrying an excessive load or deliverables with unresolved handoffs. Invite participants with no assigned tasks or light loads to offer direct support to colleagues holding critical deadlines. Adjust rows based on voluntary offers. ### 4. Confirm and record (3 minutes) Read through each completed row aloud to confirm agreement. Take a clear photograph of the physical matrix or export the digital canvas. Confirm who will circulate the resulting record to all attendees. ## Debrief questions - Which committed deliverables depend on another person finishing their task first? - How will we notify one another if a deadline needs to change? **Finished output:** A completed three-column action table showing each participant's self-selected deliverables and agreed completion dates. ## Remote Open a shared spreadsheet or digital whiteboard visible to all attendees with columns WHO, WHAT, and WHEN. Pre-populate the WHO column with participant names. The facilitator types commitments live during Step 2, or gives editing access so participants can type their own rows as they speak. ## Hybrid Display the digital matrix on the room screen while screen sharing with remote attendees. The facilitator types all entries live into the shared spreadsheet or board so both in-room and online participants follow the exact same pacing. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may speak their commitment aloud, write it on paper for the facilitator to record, or enter it into chat. - Anyone may choose a supporting role or pass without providing personal explanation. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant names an ambiguous action such as 'research options'.** Ask what finished item will exist at the deadline, such as 'email a one-page comparison of three options'. **One person takes on several critical actions while others take none.** Pause writing on that row. Ask the wider group who can adopt the second or third item to ensure realistic completion. ## Terms used here - Deliverable: A tangible document, file, message, or outcome produced upon completing a task. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Gamestorming, which attributes the Who/What/When Matrix to Dave Gray, inspired by business-coaching methods of Mike Berman. Preserved Dave Gray's core mechanic of listing participant names first in a WHO/WHAT/WHEN grid to establish visible peer commitments. UWT expanded the collection time to 15 minutes to realistically accommodate up to 10 participants, clarified the hypothetical modeling step, added explicit access options, and included remote/hybrid technical logistics. [Gamestorming](https://gamestorming.com/whowhatwhen-matrix) [Gamestorming](https://gamestorming.com/whowhatwhen-matrix/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/who-what-when-matrix/