Validate community strategy decisions using real business and member insights.
SECTION 1: Start with Assumptions
Before gathering insights, identify assumptions you may already have about your community or members.
Assumption | Do You Have Evidence? | How Could You Validate It? |
|---|
Members want more discussion forums | No | Interview active customers |
SECTION 2: Internal Stakeholder Insights
Identify what internal teams need from the community.
Consider:
- Support
- Customer Success
- Product
- Marketing
- Education
- Leadership
Stakeholder Team | What Do They Need the Community to Help With? | Why Does It Matter? |
|---|
Support | Reduce repetitive tickets | Improve team efficiency |
SECTION 3: Member & Customer Insights
What are members or customers actually struggling with?
Focus on:
- friction
- confusion
- unmet needs
- desired outcomes
Member Need or Pain Point | Evidence or Insight Source | Why It Matters |
|---|
Support | Reduce repetitive tickets | Improve team efficiency |
SECTION 4: Identify Repeating Patterns
Review your findings above. What themes or patterns appear repeatedly?
- What issues appear most often?
- What outcomes matter most?
- Where do teams and members align?
- What problems seem most urgent?
Common Themes Identified
SECTION 5: Find the Overlap
This becomes the bridge between insights and strategy.
Business Need | Member Need | Potential Community Opportunity |
|---|
Reduce onboarding friction | Customers need setup guidance | Peer onboarding support |
SECTION 6: Prioritize the Most Important Opportunities
Your community does not need to solve everything immediately.
Identify the top opportunities that would create the greatest value for both the organization and members.
Top Priority Opportunity #1: ________________________________________________________________
Why is this important?
Who does it help?
What could the community provide?
Top Priority Opportunity #2: ________________________________________________________________
Why is this important?
Who does it help?
What could the community provide?
Top Priority Opportunity #3: ________________________________________________________________
Why is this important?
Who does it help?
What could the community provide?
SECTION 7: Reflection & Next Steps
What assumptions were challenged during this exercise?
Which member needs feel most important to address first?
Where could the community create the biggest impact right now?
What additional insights would help strengthen your strategy?
Download the worksheet and get started!