How to run a lean coffee session, from sticky notes to takeaways

To run a lean coffee session, set up three columns: To discuss, Discussing and Discussed. Everyone writes topics on sticky notes, introduces them in a sentence or two, and votes with dots. Then talk through the notes from most votes to fewest, with a timer on each one and a thumbs vote on whether to carry on.

Jim Benson and Jeremy Lightsmith started the format in Seattle in 2009, according to leancoffee.org. They wanted a group to discuss Lean in knowledge work without "steering committees, speakers, and such". The site calls it "a structured, but agenda-less meeting" and says it's meant to be "the least structure necessary".

What the founders' site sets, and what others added

The site doesn't cover everything people now think of as the format. The timer and the thumbs vote aren't on it. We found them in other how-to pieces, such as Agile Coffee's steps, as reprinted by Carlton Nettleton at Applied Frameworks, and Allison Pollard's write-up. We don't know who added them first, so we're leaving that unresolved.

Our template uses two votes, suggests eight minutes and asks for a shorter extra round. None of these numbers is fixed. Agile Coffee says the steps "can be modified depending upon the situation". Agree yours before the first topic and keep them the same for the whole session.

A made-up Thursday

The product team below is invented, and so are its eight members, topics, votes and takeaways. The minutes are ours too. The notes come from our lean coffee template.

That's 45 minutes in total.

Write and introduce

Pollard gives the group five minutes to write in silence, one topic per note. Six notes go into To discuss. The site then asks for a "1 to 2 sentence introduction" for each topic, so that people know what they're voting for. It isn't time to discuss them yet. If someone starts arguing about a topic, that's a good sign it should get a vote.

Vote

Each of the eight has two dots, so there are 16 votes to place. The site allows both votes on one topic.

Sort the column with the most votes at the top. That's the agenda now, and it took 12 minutes to produce.

Talk in timeboxes

The team sets the timer to eight minutes for each topic.

Release notes, 8 minutes. The person who proposed it starts. The timer ends with a clear answer, so the thumbs vote goes down and the note moves to Discussed. Takeaway: "Whoever merges writes the release note".

The demo, 8 minutes. People have agreed by the time the timer ends, so the thumbs go down. Takeaway: "Demo moves to Friday, Mia books the room".

Flaky tests, 8 minutes, then 5. When the timer ends, nobody has agreed on an owner. Pollard's version of the Roman vote is silent, with a thumb up for "I'd like to continue this discussion", a thumb sideways for "meh", and a thumb down for having no more to contribute. Most thumbs go up, so the team adds a shorter round of five minutes. It's the state shown on our sample board, with the note still in Discussing.

What the 45 minutes leave out

Three topics aren't reached. On our board they stay in To discuss. That's the format working, since they got the fewest votes. Bring them back next time, and let them compete with any new notes. If a person who raised one really needs an answer, they now know to find the people concerned, and an idea parking lot can hold it in the meantime.

Takeaways

Agile Coffee's steps end by asking the group for key takeaways and action items. They mark this as optional, and say it's "usually important if you're using the meeting to drive decisions or create work". Our Takeaways frame is for that end-of-session list. Agile Coffee also suggests a fourth column, Actions, which collects action items as they come up, so add one if your group prefers that. Read out what's there, and put a name on each action.

When to choose something else

You need a decision on one subject. A lean coffee follows the group's interest, so the subject that matters to you may get no votes. Write an agenda with that question on it.

You want to look back at a sprint. A retro keeps everyone on the same stretch of work. Our comparison of retro formats explains how lean coffee fits next to those.

You want new ideas on one problem. That's a brainstorm, with one question at the top.

Frequently asked questions

Does a lean coffee need a facilitator?

The site says the Seattle group only needs someone who's been before, and that's "just so they know where we stash the post-it notes". For a first session, we'd ask one person to watch the timer and call the thumbs vote, and pass that job round afterwards.

How many people can take part?

The sources we read don't set a limit. With a big group, introductions take longer, so count them in your minutes. Our example has eight people, six topics and five minutes for introductions, and more people would need more time there.

Can you run one remotely?

Yes. A shared board takes the place of the wall, and people can write and vote at the same time. Thumbs work on camera, and you can ask people to show them together, which keeps the vote close to Pollard's silent version. The founders' site says you can use an online whiteboard, but "you'll find it easier to use a tool built specifically for Lean Coffee". We sell a whiteboard, so take that advice into account when you weigh ours.

Does the topic have to be about Lean?

No. The site says topics can be whatever people want to discuss, or follow a theme. Agile Coffee lists the theme as optional.

Run your own

Book 45 minutes and agree on the timer before anyone sits down. Open the lean coffee template, clear the sample notes and share the link. Stop on time, even with notes left in To discuss.