Methodology
Methodology,
not magic.
The Double Diamond isn't just for designers. It's a shared language for any multidisciplinary team trying to expose unknowns and ship with real confidence.
Core Concept
Two spaces. One team.
Every project lives in one of two spaces. The Problem Space — where you ask what to build and why. The Solution Space — where you figure out how to build it and ship it.
Most teams jump straight to solutions. They start building before they've aligned on the problem. Team Backlog creates a structured moment to pause in the problem space — with all three disciplines in the room at the same time.
The result is less re-work, fewer surprises, and a shared context that actually holds up when things get hard.
The Double Diamond
Four phases. One direction.
The Double Diamond isn't linear — it's structured divergence and convergence. Open up the problem space, narrow it down, then open up solutions, and converge on what ships.
Discover
Expose the right problems.
The problem space opens. Domain Expert, Designer, and Technologist explore together — surfacing assumptions, mapping unknowns, and aligning on what actually needs solving. Whether you're building a product, shipping a feature, or resolving a long-standing operational issue.
Define
Name the real problem.
Insights converge into a clear brief. The team agrees on what to solve and for whom. No more lost-in-translation between client expectations and technical reality. The output of this phase is alignment, not a document.
Develop
Shape the solution.
The solution space opens. Estimation reveals what's really involved — not as a planning exercise, but as a conversation that uncovers what's missing. Retros keep momentum high. Small tasks, large features, long-running ops — everything moves.
Deliver
Ship with confidence.
Faster, because you have the right team and a platform built around alignment. Session data compounds over time — your team gets better at estimating, better at retros, and better at spotting what's quietly accumulating.
The Platform
Tools that fit the method.
Team Backlog's tools map directly onto the Double Diamond — lightweight enough to run in under 30 minutes, structured enough to actually work.
Discover
Know the Person
Empathy Map
Understand who you're designing for before you try to fix anything. A live session that builds shared understanding of the person your team is mapping — what they say, think, do, and feel.
Know the Room
Stakeholder Map
See the full landscape before you start solving. A live session that maps everyone with a stake in your initiative — from the people it's built for to the ones who can stop it.
Jobs, Not Features
Jobs to Be Done
Know what people are trying to accomplish before you build anything. Your team writes job stories together — When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome] — then clusters them into themes and selects the most critical ones.
Find the Cause
5 Whys
Stop patching the symptom. Your team traces a problem back to its root — one why at a time. The branching tree of causes shows where the leverage actually is, and the action level travels straight into the next session.
Team Setup
Know Each Other First
Conflict Resolution
Name your team's working-style tensions before the work begins. Each person fills in a structured profile, AI surfaces the friction patterns, and the team agrees on how they'd handle them — before anyone is frustrated.
Develop & Deliver
Estimation as Alignment
Estimation
Everyone guesses differently until they have to explain their guess to each other. That conversation is where hidden assumptions surface. Works for a product feature, a one-off migration, or a small task that keeps getting de-prioritised.
The Pulse of the Team
Retro
Retros only work when people feel safe enough to say what actually happened. Team Backlog keeps it structured, assigns owners to every action, and makes sure nothing gets lost between sessions.