A frustrated CEO, a legacy system no one liked, and a looming contract deadline — this episode unpacks the story of how one team broke out of vendor-driven inertia and took back control of their tech strategy. What started as confusion and friction turned into clarity and confidence, all through the power of intentional facilitation and a tightly structured two-day workshop.

You'll hear how a group of cross-functional stakeholders aligned on priorities, identified risky assumptions, and rapidly shaped a new path forward — including a validated RFP and scoring rubric — in just 16 hours. This episode is packed with practical tips for anyone facing a big, high-stakes decision with too many options and too little time.

Inside the episode...

• A CEO's challenge with legacy tech and vendor pressure

• How a two-day workshop turned chaos into clarity

• The role of facilitation in accelerating strategic alignment

• Stack ranking, 2x2 matrices, and other prioritization techniques

• Why solo work before group discussion makes a huge difference

• Designing better user stories from the ground up

• Using ChatGPT to draft faster, better RFPs and rubrics

• How to spot and de-risk your most dangerous assumptions

• Tactical facilitation tips for running your own workshop

• The impact of intentional structure, breaks, and focus

Mentioned in this episode

• ChatGPT

• RFP (Request for Proposal) templates and scoring rubrics

• Integral's Plus/Delta/Learn framework

• Facilitation techniques like 2x2 matrices, stack ranking, dot voting

• Data integration planning

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral's player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

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