A Business Design Toolkit — Frameworks, models and other thinking tools I find repeatedly useful

Business Design (BD) is a human-centred approach to management consulting which is simultaneously focused on the needs of customers/colleagues and key business imperatives.

To be an effective Business Designer, you need to be familiar with HCD and a bunch of diverse qualitative and quantitative problem solving methods; which could be anything from conducting Design Research right through to building robust prioritisation/evaluative frameworks or financial models.

Here I’ve assembled frameworks which I find repeatedly useful when applying BD to client problems:

Value Driver Tree

Source:https://www.slideshare.net/AccentureNL/accenture-digital-business

• I’ll typically include a value driver tree following an SCQ (situation/complication/key question) in most decks to illustrate an understanding of a clients business, or specifically highlight the value drivers/levers which are the subject of the deck.
• I’ve attempted this for customer needs but it is a challenge keeping it MECE. If you’re interested in structured problem solving you have to read Barbra Minto’s ‘Pyramid Principle’ https://www.amazon.com.au/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-Thinking/dp/0273710516, OR at the very lest these Medium articles: https://medium.com/lessons-from-mckinsey/the-pyramid-principle-f0885dd3c5c7, https://medium.com/lessons-from-mckinsey/the-rule-of-3-c1cd82dbc96e
• The key question will often be the focus of the value tree

Wardley ‘Value-Chain Mapping’

https://www.cio.co.uk/it-strategy/introduction-wardley-value-chain-mapping-3604565/

• I’ve used Wardley Mapping to illustrate which platforms/systems are commoditised and should be considered for outsourcing (see above). I imagine you could also replace the value-chain element with a Customer Journey or level 1–2 Workflow/Process Map however I haven’t attempted this yet.

Kano Modelling

Source: https://medium.com/design-ibm/kano-model-ways-to-use-it-and-not-use-it-1d205a9cf808

• Kano Modelling is an approach to prioritisation which is based on the classification of customer expectations into three broad categories: expected needs, normal needs and exciting needs.
• This taxonomy can be used to identify, assess and prioritise value derived from design concepts, epics/features (and represent the desirability lens into balanced score-carding).

Activity Systems Map

Source: https://hbr.org/1996/11/what-is-strategy

• Originally created by Porter to chart a companies significant activities, their relationship to each other and the value-proposition. This will help you see how well each activity supports the overarching positioning and identify ways to strengthen fit.
• Run in a workshop setting and Affinity Map to develop core value-propositions

The 10 Types of Innovation

Soirce: Brian Quinn, Helen Walters, Larry Keeley, and Ryan Pikkel in ‘Ten Types of Innovation: The Discipline of Building Breakthroughs’ (2013)

• Fantastic book. Can also be used in conjunction with the ‘Strategy Cascade’ to define there ‘where to play’ in an innovation context.
• Can also be used to determine innovation maturity, or benchmark against competitors.

The Strategyzer Business Model Canvas

Source: Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur in ‘Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers’ https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas

• I don’t think I need to go into detail here — just be cognisant when using it that the top left is supply-side, top right is demand and bottom is your financial business model. Depending on the problem you are trying to solve this will dictate where you start.

The Lean Canvas

Source: Ash Maurya https://leanstack.com/why-lean-canvas/

The ‘Playing to Win’ Strategy Choice Cascade

Source: A. G. Lafley & Roger L. Martin in ‘Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works’ (2013) https://blog.hypeinnovation.com/strategic-and-innovation-alignment-the-choice-cascading-model

• My favourite strategy book. Read it.

The Bain Customer Value Pyramid

Source: https://hbr.org/2016/09/the-elements-of-value

• The Value Pyramid is useful when illustrating the relationship between or relative hierarchy of customer needs. In my experience clients are tired of ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ as it’s been done to death by brand strategists. This should get the same point across if executed well.

The Innovation Ambition Matrix

Source: Bansi Nagji and Geoff Tuff in HBR https://hbr.org/2012/05/a-simple-tool-you-need-to-mana

Operating Model Frameworks

Source: http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/winning-operating-models-that-convert-strategy-to-results.aspx

Source: https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/cds/operating

Source: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2014/people-organization-transformation-imperative-change.aspx#chapter3

Porters’ Value Chain (Business Model Canvas elements overlaid)

Source: http://www.ebizq.net/blogs/ea_matters/VCBM.png

• When using the framework it may be useful to consider Porter’s 5 tests of a good strategy:
• A unique value proposition (are you offering distinctive value to a chosen set of customers at the right relative price?)
• A tailored value chain (is the best set of activities to deliver your value proposition different from the activities performed by rivals?)
• Trade-offs (are you clear about what you wont do so that you can deliver your kind of value most efficiently and effectively?)
• Fit across the value chain (is the value from your activities enhanced by the other activities you perform?)
• Continuity over time (is there enough stability in the core of your strategy to allow your organisation to get good at what it does, to foster tailoring, trade-offs and fit?)

5 Approaches to Strategy

Source: Janmejaya Sinha, Knut Haanaes, and Martin Reeves in ‘Your Stratey Needs a Strategy’ (2015) https://hbr.org/2015/06/navigating-the-dozens-of-different-strategy-options

BJ Fogg’s Behaviour Change Model

Source: BJ Fogg in http://www.behaviormodel.org/

Nir Eyal’s Hook Canvas

Source: Nir Eyal in ‘Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products’ http://impakter.com/secret-driving-customer-engagementnir-eyal-hooked/

Desirability, Feasibility and Viability Venn

Source: https://dius.com.au/2015/06/10/creating-desirability-through-emotional-connections/

• A popular framework which can compliment a Kano Modelling (desirability) by taking into consideration technical/time/resource constraints and whether X concept/feature will generate business value

And that’s a wrap!

I’d love to hear about other thinking tools you are using to elevate thinking and solve wicked problems, so please reach out!

Note: I don’t use these religiously, and instead get more utility from breaking them to adapt to unique client problems.