A decision-making exercise where the team never has enough information
Most decision-making exercises hand the team all the facts and ask for the right answer. Real decisions are not like that. Diamonds gives each team a 15 by 15 grid, a limited number of moves and only part of the picture, and asks them to find the diamonds anyway. Every move is a hypothesis, every result is data, and the leaderboard after each stage shows which teams learned from theirs. Ninety minutes, in the room or online, on the devices people already have.
- Leadership and management development
- Strategy and planning workshops
- Teams that decide with incomplete data
- Trainers running problem-solving sessions
What you run
The games that do this
Diamonds
A fast-paced mining expedition about deciding with too little data
- In the room
- Online
- Phone or laptop
Diamonds
4 – 500 participants · 90 min · 8 credits per participant
Teams search a 15 by 15 grid for diamonds with limited moves and incomplete information. They have to select and prioritise what they know, decide before they are sure, communicate, and build small test scenarios to check a hypothesis before betting on it. Between stages a leaderboard ranks the teams by money, and the objective, the wealth of the community, makes them ask who the competition really was.
Everything about Diamonds
Ranking
Rank it alone, then as a team. The synergy score shows what the conversation added.
- In the room
- Online
- Phone or laptop
- Your own content
Ranking
4 – 500 participants · 30 – 45 min + debrief · 8 credits per participant
A natural companion when the debrief turns to how the team decides rather than what it knew. Everyone ranks alone, then the team ranks together, and the synergy score shows what the discussion added.
Everything about RankingHow the session goes
Before, during, after
Step 1
Before
Rehearse it once with a colleague in a practice session (Practice in your account); sessions with up to two participants are free. Then create the session for your group. Decide the teams in advance: three to six people each keeps everyone in the decision. Diamonds runs for about ninety minutes, so give it the slot it needs rather than squeezing it in.
Step 2
During
Participants join with the link or the QR code and land in their team. Teams choose where to dig with the moves they have, see what each move reveals, and adjust. Your facilitator screen shows every team's money and moves, and the text of every card for sale, so keep it to yourself. After each stage, every player sees the leaderboard.
Step 3
After
Start the debrief from the community's money, every team's added up, rather than from the leaderboard. Then ask which teams tested before they committed, which ones dug on hope, and what changed once the first results came in. Then take it to the real decisions the group faces with incomplete information.
Debrief
Questions that turn the game into learning
- 1What did you decide before you had enough information, and what told you that you had enough?
- 2Which move was a test and which was a bet? Did the team know the difference at the time?
- 3What information did you have that you did not use?
- 4How did the team decide when two people disagreed about where to dig?
- 5Where at work do you dig on hope?
- 6Who did you treat as your competition, and what did that cost the community?
What it costs
192 credits = $192
24 participants × 8 credits for Diamonds, four teams of six for the full 90-minute game. Rehearsing beforehand with one colleague is free.
- Sessions with up to 2 participants are free
- Your first session with a group is free for up to 30 participants
- 100 free credits when you sign up
- You pay only for the people who actually join
Questions
How long does Diamonds take?
About ninety minutes including the debrief. It is built as a full exercise rather than an energiser, so plan the slot accordingly.
Do participants need to know the rules in advance?
No. The rules take a few minutes at the start, and the first moves teach the rest. Rehearse once yourself so you can answer questions on the day.
Does it work online?
Yes. Each team plays on its own devices, so it works in the room, on a video call, or with both at once. Use breakout rooms for team huddles if you like.
Can I try Diamonds before I buy?
Yes, two ways. The walkthrough on the Diamonds page is the real game in your browser, with no account: play a team's board, or open the facilitator's control room. Then rehearse it in your own account with Practice, as many times as you need: sessions with up to two participants are free.
What does it cost?
8 credits per participant who actually joins, and nothing for the people who do not turn up. Or $475 a year for unlimited sessions. Sessions with up to two participants are free.
Rehearse it for free before your first real group
Sign up in two minutes, get 100 free credits, and rehearse any game as often as you like: sessions with up to 2 participants are always free.