Tool details
Metaphor
You can use a metafor to ensure that a team is talking about and understanding a complex matter in the same way.
Tool category:
Tool thumbnail
When to use
When you have a complex system, topic, service, organisation etc., and you want to ensure that everyone has the same understanding.
Why you should
To use something known and non-complex in order to understand something unknown and complex.
What you get
A metafor that maps out the complex thing you are trying to describe, and gives everyone a simple language to discuss further.
Steps to take
Start by finding a metafor that can work. It can be a train, a birthday party, a travel, a family etc.
Map the things in your complex world to the known metafor. If it doesn't work out, you might need to switch to another metafor. It is super important that the metafor actually makes sense, if not it not help explaining the complex matter.
Use the metafor on different people to see if it works, and adjust where necessary. Don't make things too complicated or too detailed. It can also be smart to explain why you want to use a metafor to avoid scepticism.
Use the metafor in your project to enable people to understand each other and discuss complex things.
Further reading
Remember that if a metafor keeps living on as a system/org/service changes, it might end up fragmented and not making sense to people that don't know it from the start. Hence, it should be adjusted as something change, or just used for a short time of period to understand, communicate and align people.