Quick Guide to FOCUS-ROI

Clarity is not difficult. We just do not ask for it often enough.

FOCUS-ROI is not a framework. It is a lightweight method to help your team talk about value without politics, pressure, or PowerPoint. You do not need a coach or training. All you need is a pen, some sticky notes, and an honest conversation. Use it once in a single session. If it helps, keep it. If it does not, let it go. Either way, you will have more clarity than you started with.

FOCUS-ROI from insights to impact.

FOCUS-ROI stands for Focus on Return of Impact. It is not just about financial return, but about the meaningful outcomes your work creates for people, teams, and communities.
FOCUS-ROI was born from real work in the real world. Our first projects was building a small microgreens business that helped former addicts return to the workplace. Each person who avoided relapse saved society more than 2 million NOK per year — but more importantly, they rebuilt their lives and regained purpose.
The approach that guided that project — and became FOCUS-ROI — rests on four simple pillars: break it down, keep it simple, prioritise what matters, and make it better.

FOCUS-ROI helped us focus on what truly mattered in that project: where we could create the most impact with the resources we had. The same principles we used there now guide teams working on everything from small community projects to global software rollouts.
Wherever people are trying to turn ideas into meaningful outcomes, one challenge remains the same: teams need a simple, neutral way to talk about value without politics, pressure, or confusion. FOCUS-ROI was created from the need to solve that.
FOCUS-ROI puts communication of value at the heart of work. It helps people build a shared language for what matters, align on priorities, and make better decisions together.

The Four Pillars of FOCUS-ROI

At the heart of FOCUS-ROI are four simple but powerful pillars. They are not optional. They shape how we think, how we talk, and how we make decisions. They are the foundations that hold the method together.

1. Break it down

Big, vague ideas are hard to act on. By breaking them into smaller, clearer parts, we can see what matters and take action. Complexity becomes manageable once it is divided into steps we can actually do.

2. Keep it simple

Simplicity is not about being basic — it is about making ideas clear enough to act on. Simplicity cuts through confusion, removes noise, and makes value easier to see and share. When in doubt, simplify.

3. Prioritise what matters

Not everything deserves your attention. Focus on the work that creates the greatest impact. Time, energy, and attention are limited — spend them where they matter most.

4. Make it better

Nothing is perfect the first time. Progress comes from learning and improving. Each conversation, decision, and action is a chance to adjust, refine, and grow. Improvement is not an event; it is a habit.

These four pillars run through everything in FOCUS-ROI. They guide how you approach the 3 Moves, and they underpin how work develops through the 5 Stages.

Remember: If you only follow these four pillars, you are already doing FOCUS-ROI. Always break it down, keep it simple, prioritise what matters and make it better.

The FOCUS-ROI 345 Model

A collective mindset. Three moves. Four pillars. Five stages.

FOCUS-ROI brings clarity by combining one mindset, three simple moves, and five natural stages of work

• 3 Moves – how you use it
• 4 Pillars – how you think
• 5 Stages – how work evolves

3 Moves – What you do in a session

These are the actions you take when using FOCUS-ROI:

1. Prioritise – Decide what truly matters now
2. Categorise – Understand effort, impact, and urgency
3. Act – Choose the right next step and make sure one person owns it.

Act = Decide + Own + Share Ownership turns decisions into action. Sharing turns action into momentum

5 Stages – How work develops into impact

FOCUS-ROI reflects the natural flow of meaningful work:

1. Explore – Define the problem
2. Clarify – Understand limits and constraints
3. Shape – Develop simple, effective solutions
4. Validate – Test on a small scale and adjust quickly
5. Execute – Deliver, scale, and succeed

Remember

FOCUS-ROI = One mindset, 3 Moves, 5 Stages — or simply “345.”
It is easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to share. Always break it down, keep it simple, prioritise what matters and make it better.

Try it today

Bring your backlog, idea list, or strategy wall. Run a single session. See what rises to the top. If it brings clarity — share it with someone else.

How to connect the moves — and choose what to do next

Step 1: Prioritise (Discard + Urgency)

• Discard - Apply "Prioritise what matters".

• Urgency - guides when, not if—it helps decide what’s timely vs what can wait.

• Low urgency - likely discarded or explored further later.

Step 2: Categorise (Effort + Impact)

• Combines Effort, Impact, and Urgency.

• Quadrants reflect “Prioritise what matters” and “Keep it simple”:

Step 3: Act (Clarity + Size)

Step 3 turns decisions into action. It combines clarity and size with ownership and sharing — so that ideas move forward and their value spreads. It fully expresses the FOCUS-ROI mindset in a practical, daily-use way. Remember to assign ownership, ownership = action. When combined, FOCUS-ROI Category tells us priority, and Clarity/Size suggest how to act:

• Accelerator + Execute — Do now.

• Booster + Shape — Refine or commit.

• Drifter + Explore — Defer or kill it.

How to use this on a whiteboard:

Ground the team

State the North Star /Vision What is the long-term impact we want to create? Today’s Goal: Identify one immediately actionable item.

Step 1 - Prioritise

1. Bring 5-10 issues, write them down on a sticky note.

2. Place the sticky notes at the top of the whiteboard.

3. Write the following words below the sticky notes

   Discard – Lowest – Low – Medium – High – Highest

4. Discuss each sticky note with the team and agree on its priority.

5. Add the priority to the sticky notes that have Medium or higher

Step 2 - Categorise

1. Write the following words below the sticky notes

   Impact/Effort: Lowest/Highest – Low/High – Medium – High/Low – Highest/Lowest

2. For each sticky note with Medium or higher priority, discuss the impact with the team and place them on the Impact that you collectively decide.

3. Add the category to the sticky notes that are Accelerators, Boosters or Cruisers.

Stickies marked as Neutral or Drifter can be revisited later but are typically not prioritised for immediate action.

Step 3 - Suggest Action

1. Write the following words below the sticky notes

   Foggy / Huge – Unclear / Big – Vague / Medium – Clear / Small – Defined / Tiny

2. Discuss each sticky note categorised as Accelerator, Booster, or Cruiser with the team and map each note to a clarity and size level, based on team discussion.

3. Add the Suggested Action to the notes based on the clarity + size.

4. Assign ownership – Write the name or role of the person responsible for moving this item forward.

5. Decide on the next steps and agree on when progress will be reviewed. No owner = no action.

6. Capture and share learning — Take a photo of the board, write down key decisions, or share one insight with another team. Post it with #focusroi or pass it directly to a team that could benefit. Every time you share, you extend the impact of your session beyond the room. Sharing spreads clarity.

What FOCUS-ROI is

• A decision engine – Prioritise, Categorise, and Suggested Action.

• A prioritisation model – Accelerator, Booster, Cruiser and Drifter.

• A workflow navigator – Suggested Action

• A mindset and philosophy – Break it Down, Keep it Simple, Prioritise what matters and Make it better.

Every action has a purpose. Every item moves forward, evolves, or is cleared. Think of FOCUS-ROI as a compass: it helps you decide where to go, how fast, and what to do next — together.

Want to make this yours?

Use this localisation table to define your team’s own terms in your preferred language(s). Translate the intent — not just the word. That is how your team makes it their own.

Localisation Table

Use this localisation table if you need your team terms in your preferred language(s).
You don't have to translate. If you want, start small, with whatever feels unnatural or unclear — and evolve from there. Translate the intent — not just the word. That’s how your team makes it their own.

Got questions or feedback? Don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for being part of the FOCUS-ROI movement.

Want to make it yours? Translate a term? Share your localisation table — we’re collecting examples worldwide.

Got a story? “We cleared 7 old tasks and committed to 2 Accelerators.” Snap a photo of your board or share a quick note with #focusroi — even one sentence makes a difference.

Ready to try FOCUS-ROI? Grab a pen. Grab some sticky notes. Start the conversation. You’ll be surprised what rises to the top.

Alfa and André Co-creators of FOCUS-ROI

Thank you for bringing clarity to your team. If FOCUS-ROI helped — even once — pass it on. That’s how it grows: team to team, no pressure. Always break it down, keep it simple, prioritise what matters and make it better.

FOCUS-ROI is developed by: André Sjørup Anker — andre@focus-roi.com Alfa Sverdrup Sommersol — alfa@focus-roi.com

Use it freely. Share it widely. No slides, no signups — just progress.