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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
 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
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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.
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 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.
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Thinking Workspace
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Thinking Workspace: (Use this space to record ideas or meeting notes)
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Key Facilitator Questions to Ask
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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?
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Recommended Tools
- Observing
Market Trends: Organizations
that thrive analyze trends and prepare for changes.
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z7Customer Observation Thinkletcustomer
Why Use It
 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.
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Present Customer
State
(Customers
today?)
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Future Customer
State
(Likely future
customer state?)
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How many customers do you have?
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How many potential future customers do you expect?
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What are the characteristics of the people who currently
buy your products or services?
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Will these characteristics differ in the future?
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Who are your most important customers?
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Who do you expect will be your most important customers
in the future (2-4 years)?
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How many customers have you lost over the past year?
Why?
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How can the loss of customers be prevented?
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Over the last couple years, how have your customers
changed?
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How might your customers continue to change?
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Do customers see your products/services as a need or a
luxury?
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What luxury might become a necessity?
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Etc.
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Etc.
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<<<
End of Thinklet >>>
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
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Step
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Action
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1
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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.
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 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?
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Weaknesses:
Decide which weaknesses need to be addressed as a priority.
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Opportunities:
Capitalize on those opportunities that play to your strengths or that boost
your weaknesses.
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Threats:
Protect yourself against threats, particularly those that threaten your
strengths or take advantage of weaknesses.
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3
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Develop an action
plan based on the insights gained.
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SWOT
Facilitator Triggers
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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S-W-O-T Analysis Template
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Strengths
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Rank
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Weaknesses (Problems)
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Rank
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Internal Organization or Self
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Internal Organization or Self
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External
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External
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Opportunities
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Rank
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Threats (problems)
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Rank
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Internal Organization or Self
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Internal Organization or Self
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External
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External
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