Parking Lot Matrix Template
Keep team meetings focused by managing ideas, distractions, and side discussions.
About the Ideas Parking Lot Matrix Template
The ideas parking lot matrix (also known as the “wall of ideas”) can help your team capture ideas and issues that need more research or discussion during meetings.
Big ideas, progress blockers, or unrelated tangents may not resolve themselves by the end of a meeting. This is where a parking lot framework can come in handy. The democratic approach can let everyone take ownership of the material they’ve contributed during the discussion.
Each team member can point out any concerns they might have. After the main discussion ends, they can agree to take action on what can be prioritized and report back on improvements made since your last meeting.
What is an ideas parking lot matrix?
A parking lot matrix is a facilitation tool used during workshops or longer meetings to isolate distractions or unrelated topics and decide which ideas are worth turning into actionable next steps. Putting your ideas into a parking lot matrix allows you to focus on the immediate team discussion and still recognize everyone’s thoughts and contributions to the meeting.
Parking lot matrices work especially well when you have teammates in the group who are likely to go off-topic or suggest ideas that may be vague and open to scope creep. Their ideas and observations are ‘parked’ for when the right time and context is clear, building a bank of valuable insights to prioritize or return to as needed.
Create your own Ideas Parking Lot Matrix
Making your own ideas parking lot matrix is easy. Get started by selecting the ideas parking lot matrix template, then take the following steps to make one of your own:
1. Add the template to your meeting board
Simply add the parking lot matrix template to any existing board you are using during a meeting, or keep it as a separate board where ideas can be recorded and referenced.
2. Stay on-topic during the meeting
Pick a topic and stick to it. If anyone in the group jumps to another topic or tangents on unrelated ideas, encourage them to use sticky notes to document on the parking lot. Recording their thoughts acknowledges that the idea has value, but is perhaps not as urgent as the current topic you need to address.
3. Collect clusters of questions, unrelated tangents, or unproven ideas to follow-up on
Your team can use the tab key (or ‘Command+D’ shortcut) to rapidly and concisely ideate on as many sticky notes as needed. ‘Ideas under Discussion’ will focus on the most important concepts or concerns. Everyone should feel free to add ideas under opportunities, things to keep on the radar, things to consider later, and things that shouldn’t be considered.
4. Clarify your team’s action items to follow-up on.
Turn relevant sticky notes into action items owned by a team member with a realistic timeline to report back on progress. This helps keep the meeting on schedule by focusing on future to-dos rather than solving or wrapping up every idea at once.
5. Make plans for a follow-up meeting.
A parking lot matrix is an action plan for future research, discussions, or meetings. Ideally, the framework should outline ways that your team can turn a hypothetical contribution into tangible value. Set up a follow-up meeting for the team regroup and discuss the ideas added to the parking lot based on the relevant sections.
Get started with this template right now.
Card Sorting Template
Works best for:
Desk Research, UX Design, Brainstorming
Card sorting is a brainstorming technique typically used by design teams but applicable to any brainstorm or team. The method is designed to facilitate more efficient and creative brainstorms. In a card sorting exercise, you and your team create groups out of content, objects, or ideas. You begin by labeling a deck of cards with information related to the topic of the brainstorm. Working as a group or individuals, you then sort the cards in a way that makes sense to you, then label each group with a short description. Card sorting allows you to form unexpected but meaningful connections between ideas.
Team Charter Template
Works best for:
Meetings, Workshops, Team Meetings
A team charter is a document that outlines your team’s purpose and objectives, as well as steps you will take to reach your goals. The team charter illustrates the focus and direction for all team members. When created collaboratively, the team charter is a great way for individuals to feel even more connected to one another within the group. A team charter template is useful when you’re first establishing a new team, adding new members to an existing team, or when you need to better align regardless of your team’s tenure.
The Team Canvas
Works best for:
Agile
The Team Canvas is a versatile tool for aligning on goals, roles, and processes. It provides a structured framework for defining purpose, clarifying responsibilities, and visualizing the working environment. By fostering open communication and shared understanding, this template facilitates collaboration and increases team cohesion, empowering you to create a shared vision and drive collective success.
Mind Map Template
Works best for:
Planning, Mind Mapping, Education
We see you, visual learners. You grasp concepts and understand data easier when they're presented in well-organized, memorable graphics. Mind mapping is perfect for you. This powerful brainstorming tool presents concepts or ideas as a tree — with the central subject as the trunk and your many ideas and subtopics as the branches. This template is a fast, effective way for you to start mind mapping, which can help you and your team become more creative, remember more, and solve problems more effectively.
What's on Your Radar Template
Works best for:
Business Management, Operations, Strategic Planning
Do you or your team feel overburdened by tasks? Having trouble focusing on particular problems? What’s on Your Radar is a thought exercise in which you plot ideas according to their importance or relevance. Designers and teams use what’s on your radar to ensure that their ideas are within the scope of a given project. They also rely on the method to assess whether a given solution is likely to solve the problem at hand. But even if you’re not a designer, the method can help assign priorities and ground your ideas in reality.
All-in-one PI Planning
Works best for:
Agile
The All-in-one PI Planning template streamlines the SAFe Program Increment (PI) Planning process by providing a comprehensive framework for teams to collaboratively plan and align on objectives and dependencies. It integrates essential elements such as PI Objectives, Team Breakouts, and Program Board, enabling teams to visualize, prioritize, and coordinate work effectively. This template empowers Agile Release Trains to deliver value predictably and efficiently, driving alignment and synchronization across the organization.