Method guide · Work with a structured grid
Evidence Gap Board
Identify missing evidence by the decision it will support, rather than collecting more information without a clear use.
- People
- 3–20
- Base procedure time
- 30 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Make a decision; Explore through dialogue.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for placing the evidence needed for decisions and the gaps on the same board. Use it when opinions are plentiful but nobody can see what needs checking to decide, and research keeps expanding. Separating whether evidence exists from how it will be used for each decision item narrows what to collect. Keep facts, assumptions, and hearsay distinct in existing evidence, and do not confuse information volume with strength. The result is a list of evidence gaps with a defined decision use. Do not use it to delay a safety-related stop through further research or to collect documents before establishing what must be decided.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
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- List decisions0–5 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: List. Participation: Everyone.
Individual record
- Place the evidence5–12 minutes from the start (7 minutes)
Action: Place. Participation: Groups of 3–5.
Shared record
- Define the gaps12–19 minutes from the start (7 minutes)
Action: Define. Participation: Groups of 3–5.
Shared record
- Choose how to gather it19–25 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Choose. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Keep the board25–30 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Keep. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 5 minutes, write upcoming decision items and their deadlines, one item per sticky note.
- For 7 minutes, place items in 3 columns: evidence available, evidence missing, and not needed this time.
- For 7 minutes, write one decision that the missing evidence will support on each evidence-gap note.
- For 6 minutes, choose the smallest way to gather it from asking, observing, or trying.
- For 5 minutes, record the person gathering the evidence and the date when the decision-maker will check it in the missing-evidence area.
If something changes
If
Three minutes into placing evidence, at least half the notes are still in the not-needed column.
Then
Write one sentence explaining why each item will not be decided in the current period and remove it from the decision items.
If
Four minutes into choosing collection methods, 5 or more evidence-gap notes remain.
Then
Keep only the 2 most likely to change the decision and move the others to pending.
Preparation
Materials
- 4 decision-item sticky notes per person
- A3 evidence-gap boards: one per group and one for whole-group consolidation
- One pen per person
- 4 evidence-type labels per group
Room and setup
- One surface per group with existing evidence and missing evidence side by side, without a dividing line
- Space outside each group’s surface for items not needed this time, equal to 30% of that surface
- One wall surface for ordering gaps by the nearest decision deadline
Adjust for people and time
Do not use this method with fewer than 3 people, because perspectives on evidence will be too narrow. Divide everyone into groups of no more than 5, with sizes differing by no more than 1. Each group uses one surface and selects up to 2 gaps. With 20 people, put 8 gaps from 4 groups before everyone and confirm collection methods in order of the nearest decision date.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Do not mix facts, assumptions, and hearsay or treat more information as stronger evidence. Never use further research to delay a required safety-related stop. Establish what must be decided before collecting documents.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Taiwa no Fumen editorial team: Evidence Gap Board
Original description and illustrations
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
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Editorial provenance
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