Method guide · Work with a structured grid
Min Specs
Remove rules that are not needed for the shared purpose and retain only indispensable conditions.
- People
- 4–40
- Base procedure time
- 35 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Organise and narrow ideas; Make a decision.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for removing rules that are not needed to achieve a purpose and retaining only indispensable conditions. Use it when a new initiative has accumulated too many rules or people want to establish the minimum conditions they must uphold. First list as many behaviours and prohibitions as possible that appear necessary for the shared purpose, then remove those that small groups judge unnecessary. Recheck each remaining condition by asking whether removing just that one, while keeping all the others, would undermine the purpose. The result is a short set of minimum specifications and the first action to try. Do not use it on its own where participants would remove laws, contractual requirements, or safety standards by their own judgement, or where there is no agreement on the shared purpose.
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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- State the purpose0–3 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: State. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- List the maximum specifications3–10 minutes from the start (7 minutes)
Action: List. Participation: Individually, then groups of 4–7.
Individual record
- Remove unnecessary conditions10–22 minutes from the start (12 minutes)
Action: Remove. Participation: Groups of 4–7.
Shared record
- Test indispensability22–29 minutes from the start (7 minutes)
Action: Test. Participation: Groups of 4–7.
Shared record
- Combine the minimum specifications29–35 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Combine. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 3 minutes, express the shared purpose in one sentence answering ‘What do we want to achieve?’ Separate external conditions that cannot be removed, such as laws and contractual requirements.
- For 7 minutes, each person lists what to do and not do for the purpose. In groups of 4–7, combine duplicates into a maximum-specifications list.
- For 12 minutes, take each condition in turn and ask whether the purpose can still be achieved without it. Cross out removable conditions in red.
- For 7 minutes, each group tries to disprove the need for a remaining condition by removing only that one. Remove further conditions if their absence does not undermine the purpose.
- For 6 minutes, combine the groups' short lists on the whole-group surface. Record just one first action to try using the minimum specifications.
If something changes
If
Three minutes after the purpose is presented, more than half the proposals state an output or a means as the purpose.
Then
The facilitator returns the purpose statement to ‘What change do we want to bring about, and for whom?’ and moves the means to the maximum-specifications list.
If
Six minutes after removing conditions begins, at least one group still has more than 10 conditions.
Then
Hide each condition one at a time and start by removing those that everyone agrees are unnecessary to achieve the purpose with the remaining conditions.
If
Two minutes before whole-group consolidation ends, 3 or more conditions still overlap in meaning.
Then
Combine the overlapping conditions into one observable behaviour and remove the original conditions from the consolidation surface.
Preparation
Materials
- One individual sheet per person, A5 or larger
- One A3 maximum-specifications list per group of 4–7
- One medium-tip black pen per person
- One red pen for deletions per group of 4–7
- One whole-group consolidation surface per venue, at least 120 cm wide
Room and setup
- Provide one table per group of 4–7, with group sizes differing by no more than 1 person
- Space in front of the consolidation surface to arrange each group's list, at least 30 cm wide per group
Adjust for people and time
Divide the participant count by 7 and round up to find the number of groups. Form groups of 4–7, with group sizes differing by no more than 1 person. Give each group one list and one red pen. With up to 4 groups, share one item at a time. With 5 or more groups, discuss with everyone only conditions marked by more than one group.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Separate laws, contractual requirements, and safety standards from conditions participants may remove. Do not use this method on its own without agreement on the shared purpose or to remove those external obligations by participant judgement. Test the effect of removing each remaining condition while retaining all the others.
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.
- Liberating Structures Fieldbook (2026): Min Specs — Henri Lipmanowicz / Keith McCandless / Nancy White
https://www.liberatingstructures.com/min-specs
Adaptation under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes made
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Current-page licence notice
This explanation is an adaptation for Taiwa no Fumen based on the official Liberating Structures page linked below. The manuscript's recorded references are listed separately from the web page checked on 17 October 2026.
Changes: the Japanese explanation and facilitation plan have been edited for Taiwa no Fumen. The English edition translates that Japanese manuscript; it is not a verbatim translation of the official page.
The LS-adapted text on this page, including this site's editorial and translation contributions, is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. When reusing it, credit the creators, identify the source and licence, indicate changes, and follow the licence's ShareAlike terms when sharing adaptations.
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Credits on the checked source page
- Developed by: Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless
Related work credited on that page: Paul Plsek; Brenda Zimmerman; Plexus Institute.
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: Min Specs.
Source lineage
- Original repertoire (2013): Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless
- 2026 Fieldbook: Keith McCandless, Nancy White
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International · Legal code · Official source policy
This material-specific notice does not itself establish publication clearance. Preserved manuscript references above remain separate from the current page's credits and licence evidence.
Diagram, print, and video language
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Editorial provenance
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