Team Canvas (Simple)

The Team Canvas is a strategic alignment tool designed to help teams establish their identity, clarify purpose, and set shared expectations. Based on the Business Model Canvas methodology, this simplified version provides a structured framework for teams to align on their fundamental elements—from goals and values to roles and working agreements.

What Is Team Canvas?

Team Canvas is a collaborative workshop framework developed by Alex Ivanov and Mitya Voloshchuk, inspired by Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas. It serves as a visual chart that helps teams define and document their core identity elements in one place. This simplified version focuses on five key areas: Goals, Purpose, Values, Roles and Skills, and Rules and Activities.

The canvas acts as both a team-building exercise and a reference document that captures the team's shared understanding of what matters most to them collectively.

Benefits & When to Use Team Canvas

This template is particularly valuable when:

  • Forming a new team or onboarding new team members
  • Kicking off a new project or initiative
  • Experiencing team conflicts or misalignment
  • Following organizational changes that impact team dynamics
  • Conducting quarterly team health checks or realignments

Benefits include:

  • Creates clarity around team purpose and direction
  • Reduces misunderstandings about roles and responsibilities
  • Surfaces potential conflicts early through transparent discussions
  • Establishes shared values and working agreements
  • Builds psychological safety by acknowledging individual strengths and weaknesses
  • Provides a visual reference point for the team's identity

How to Run a Team Canvas Session

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Session time: 60-90 minutes
Participants: The entire team (ideally 3-10 people)

  1. Introduction (5 minutes)

    • Welcome participants and explain that the purpose of the session is to align on who you are as a team
    • Give a brief overview of each section of the Team Canvas
    • Encourage honest, respectful contributions throughout

  2. Goals Section (15 minutes)

    • Have each team member individually add sticky notes for both team goals and personal goals
    • Team goals should be feasible, measurable, and time-bounded
    • Personal goals help surface individual motivations and aspirations

  3. Purpose Discussion (15 minutes)

    • Move to the Purpose section and prompt the team with: "Why are we doing what we're doing?"
    • Encourage deeper thinking beyond surface-level answers
    • Work toward a concise purpose statement that resonates with everyone

  4. Roles and Skills Identification (15 minutes)

    • Have team members document their names, official roles, and key strengths/weaknesses
    • Discuss any skill gaps or overlaps that emerge
    • Consider creating a team name that reflects your identity

  5. Values Alignment (15 minutes)

    • Ask team members to add sticky notes describing what they stand for
    • Identify common themes in the guiding principles shared
    • Consolidate into 3-5 core team values that everyone can commit to

  6. Rules and Activities (15 minutes)

    • Document how the team will communicate, make decisions, and evaluate work
    • Establish specific working agreements based on previous discussions
    • Make sure agreements are actionable and clear

  7. Closing and Insights (10 minutes)

    • Ask each participant to share their biggest insight from the session
    • Document these insights in the designated section
    • Take a screenshot or save the Team Canvas for future reference

Tips for a Successful Team Canvas Session

  • Schedule this session when team members are fresh and can fully engage with the content
  • Consider having someone outside the team facilitate to ensure everyone participates equally
  • Encourage psychological safety by sharing your own weaknesses first as a leader
  • Focus on consensus rather than compromise—aim for solutions everyone actively supports
  • Revisit the Team Canvas quarterly or after significant team changes
  • Start with divergent thinking (many ideas) before converging on shared agreements
  • Document the final canvas and make it accessible to the team for ongoing reference
  • Connect the Team Canvas outcomes to your team's day-to-day work processes
  • Schedule a follow-up session after 1-2 months to review how well the team is living up to the canvas

Remember that the Team Canvas is both a process and an artifact—the discussions it generates are as valuable as the final document it produces.

Use this template