What is it?

Brown Paper Planning is a technique that uses a large area of brown paper to map a process.
It creates a visual representation of activities, interfaces, decision points, and information sources.

Why is it useful?

• Engages the team in planning together, building ownership of the work.
• Focuses on the process of developing the plan rather than just the output (e.g. a gantt chart).
• Captures roles, timelines, and activities in swim lanes.
• Highlights milestones, interfaces, decision points, and deliverables.

Downloads

• Download for Microsoft PowerPoint
• Download for Apple Keynote
• Download in PDF

Objective

To engage the team in planning all the tasks, roles, and timelines required to implement a project or change initiative.

When would you use it?

• When it is time to plan how a change or project will be delivered.
• When you want to increase buy-in and build ownership from key stakeholders.

Resources Required

• 1 hour
• Large sheet of brown or blank paper (approx. 2m x 4m) fixed to a wall
• Post-it notes (different colours for different workstreams)
• Flip-chart marker pens
• Space for participants to stand and move around

Process

1. Prepare the paper

• Mark out the paper with workstreams, swim lanes, and a timeline.

2. Identify workstreams

• Decide how to divide the work (e.g. by stakeholder, function, or role).
• Each workstream becomes a row (swim lane) on the paper.

3. Add the timeline

• Draw a timeline across the top, working backwards from the end date to the start date.
• Divide it into blocks that make sense (weeks, months, terms).

4. Plot milestones

• Identify key milestones (deliverables, events, decision points).
• Write each milestone on a square Post-it, placed as a diamond shape.

5. Add activities

• Use coloured Post-its to represent activities in each swim lane.
• Stretch them across the timeline to show duration.
• Label clearly with the activity name.

6. Map dependencies

• Draw lines between activities where one depends on another.

7. Compare across swim lanes

• Have each team member or subgroup plan their own swim lane.
• Bring all streams together to challenge, refine, and align thinking.

Secret Sauce

• Never plan alone – give each swim lane to a different person or subgroup.
• Always start with milestones, working backwards from the final deliverable.
• Use colour coding to make workstreams clear at a glance.
• Encourage cross-challenge between workstreams to surface dependencies and risks early.