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Problem: Many organizations need but can not afford to hire highly skilled consultants who can cost up to $2,000 and more per day.

 

Solution: At a fraction of the cost, MindSights Consultants On-demand functions as if you had a human consultant working directly with you to: analyze data quicker, solve problems faster, develop more innovative ideas, make more certain decisions, plan and anticipate the future, etc.

 

Demo: Below is MindSights Consultants On-demand Main Menu. It offers you 14 virtual consultants that represent best practices of the leading consulting experts in their field. Like using human consultants, these “consultants-in-a-box” provide you the critical questions to ask and tools to use, all within the correct thinking sequence.  

 

Simply click on the blue hyperlinks. The [Home] button always brings you back here.   Note: Gray represents hyperlinks that are active in the full Consultants On-demand product.   

 

 

 

 

MindSights Consultants On-demand

Main Menu mmmmain  topTOC consmenu

(Table of Contents –TOC)

Problem Solving Consultants

Basic (90 minute) Problem Solving: Quickly resolve urgent problems with this five-step process.

Systems Problem Solving: Comprehensive systems process to resolve complex problems.

Root Cause Analysis Problem Solving: Restores a prior, original or standard condition.

Resolve Any Problem: Gradually resolve what may appear to be an insurmountable problem.

 

Innovation & Performance Improvement Consultants

Brainstorm, Creativity & Innovation: Turn creative ideas into innovative solutions.

Performance Improvement: Lean Six-sigma DMAIC processes and tools.

Describe & Define: Collect and understand “relevant” data to improve innovative thinking.

 

Planning Consultants

 

Strategic Planning: Develop action plans to achieve your organization’s mission & vision.

Goal Setting: Set meaningful goals that are achievable.

Preferred Futures: Anticipate and prepare for potential future problems or opportunities.

 

Management & Leadership Consultants

Project Management: Execute project and achieve objectives (quality, on time, within budget).

Time Management: Find ways to improve use of both work and personal time. 

Decision Making: Improve decision-making certainty.

Team Building: Build and maintain a high performance team and work environment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Strategic Planning Consultant

Text Box: People rarely bring to mind all the right tools and questions that support their thinking. The goal of MindSights is to provide you with those questions and cognitive tools. The following is a six step (task) strategic planning process.  Click on Task 2 to continue.


Strategic planning is the process of determining your business/organization’s long-term vision or goals and how to fulfill them. Its purpose is to provide a framework for decision making on what short/long-term actions are important for achieving organizational success. The following is a six step (task) process that uses strategic planning tools, techniques and questions commonly asked by skilled planners.  sptdet

 

 

 

Task 1: Describe your business/organization’s current purpose and mission.

Task 2: Assess your current environment, trends, strengths & weaknesses.

Task 3: Decide where you want your business/organization to be in 2-5 years.

Task 4: Develop alternative strategies on how to reach your Strategic Goal

Task 5: Pick the strategic alternative(s) you want to implement.

       Task 6: Map out actions that alignment work efforts with strategic goals.

 

 

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Strategic Planning  spt2

Task 2: Assess the current environment, trends, strengths & weaknesses.

Text Box: Below are the strategic planning tools, techniques and questions commonly asked by skilled professional planners for this thinking task.  Click on Customer Observation and/or  SWOT  samples.   Note: Because MindSights uses an MS Word smart document architecture, everything is fully customizable to meet any specific project, team of individual need.

Purpose:  The value of looking at trends only becomes known after the fact. Maybe nothing new will be discovered, but a future problem or opportunity may be recognized. In general, it is better to anticipate potential problems/opportunities and plan for them rather than simply waiting and reacting. In the long run, companies (and individuals) that thrive the most are the ones that best analyze trends and prepare for change with solid strategic plans.

Thinking Workspace

 

 

Thinking Workspace: (Use this space to record ideas or meeting notes)

Key Facilitator Questions to Ask

Facilitator Questions

  • What trends are driving our future?  What if a trend stops?
  • What might replace us in the future?
  • Over the past couple years what changes have you noticed in your customers?
  • How have products and services evolved? How will they continue to evolve?
  • What is the best and worst thing that could happen in the future?
  • Who will be our main competitors in the future? Why?
  • What major strengths should we be building on? What weaknesses eliminated?
  • What opportunities might exist in the future … that do not exist today?
  • What situation can most directly control and influence our future?

Recommended Tools

  • Observing Market Trends: Organizations that thrive analyze trends and prepare for changes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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z7Customer Observation Thinkletcustomer

 

Why Use It

Text Box: The #1 key to improving thinking effectiveness is “FINDING and ASKING the RIGHT QUESTIONS.”  If you ask the right questions, you give your mind the best chance to find the right answer. This is an example of how MindSights offers thousands of facilitator questions.  Note: It is not expected that all questions would be answered. The ideal is to “find” the one perfect question to ask.  Click the Back button and then SWOT to continue.


Customers are the foundation of organizational strategy and planning.  Without customers/clients, a business or organization has no real purpose. Companies and organizations that thrive are the ones that best satisfy client/customer needs.

 

How to Use It

To better know your customers use the following Thinklet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Present Customer State

(Customers today?)

Future Customer State

(Likely future customer state?)

How many customers do you have?

How many potential future customers do you expect?

 

 

 

 

What are the characteristics of the people who currently buy your products or services?

 

 

Will these characteristics differ in the future?

 

 

Who are your most important customers?

Who do you expect will be your most important customers in the future (2-4 years)?

 

 

 

 

How many customers have you lost over the past year? Why?

 

 

How can the loss of customers be prevented?

 

 

Over the last couple years, how have your customers changed?

 

 

How might your customers continue to change?

 

 

Do customers see your products/services as a need or a luxury?

 

 

What luxury might become a necessity?

 

 

Etc.

 

Etc.

 

 

<<< End of Thinklet >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SWOT Analysis swot

(Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat)

 

Why Use It

A S-W-O-T (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) (Weihrich, 1982) analysis is a simple way of putting together an outline of current or potential problems and opportunities. The purpose is to relate your business, organization or personal performance (strengths and weaknesses) with factors in the environment (opportunities and threats). Once the attributes for each section have been identified, it is possible to determine the point of balance and direction.  Often, carrying out an analysis using just the S-W-O-T framework will be enough to reveal the right changes that can be usefully made.

 

How to Use It

Step

Action

1

Complete the S-W-O-T template below:  List S-W-O-T from different internal and external perspectives, e.g., what you think versus what your customers think.

 

2

Text Box: The difference between a typical SWOT template found on the internet and this MindSights SWOT Thinklet is having embedded facilitator questions and triggers to help stimulate thinking. It is like having the human consultant working with you.

Scroll down through the SWOT Thinklet to continue tutorial.

Analyze the S-W-O-T template: The real value of S-W-O-T analysis comes from thinking through the implications of what you have uncovered.  Look to analyze:

·         Strengths: How can you gain a more competitive advantage from you strengths?

·         Weaknesses: Decide which weaknesses need to be addressed as a priority.

·         Opportunities: Capitalize on those opportunities that play to your strengths or that boost your weaknesses.

·         Threats: Protect yourself against threats, particularly those that threaten your strengths or take advantage of weaknesses.

 

3

Develop an action plan based on the insights gained.

 

 

 

 

SWOT Facilitator Triggers

 

Strengths

These things are done extremely well and provide competitive advantage. Use the following areas to help identify strengths.

 

  • Management (goal setting, recruiting, decision making, production, planning, administration)

 

  • Work Force (skills, morale, motivation, creativity, loyalty, flexibility)

 

  • Products and Services (market leadership, profit margins, sales force, marketing, productivity, demand)

 

  • Customers (customer relations, customer base, loyalty, accurate market knowledge and prediction)

 

  • .Production (facilities, equipment, work flow, suppliers, inventory, quality, cost controls)

 

  • .Financial & Legal (cash flow, net income, balance sheet, credit, patents, intellectual property, prediction and planning)

 

  • Etc. ….

 

 

Weaknesses (Problems)

These are things that are done poorly and can be improved. It is best to be realistic and face any unpleasant truths at this stage in the planning process.

 

Look to find weakness in the same areas listed in strengths. Look at any areas in which your competitors might do better for weaknesses that can be exploited by them.

 

 

 

Opportunities

Internal & External changes can provide opportunities that well managed businesses can turn to their advantage. Look at changes and trends in areas like:

  • Customers:  buying behavior, demographics, global growth, demand, niches

 

  • Economic & Technology trends:  broad and industry specific, emerging.

 

  • Personnel: new hires, happy, loyal, 360 feedback, training, experience, leadership.

 

  • Social and personal lifestyle trends.

 

  • Political, legislative or regulatory changes.

 

  • Organization: mergers, franchise, new branches, profit centers, process integration.

 

  • Marketing & Sales Configuration

 

  • Competitor performance or errors

 

  • Product: new distribution channels, quality, price, market size, new products, R&D.

 

  • Etc. 

 

Threats (Problems)

Threats can be minor or can destroy your business. Look for negative trends and changes. What obstacles might your business face? Look at all threats but particularly those that threaten your business strengths. 

 

Look to find threats in the same areas as opportunities, but take extra effort to look for internal people threats including:

  • Personnel: anxious, unstable, self-interested, inflexible, afraid of failure and non-action.

 

  • Skills: outdated, lack of observation ability.

 

  • Education: lack of training, coaching, mentoring.

 

  • Rewards: people compensated for real worth, dismissing bottom 2-3% of poor performers.

 

  • Any common source for problems.

 

 

 

 

S-W-O-T Analysis Template

 

 

 

 

 

Strengths

 

 

Rank

Weaknesses (Problems)

 

 

Rank

Internal Organization or Self

 

Internal Organization or Self

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External

 

External

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opportunities

 

 

Rank

Threats (problems)

 

 

Rank

Internal Organization or Self

 

Internal Organization or Self

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External

 

External

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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