A while back, I worked on a strategy project for a company with a diverse product range. The company delivered these products separately, with little communication between the factories, and no incentives such as discounts for customers who bought multiple items. In fact, customers purchasing multiple products experienced worse service due to delivery mix-ups and complicated billing! It was evident that effective cross-selling would be crucial, and the existing situation was untenable.
I was eventually tasked with leading the fix as my first major operational role. My approach involved two key steps that proved highly effective:
Creating a Clear Vision: I drafted a one-page document detailing what a successful solution would look like—clear bills, logical discounts visible to customers, orderly service delivery, and service teams with complete visibility of a customer’s entire portfolio.
Collaborative Planning: With this one-pager, I first worked with a product team to break down the end state into detailed customer user stories. These gave me the raw material to I work with key experts and project designers to develop a comprehensive plan. I had a good amount of time for this, so I was able to get a lot of good feedback and advice.
After formulating the plan, I presented it to management and secured approval. Normally, this stage might involve considerable scrutiny and second-guessing of the project team by the project lead, but lacking the experience for such analysis, I presented the target state, the business case and the plan as the project managers had created it, which were all approved. For over a year, we worked on assembling the solution, consistently referring back to the one-pager for guidance on prioritization and other decisions. Because the plan was realistic and I was willing to prioritise throughout we were able to stay on track.
Outcome and Impact:
The project was launched broadly on time and exceeded all our goals. A particularly proud moment was at the wrap-up meeting where I presented the original one-pager used in the opening presentation well over a year earlier, demonstrating how we had fully achieved our strategic intent. This effort not only resolved the strategic issue but also led to years of enhanced performance.
Lessons Learned:
Clarity in Strategy: Clearly define what you aim to achieve strategically.
Trust and Collaboration: Engage and trust your experts to develop realistic plans.
Guided Decision-Making: Use your strategic objectives to inform daily decisions.
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