Let's Talk About Strategy (extended workshop): what it is, why it matters, and how to do it well - Sophie Dennis

slideshare.net/sophiedennis @sophiedennis
Let’s talk about strategy…
 
slides: slideshare.net/sophiedennis
Sophie Dennis 
service design and product strategy 
@sophiedennis

From Org Design for Design
Orgs by Peter Merholz and
Kristin Skinner (O’Reilly, 2016).
Informed by Jesse James
Garrett’s classic The Elements
of User Experience (New
Riders, 2010) strategy,
structure, and surface layers

On post-its write
1. one thing that bugs you about “strategy”
2. one thing you hope to get out of this session
3. one question you’d like answered
Write each one on a separate post-it 
Share them with your neighbour

It’s all b******ks

Why even bother?

Culture eats strategy for breakfast
— (probably not) Peter Drucker

Strategy is easy

It’s implementation that’s the hard part

The strategy is delivery
— Mike Bracken 
Government Digital Service

JFDI

[shortest workshop ever]

What is strategy?

“There is surely nothing quite so
useless as doing with great efﬁciency
what should not be done at all”
— Peter Drucker

Strategy tells us
Where are we going?
What will be different when we get there?
Where are we now?
How are we going to get from here to there?
What might stop us and how will we overcome that?

Good strategy helps make decisions

Good strategy gives us purpose

Good strategy enables us to delegate
control and decision making

Good strategy makes us more agile

Bad strategy

Our strategy is collaborative growth.
We will lead a customer focused effort of the market through our use of digital
business and internet of things ecosystem to build a cloud based revolution.
By being both innovative and open, we will drive competitive advantage throughout
the organisation. Synergies between our data leaders and agile culture will enable
us to capture the upside by becoming networked in a big data world.
These transformations combined with disruptive insight from data due to our digital
ﬁrst platform will create a learning organisation through value and efﬁciency.

Our strategy is collaborative growth.
We will lead a customer focused effort of the market through our use of digital
business and internet of things ecosystem to build a cloud based revolution.
By being both innovative and open, we will drive competitive advantage throughout
the organisation. Synergies between our data leaders and agile culture will enable
us to capture the upside by becoming networked in a big data world.
These transformations combined with disruptive insight from data due to our digital
ﬁrst platform will create a learning organisation through value and efﬁciency.
Simon Wardley, A quick route to building a strategy 
Make your own at https://strategy-madlibs.herokuapp.com/

The “yeah, right” test
 
The “so what?” test
 
The “yes! and…?” test

The “yeah, right” test

Cornwall is going to be the next
silicon valley
Insert your city
or region here

The “so what?” test

apps 
 
 
  Not a strategy

apps, digital transformation 
 
 
  Not a strategy

apps, digital transformation 
 
 
 
Seriously
Not. A. Strategy
, wearables,
chatbots,, AI,, personalisation,, a new logo,
a rebrand,, content marketing,, agile,, Agile,
user experience,, lean UX,, service design,
innovation… …

The “yes! and…?” test

So what makes a good strategy?

Strategy is a coherent plan to
achieve a goal that will lead to
signiﬁcant positive change

Strategy is
about
changing
something

Strategy
should
achieve a
goal

Strategy
should be
coherent

coherent
kə(ʊ)ˈhɪər(ə)nt/ 
 
adjective 
 
1. (of an argument, theory, or policy) logical and consistent 
‘they failed to develop a coherent economic strategy’
2. Forming a uniﬁed whole 
‘the arts could be systematized into one coherent body of
knowledge’
 
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/deﬁnition/coherent

Moon Shotshttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg

Exercise
Read through Kennedy’s moonshot speech
In your group discuss:
1. What is the concrete, tangible goal?
2. What is the signiﬁcant positive change
Kennedy hopes achieving it will bring?
3. What leads Kennedy to believe  
the goal is achievable?
4. What are the most signiﬁcant  
barriers to success?

What was
the concrete,
tangible
goal?

“before this
decade is out
[to] land a man
on the moon
and return him
safely to earth”

What
significant,
positive
change is it
trying to
bring about?

How does he
show the
goal is
achievable?

“we have examined
where we are strong
and where we are
not, where we may
succeed and where
we may not…we
possess all the
resources and
talents necessary”

accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft…
develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters… additional funds
for unmanned explorations… 531 million dollars in ﬁscal ’62…  
7 to 9 billion dollars additional over the next ﬁve years

many years… heavy costs … a degree of dedication,
organization and discipline which have not always characterized
our efforts… we cannot afford inﬂated costs of material or talent,
wasteful interagency rivalries, or high turnover of key personnel

there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States
take an afﬁrmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared
to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful. If we
are to go only half way, or reduce our sights in the face of
difﬁculty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all.

Focus and leverage

start enduser journey
pain points

tactical solution
pain points

pain points
strategic solution

“It’s just a website
We’re not going to
the moon”
Mikey Dickerson on ﬁxing healthcare.gov 
 
Photo by Matt Jukes @jukesie from the Ofﬁce for
National Statistics Alpha/Beta team
digitalblog.ons.gov.uk/2015/03/24/ons-digital-
sxsw/

Structured data capture
and storage

Pattern Library & Style Guide

1. Diagnose the problem 
what is the true nature and extent of the problem? what are we really
trying to achieve? what’s really going on here?
2. Find the unifying idea 
what overall approach will enable us to cope with and overcome the
obstacles identiﬁed in the diagnosis? what is the common thread in the
problems we’ve found? where can we focus in order to apply leverage?
3. Craft a coherent plan of attack 
what is the co-ordinated set of actions or steps we should take that will
work together to accomplish our goal?

Strategy
User
needs
Organisation
values &
objectives
Constraints

1. Denial - our thing is not broken
2. Anger - we hate you for telling us
3. Acceptance - holy crap our thing is broken
Dan Hon, ‘Stages of Transformation’, 11 April 2011  
tinyletter.com/danhon/letters/s4e10-stages-of-transformation

“A good diagnosis simpliﬁes the often
overwhelming complexity of reality by
identifying certain aspects of the
situation as critical.”
Richard Rumelt 
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

Fog

Make a map
Do an audit

gds.blog.gov.uk/2015/08/18/mapping-new-ideas-for-the-digital-justice-system-2

Build the end-to-end big
picture

Making the map  
is as valuable  
as having the map

Trust the process

1. problem statement
2. opportunity/objective
3. situation/constraints/context
4. recommendation: Big Idea
5. recommendation: smaller ideas/
releasing early value/validation
6. principles, models
Diagnosis
Unifying idea
Coherent plan
of attack
I wrote about this a bit more at  
medium.com/@sophiedennis/weeknotes-s01e01-what-a-diﬀerence-a-day-makes-from-dwp-to-nhs-digital-d1fe54ﬀ0cb0

Design Principles 
cxpartners.co.uk/our-thinking/design-principles

Short form creative brief 
articles.uie.com/short_form_creative_brief

Questions?

Vision and goals

Does it get you closer
to the mountain?

[I imagined] that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of ﬁction,… supporting
myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal. And I
knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right.
And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it
was taking me towards or away from the mountain.
I said no to editorial jobs on magazines, proper jobs that would have paid proper
money because I knew that, attractive though they were, for me they would have
been walking away from the mountain.
And if those job offers had come along earlier I might have taken them, because
they still would have been closer to the mountain than I was at the time.”
Neil Gaiman, commencement speech to University of the Arts, 2012 
www.uarts.edu/neil-gaiman-keynote-address-2012 Watch at vimeo.com/42372767

Beware 
Problem Deﬁnition Escalation

The client asks you to design a business card  
You respond that the problem is really the
client’s logo
Michael Beirut, ‘You’re So Intelligent’, Design Observer, 9 May 2007  
designobserver.com/feature/youre-so-intelligent/5917/
The client asks you to design a logo 
You say the problem is the  
entire identity system
The client asks you to design the identity 
You say that the problem is the  
client’s business plan

The problem isn’t making
something look pretty, you fool,
it’s world hunger!
Michael Beirut, ‘You’re So Intelligent’, Design Observer, 9 May 2007  
designobserver.com/feature/youre-so-intelligent/5917/
One or two steps later, you can claim whole
industries and vast historical forces as your purview

Why? 
So more people get their flu jabs
Why? 
So fewer people end up in hospital with severe, life-threatening flu
Why? 
To reduce pressure on the health service
Why? 
ONLY WE CAN SAVE THE NHS!
What are you doing?  
Making it easier to book an appointment for a flu jab

“the nature of these challenges are emblematic of
deeply entrenched ﬂaws in our institutional
structures, our underlying theories, deﬁnitions of
success, and ultimately how we have
constructed our civilization.”
Christian Bason
The frontiers of design for policy

People still don’t have their ﬂu jabs

Pick your mountain

What is Kennedy’s hierarchy of goals?
1. What is the mountain?

2. What is the nearer peak?

3. What are the interim goals?

Defeat the commies
change

Defeat the commies
Win the space race
goal
change

Defeat the commies
Win the space race
goal
change
change

Defeat the commies
Win the space race
Land a man on the
moon and return him
safely to earth
goal
change
goal
change

Defeat the commies
Win the space race
Land a man on the
moon and return him
safely to earth
Design more  
powerful rockets
Get Congress to pony  
up the cash
Launch unmanned
explorations
Build a space ship
change
goal
goal
goal goal goal
change
change
goal

1. What is the hierarchy of vision and goals? it may help to
start at the bottom with the most immediate task, then ask “why?”
2. What is the highest level goal you can directly
contribute to or inﬂuence? this is where you are going
3. What is the level above that?  
this is what will be different when you get there
Defeat  
the commies
Win the  
space race
Land a man on the
moon and return
him safely to earth
Design more  
powerful rockets
Get Congress to
pony up the cash
Launch unmanned
explorations
Build a space ship
Pick your mountain 
Think about a project you are working on, or a situation you want to change:

Strategy tells us
Where are we going?
What will be diﬀerent when we get there?
Where are we now?
How are we going to get from here to there?
What might stop us and how will we overcome that?

Exercise
Brainstorm on page one of the strategy worksheet, or using
post-its:
1. Problems (for users, for org, for you)
2. Objectives (for users, for org, for you)
3. Opportunities
4. Constraints
5. Wider context/situation

“A good diagnosis simpliﬁes the
often overwhelming complexity of
reality by identifying certain aspects
of the situation as critical.”
Richard Rumelt 
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

Problem statement
This should be made up of:
• the speciﬁc problem, or user need, you want to address
• the result of the problem
• the situation which makes the problem a priority, or change of situation
which makes the problem higher risk
• the risk or opportunity that’s a result of the problem and situation
Melanie Cannon, Lead Content Designer, DWP, How to write a problem statement 
medium.com/leading-service-design/how-to-write-a-problem-statement-50e2c87810fe

Example of a problem statement for Strava, the running and cycling app
the specific problem, or user
need, you want to address
It can be difficult to stay motivated to do regular exercise.
A lot of people start an exercise routine like running or cycling
regularly, but don’t keep it up.
In the UK, obesity is increasing and people are finding it more difficult
to cope with mental health problems. We know that taking regular
exercise improves our physical health as well as our mental health.
There’s an opportunity to help people stay active and improve their
performance. Connecting them with other people for support,
encouragement and competition, and making it easy for them to
analyse their workout, could help more people stay motivated.
Melanie Cannon, Lead Content Designer, DWP, How to write a problem statement 
medium.com/leading-service-design/how-to-write-a-problem-statement-50e2c87810fe
the risk or opportunity that’s
a result of the problem and
situation
the situation which makes the
problem a priority, or change
of situation which makes the
problem higher risk
the result of the problem

Exercise
Reﬁne your deﬁnition of the problem by drafting a
problem statement using Mel’s formula

Working with stakeholders

1. Stakeholders know what’s
really going on

2. Stakeholders can derail the whole
process

1. People support what they
help to create
2. No big surprises
3. They don’t have to like it -
but they do need to buy-it

“Nemawashi”  
lit: going around the roots
“In Japan, high-ranking people expect to be let in on new proposals prior to an official
meeting. If they find out about something for the first time during the meeting, they will
feel that they have been ignored, and they may reject it for that reason alone. Thus, it’s
important to approach these people individually before the meeting. This provides an
opportunity to introduce the proposal to them and gauge their reaction. This is also a
good chance to hear their input. This process is referred to as nemawashi.”
Defining Nemawashi, Rochelle Kopp, Japan Intercultural Consulting (2012) 
japanintercultural.com/en/news/default.aspx?newsid=234

• Share early and often
• Share your rationale before you start on solutions
• Make the map together - it focuses discussions
• Open invitation sketching, co-design and ideation
workshops
• Brief the most inﬂuential people 1:1
• Make your pitch

Who are your stakeholders?
1. Senior decision-makers and executives
2. The people who’ll need to implement any changes
3. People whose work will be affected by any changes

Guerrilla Strategy 
Working in a strategy vacuum

Signs you lack a strategy
1. A lot of activity that fails to deliver significant benefits
2. Not knowing which option to pick or pursue
3. Repetitive debate and discussion about focus, priorities
and direction - constantly going over the same ground
4. Difficulty choosing between equally valid but incompatible
options

“If our goal is to X, then I recommend we do A. But if our goal is
Y, then we should do B instead”
“Is X or Y more important to our organisation?”
“Is our goal to do A or B?”

Further reading
Richard Rumelt, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy
Lots more examples and advice on good vs bad strategy
Jared Spool, Beyond the UX Tipping Point
https://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2016/05/26/jared-spool-beyond-the-
ux-tipping-point-live/

Becoming a user-centred organisation
Sophie Dennis, The Art of Things Not Done, NUX5 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh-hvPtqN54

Product strategy with story-mapping and the Kano model
Megan Casey, The Content Strategy Toolkit

Advice, templates and methods for getting buy-in and working with
stakeholders. Useful for any kind of design or UX project.
Dan Brown, Documenting Design Discovery

medium.com/eightshapes-llc/documenting-design-discovery-
db14da1b0627#.24ud09pj0

More on structuring ﬁndings. He’s also written a book about it.

Download the worksheets 
http://bit.ly/2FqWHeK

You’ve been talking about
strategy with…
 
slides: slideshare.net/sophiedennis
Sophie Dennis 
service design and product strategy 
@sophiedennis

Let's Talk About Strategy (extended workshop): what it is, why it matters, and how to do it well - Sophie Dennis

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