How to Best Brainstorm and Plan Strategy Using Visual Planning Boards
When bootstrapping a startup, strategy is everything—but ideas often feel scattered, and execution can get messy. Instead of relying on random notes, disconnected documents, or overwhelming spreadsheets, you can use visual planning boards to bring clarity to your brainstorming and strategy sessions.
Whether you’re using Trello, Notion, ClickUp, Miro, or Mural, these boards help you capture, organize, and refine ideas visually, making it easier to prioritize, iterate, and execute on your startup’s strategy.
In this guide, we’ll break down how to set up and use a visual planning board for brainstorming and strategy planning.
1. Choose the Right Visual Board for Your Needs
Different tools work better for different types of strategic planning. Choose one that fits your workflow:
🔹 For Free-Form Brainstorming & Mapping Ideas → Miro, Mural, Whimsical
🔹 For Structured Strategy Planning & Execution → Trello, Notion, ClickUp
🔹 For Detailed Roadmaps & Prioritization → Asana, Monday.com, Airtable
Pro Tip: If you’re brainstorming big-picture strategy, start in a free-form tool (like Miro), then move to a structured board (like Trello) for execution.
2. Set Up Your Visual Planning Board for Brainstorming
A brainstorming board should help you capture ideas quickly without overthinking.
Basic Brainstorming Board Structure:
| Column Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Raw Ideas | A messy collection of unfiltered ideas. |
| Promising Ideas | Initial sorting—ideas that seem worth exploring. |
| Prioritized Ideas | Shortlisted ideas that align with your goals. |
| Actionable Strategy ✅ | Refined ideas turned into an execution plan. |
💡 Example: If brainstorming a customer acquisition strategy, your board might look like this:
✅ Raw Ideas: “Launch a referral program,” “Partner with influencers”
✅ Promising Ideas: “Test Facebook ads targeting niche communities”
✅ Prioritized Ideas: “Run an email marketing experiment”
✅ Actionable Strategy: “Send 3 email sequences over 4 weeks”
Keeping ideas fluid and flexible in the early stages helps creativity flourish.
3. Use Categories & Tags for Better Organization
Once your brainstorming session is over, you need to organize and prioritize ideas so they don’t get lost.
🔹 Use labels or tags to categorize ideas (e.g., Marketing, Product, Growth, Operations).
🔹 Color-code ideas based on their potential impact (e.g., green = high, yellow = medium, red = low).
🔹 Assign rough effort estimates (e.g., Easy, Moderate, Hard) to balance quick wins and big projects.
💡 Example: If you’re strategizing new revenue streams, your labels might look like this:
- “Launch premium plan” → Revenue Growth 🟢
- “Test upsells on checkout” → Quick Win ✅
- “Expand to international markets” → High Effort 🔴
Now, instead of staring at a wall of ideas, you can quickly filter what to focus on next.
4. Transition from Brainstorming to Strategy Planning
Once you have a solid list of potential strategies, shift to planning execution.
Convert Your Board to a Strategy Roadmap
| Column Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Short-Term (Next 30 Days) | Quick wins and immediate actions. |
| Mid-Term (Next 3-6 Months) | Strategic projects with high impact. |
| Long-Term (6-12 Months) | Bigger initiatives requiring more planning. |
💡 Example: If you’re planning a content strategy, your roadmap might look like this:
✅ Short-Term: “Launch a blog,” “Start posting on LinkedIn”
✅ Mid-Term: “Run a webinar,” “Guest post on industry sites”
✅ Long-Term: “Launch an SEO-driven content hub”
This high-level structure makes it easier to focus on execution instead of endless brainstorming.
5. Prioritize Using an Impact vs. Effort Matrix
To decide which ideas to pursue first, use a simple Impact vs. Effort framework.
| Category | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Wins ✅ | High impact, low effort | “Send a survey to existing customers” |
| Big Bets 🚀 | High impact, high effort | “Build an AI-powered recommendation tool” |
| Low-Value Tasks ❌ | Low impact, low effort | “Redesign the login page” |
| Avoid (For Now) ⏳ | Low impact, high effort | “Translate website into 10 languages” |
💡 Example: If planning a growth strategy, prioritize quick wins first, then work toward big bets.
6. Track Strategy Execution with a Kanban Board
Once you’ve selected which strategies to pursue, you can move them to a Kanban-style execution board.
| Column Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| To Do | All tasks related to the strategy. |
| In Progress | Tasks currently being worked on. |
| Blocked | Stalled tasks that need attention. |
| Done ✅ | Successfully completed tasks. |
💡 Example: If launching a referral program, your execution board might look like this:
- To Do: “Create referral incentive structure”
- In Progress: “Set up tracking system”
- Blocked: “Legal review of referral terms”
- Done: “Design referral landing page”
This ensures you’re moving ideas into action, not just planning endlessly.
7. Review & Iterate for Continuous Improvement
Strategy isn’t static—it evolves as you learn. Use weekly or monthly reviews to:
✅ Assess what’s working & what’s not
✅ Adjust priorities based on results
✅ Add new ideas as market conditions change
💡 Example: If your content marketing strategy isn’t driving leads, you might pivot to:
- “Test shorter-form LinkedIn posts”
- “Double down on SEO instead of social media”
Great strategy comes from constant iteration!
🚀 Final Thoughts: Make Strategy Execution Visual & Actionable
Using visual planning boards for brainstorming and strategy helps bootstrapping entrepreneurs:
✅ Capture and organize ideas without overcomplicating things
✅ Prioritize high-impact, low-effort strategies first
✅ Stay focused on execution with clear action steps
By structuring your brainstorming, prioritization, and execution in a visual format, you’ll turn ideas into results faster—and avoid the trap of endless planning.
📢 How do you brainstorm and plan strategy? Share your approach below! 🚀
