How to Use
Thinking about a new strategy for your business doesn’t have to be an unstructured vague process. This canvas gives you a simple template that you can use to define the core elements of a winning strategy: the Need, the Vision, the Differentiation Spaces and the Key Capabilities.
Step 1: Define Your Why
Start by explaining why do you need a new strategy. Are sales falling down? Have you spotted an opportunity in a new market? Do you think there’s a more efficient way to conduct a process? In essence, why do you want to change?
Step 2: Define Your Vision
Lay down your vision for the new strategy, the best-case scenario. Try to add a metric that defines success: 1000 units sold, 20% increase in sales, 10.000 customers reached...
Step 3: Focus Areas
Move on to the differentiation spaces. These are the market segments, channels, geographies that you can play to win. Write them all in post-it notes and place them in the upper part of the column. Then choose up to 3 post-its and move them to the white boxes. Those will be the key differentiation spaces to focus on. Write down for each of them your unique value proposition(s) below.
Step 4: Key Capabilities
Identify what are the key capabilities that will produce each of the value propositions described before. Write them all in post-it notes and place them in the upper part of the column. Finally, choose up to 3 post-its and move them to the white boxes. Describe in detail how will you support and sustain those capabilities. What needs to happen for your capabilities to persist?
Step 5: Next Step
Well done! You just drafted a winning strategy. The next step is to work on the critical conditions that can make or break your strategy. Check out the Condition Matrix.
