Ecocycle Planning

Ecocycle Planning is a liberating structure by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless, designed to review a portfolio of activities, projects, or initiatives. The group positions each item on a figure-eight loop, consisting of four phases: birth, maturity, creative destruction, and renewal. The exercise makes visible two common traps: rigidity, when one clings to what should be stopped, and poverty, when insufficient investment is made in what is emerging. It helps in making concrete decisions: to stop, strengthen, or launch.

Walkthrough

1. 1

   Frame the intention and the portfolio to be examined

   5 to 10 min

   The facilitator opens by naming the specific object of the review: project portfolio, team activities, offerings, rituals, projects, or initiatives. They say: "We will look at the whole, not defend each topic one by one. The goal is to decide what to stop, strengthen, or launch." Participants check that the scope is clear and suggest final adjustments. This step avoids mixing too different levels and secures collective decision-making.

   Tip — Have the scope written in a visible sentence for everyone. If someone adds a topic outside the scope, note it in a parking lot rather than expanding the current exercise.

2. 2

   Present the Ecocycle loop and its zones

   10 min

   The facilitator draws a figure-eight loop and names the four phases: birth, maturity, creative destruction, and renewal. They explain: "An activity can emerge, fully produce value, need to be stopped or transformed, and then nourish a new cycle." They add the two traps: rigidity, when one clings to what should be stopped; poverty, when insufficient investment is made in what is emerging. Participants can ask questions for understanding, without debating the projects yet.

   Tip — Illustrate each phase with a neutral, non-controversial example, such as a work practice. Keep examples short to avoid influencing the placement of real activities.

3. 3

   Individually list the activities

   8 to 12 min

   Each participant works alone and lists the activities, projects, or initiatives they believe belong to the portfolio. The facilitator gives a simple instruction: "Write one item per note, with a name understandable to someone who is not in your head. Do not judge yet, just list." Each person produces their notes in silence to avoid authority or group effects. This phase brings out the diversity of perceptions before any convergence.

   Tip — Ask for concrete labels, not vague themes. If a note contains two ideas, have it separated immediately: this will facilitate placement and decision-making later.

4. 4

   Individually place activities on the Ecocycle

   8 to 12 min

   Each participant positions their activities on their own representation of the loop or mentally classifies them before sharing. The facilitator reminds: "Place according to your current perception: birth, maturity, creative destruction, or renewal. Also identify what seems stuck in rigidity or poverty." Participants are not yet seeking consensus. The goal is to make individual intuitions and possible tensions in the portfolio explicit.

   Tip — Clarify that a placement is not an accusation or a definitive truth. This phrase significantly reduces defensive postures, especially for activities carried by present individuals.

5. 5

   Compare and consolidate in small groups

   15 to 20 min

   Participants gather in small groups and compare their lists and placements. The facilitator says: "Group duplicates, keep disagreements visible, and prepare a proposal for common placement. Do not erase a significant divergence: highlight it." Each group identifies activities that seem to be stopped, strengthened, or launched. This step transforms individual perceptions into collective hypotheses, without yet requiring everyone's agreement.

   Tip — Give groups a practical rule: if disagreement persists after a short discussion, place the note between two zones or mark it with a sign. This prevents getting stuck on a single case.

6. 6

   Build the common map

   15 to 25 min

   The facilitator displays a large common Ecocycle loop and invites groups to place their consolidated activities on it. They facilitate the merging: duplicates, similar formulations, contradictory placements, or very crowded zones. They say: "We are looking for a useful map for decision-making, not a perfect map. Significant disagreements remain visible." The entire group then observes the distribution: over-investment in maturity, initiatives in poverty, activities in rigidity, or lack of renewal.

   Tip — Do not let the discussion drift project by project too early. First, have comments on the overall shape of the map: empty zones, saturated zones, visible traps, surprises.

7. 7

   Decide: stop, strengthen, launch

   15 to 25 min

   From the common map, the facilitator guides the collective decision. They ask three successive questions: "What needs to be stopped or creatively destroyed? What deserves to be strengthened or protected? What should be launched or nurtured?" Participants formulate concrete decisions, not just observations. For each decision made, the group names the next action, the responsible person or owner, and the first possible milestone.

   Tip — Emphasise action verbs: stop, merge, reduce, fund, test, transfer, relaunch. An Ecocycle map without explicit decisions often creates frustration.

8. 8

   Close and secure the transition to action

   5 to 10 min

   The facilitator reads the decisions made and checks that they are understood in the same way by everyone. They ask: "What needs to be communicated, to whom, and with what precautions?" Participants identify sensitive points, particularly activities placed in creative destruction or rigidity. The closure transforms the workshop into a commitment for follow-up and prevents the map from remaining a mere visual diagnosis.

   Tip — Photograph the map before moving anything. Then immediately create a separate action list: the photo retains memory, the list makes follow-up possible.

Variants

• Short version: limit the portfolio to a priority subset, for example, the projects of the quarter or the rituals of a team. Keep the phases of individual work, small groups, and the whole group, but reduce the discussion time on each activity.
• Strategic decision version: invite participants to prepare a list of major activities in advance. During the workshop, spend more time on the final decision: what to stop, what to strengthen, what to launch.
• Team retrospective version: use Ecocycle Planning to examine work practices, meetings, tools, and habits. This variant is useful when the team wants to free up capacity without adding new projects.
• Remote version: use a collaborative whiteboard with a large Ecocycle loop, virtual notes, and zones named birth, maturity, creative destruction, renewal, rigidity, and poverty. Plan breakout rooms for consolidation in small groups, then return to plenary to build the common map.