Method guide · Progress through phases
Goal Experiment Measure Loop
Connect an influenceable goal to a reversible experiment, ethical measurement, and short learning cycles.
- People
- 3–16
- Base procedure time
- 60 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Make a decision; Reflect and learn.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for connecting an influenceable goal to small experiments and measurement. Compare experiments by impact, effort, and confidence and decide what, how, and when to measure. Explain to affected people and establish consent, withdrawal, and deletion, anonymisation, or cessation of use of existing records after withdrawal. As a rule, do not collect personal data; set purpose, storage period, and deletion date. Do not use results for personnel evaluation. Return them to learning about continuation, change, or stopping in short cycles. The result is an experiment sheet with measurement and update dates. This description is an original adaptation under CC BY 4.0 of Open Practice Library’s GEMs, devised by Kathy Keating and contributed by Chris Baynham Hughes.
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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- Set an influenceable desired state as the goal0–10 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Define. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Turn progress towards the goal into an experiment10–25 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Design. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Prioritise by impact, effort, and confidence25–35 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Prioritise. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Decide what, how, and when to measure35–50 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Measure. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Update records and experiments in short cycles50–60 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Update. Participation: Groups of 2–4 and the implementation lead.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 10 minutes, write one sentence stating a desired state the team can influence and why it matters.
- For 15 minutes, propose reversible experiments and add explanations for affected people, consent, withdrawal methods, and stopping conditions.
- For 10 minutes, compare each experiment’s impact, effort, and confidence in its prospects and choose one to try first.
- For 15 minutes, decide what, how, and when to measure, its purpose, collector, storage period, and deletion date.
- For 10 minutes, choose an implementation lead and short update cycle, then use results to continue, change, or stop the experiment.
If something changes
If
At least one experiment involves law, safety, health, personnel, personal data, or irreversible effects without confirmation by the responsible person.
Then
Remove it from execution candidates and put it on hold with the responsible person, specialist to consult, stopping conditions, and confirmation deadline.
If
Affected people have not consented, consent is withdrawn, or measurement requests unnecessary personal data.
Then
Stop the experiment and use of records. Delete, anonymise, or cease use of existing records as the person chooses and switch to non-identifying measurement.
If
During the trial, even one stopping condition is reached or at least one unexpected harm is confirmed.
Then
Stop the experiment immediately. Do not turn it into outcome or staff evaluation; record only observed facts and what to check next on the learning sheet.
Preparation
Materials
- One self-made three-column goal/experiment/measurement sheet per group
- One self-made impact/effort/confidence priority sheet per experiment
- One measurement sheet per experiment for starting value, collection method, purpose, storage, and deletion
- One plain-language consent, withdrawal, and existing-record-handling explanation per affected person
- One learning sheet per experiment for stopping conditions, responsibility, and short-cycle update dates
- One thick pen per person
Room and setup
- Set goals as desired states participants can influence and display that numerical achievement will not be used for penalties, guarantees, or personnel evaluation
- Before each experiment, identify affected perspectives, an implementation lead, specialists to consult, stopping conditions, and how to reverse it
- As a rule, collect no personal data for measurement. Use existing values or non-identifying aggregates and set purpose, collector, storage period, deletion date, and update date
- Explain the experiment and measurement plainly to affected people and first show consent, how to withdraw, and choices after withdrawal to delete, anonymise, or stop use of existing records
Adjust for people and time
With 3–4 people, form one group. With 5–8, form 2 groups of 2–4; with 9–12, 3 groups of 2–4; and with 13–16, 4 groups of 2–4. Keep sizes within 1 person of each other. Bring back only one priority experiment per group and check dependencies, responsibility, stopping conditions, and update dates together. With 17 or more, use separate sessions.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Do not use numerical goals for penalties, guarantees, or personnel evaluation. Establish consent, withdrawal, reversal, and stopping arrangements before experiments. Avoid personal data, honour the person’s chosen handling of existing records, and stop on withdrawn consent, unnecessary data requests, stopping conditions, or unexpected harm. Refer legally or professionally sensitive experiments for confirmation before execution.
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.
- Open Practice Library: How to do GEMs
https://openpracticelibrary.com/practice/gems/
Adaptation under CC-BY-4.0; changes made
- Conditions of CC-BY-4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
CC-BY-4.0
Current-page licence notice
A Taiwa no Fumen adaptation based on the Open Practice Library practice identified below. The manuscript's recorded references and the source page checked for this notice are shown separately.
Changes: explanations, timings, instructions, materials and branches were edited for this site. The English edition translates that Japanese manuscript; it is not a verbatim translation of the original practice.
The checked source footer names CC BY 4.0 but links to CC BY-SA 4.0. The official site source code contains the same mismatch. This has not been confirmed with the rights holders. This notice does not change the terms of the original material.
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Credits on the checked source page
- Named contributors on the source page: Chris Baynham Hughes
- Contributors listed in the official practice source (repository handles): @only-chrisbh
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: GEMs.
Source lineage
CC BY-SA 4.0 — this site's adaptation and translation contributions · Legal code · Official source policy
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Diagram, print, and video language
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