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StackScore · the full version of our 5-minute check

Which layer needs attention first?

StackScore is the longer version of our 5-minute check: a plain reflection on the five layers of how you or your team handle change, so you can decide which one to work on first. Free, about 12 to 15 minutes.

A reflection, not a test. In development, and never used for hiring, grading or ranking.

01 Real numbers only

40statements

In the team and personal versions. Eight for each layer.

15minutes

About that long for the team version. The personal one takes about 12.

2sides

Each layer is read twice: what you can do, and what your setting allows.

0grades

No overall score, no pass mark, no ranking.

02 Take it

Pick your version.

Every version asks about the same five layers. Pick the one that matches whose view you're giving. There are no wrong answers.

For a team or organization

For my team.

Answer for your organization: how it notices change, makes sense of it, decides and builds. Each person takes it on their own. Ask three to five colleagues to take it too, then compare. Where you disagree is often the most useful part.

  • 40 statements
  • About 15 minutes
  • Free

Other team versions

For yourself

Just for me.

Answer for your own work: how you notice change and act on it, and whether it's your skills or your conditions that hold you back.

  • 40 statements
  • About 12 minutes
  • Free

For classes, cohorts and youth programs

For a group.

Running a program or a class? We set up a group link with you. People in the group answer with a participant code instead of an email. The teen versions are meant for groups run by an adult facilitator.

  • Set up with you
  • Teen versions: 30 statements, about 10 minutes

Working with teens? Families and young people can read our youth privacy notice.

NoteAt the end of the team and personal versions we ask for your name and email, so we can send you a link to your reflection. Read our privacy notice. Want a quick taste first? Take the 5-minute check.

03 What you get

Your reflection, in plain words.

Here is what is in it, and a sample so you can see the shape before you start.

Your answers, layer by layer.

Competence and Conditions for each layer, marked Low, Medium or High.

No overall grade.

No total, no ranking. Small differences can be noise.

Five questions for your team.

One per layer, for your next meeting.

A copy you can keep.

On screen right away, by email, and as a PDF.

An honest label.

Every reflection says it is in development and not yet validated.

StackScore reflection · sample

Your answers, layer by layer.

This is a made-up example. The levels show the layout. They are not anyone's real answers.

  • SignalNotice change early
    CompetenceMedium
    ConditionsHigh
  • SenseWork out what it means
    CompetenceHigh
    ConditionsMedium
  • ShapeChoose a direction
    CompetenceMedium
    ConditionsLow
  • SprintTest it small
    CompetenceLow
    ConditionsLow
  • SustainMake it last
    CompetenceMedium
    ConditionsMedium

Questions for your team

  1. Signal. Who here notices change outside our field, and where does what they notice go?
  2. Sense. When a trend comes up, how do we decide what it could mean for us?
  3. Shape. How did we make our last big decision, and who was in the room?
  4. Sprint. What was the last idea we tested small before we committed to it?
  5. Sustain. Which of our good habits would keep going if one key person left?
Fig. 1A sample reflection. No overall number and no ranking. Real differences between layers can be small enough to be noise, so a reflection is a place to start talking, not a verdict.

Why two sides

A skilled team with no time and a funded team with no practice can get the same score. They need different help.

So StackScore reads every layer twice: what you can do, and what your setting allows. New to the layers? Read the Abundance Stack →

04 Straight talk

What it is, and isn't.

It is

  • A reflection. A clear, step-by-step way to look at how you or your team notice change and act on it.
  • Built on published research. Every statement is traced to a published source in futures and capability research.
  • Two-sided. It separates what your team can do (competence) from what your setting allows (conditions).
  • Free to take. Anyone can take it online. Your reflection is yours.

It isn't

  • A test. There are no right answers and no pass mark. Answer with what's true today, not what you hope.
  • Validated yet. Independent validation is planned. It has not started.
  • For hiring, grading or ranking. It is never used to pick people, grade students or rank organizations.
  • A verdict on your people. A low layer can come from thin conditions, not weak effort. That's why it reads the two sides apart.

05 How we're testing it

Still in testing. Here's where it stands.

StackScore has not been validated yet. Here is what is done, what is planned and what has not started.

Done

Built from research

Every statement is traced to a published source. The layers follow foresight research that came before us, and we credit it.

Planned

Research studies

Two studies on how people and teams think about the future, once a university ethics board approves them. Adults 18 and over can sign up to hear more.

Not started

Checking that it holds up

Independent checks that it measures what it says, and gives steady results. Until then, a reflection shows your answers and the call is yours.

Sign up to hear about the studies →Read how StackScore is built →

For your team

Want to read it together?

Everyone on your team takes StackScore, then we read the results with you and pick what to try first. Team debriefs are scoped with you on a free 30-minute call.