Using a "SolutionStage" for developing a strategy in a big IT company

The challenge:

A department specialised on data warehousing with 40 people working there, of an IT service provider with over 2000 employees had to define the future service strategy. In this department worked especially IT developers with good knowledge of the market situation (customer needs and competitors). Therefore the service strategy should have developed in a three day workshop with as many employees of this department as possible. This strategy process was part of a whole process of the superior organisational unit. The department manager expected that the most promising competence areas with the best chances and their customer groups became clear after the workshop. He was conscious that it was crucial for his department to develop a broadly supported strategy for the future services.

The Results:

Together with around 20 participants the expected result could be achieved in this workshop. At the end of the third day the services for each strategic business field regarding market attractiveness and competitiveness (for today and the expected future) was positioned. At the same time the knowledge transfer between the specialists got enhanced.

The Process in Short:

Together with the department manager I first developed the approximate frame of this workshop structure:

-      hearing and process of the department manager’s input

-      to map the department’s vision

-      to gather the actual service areas

-      to evaluate the actual services from a client perspective

-      to define service areas and client groups

-      using this defining the strategic business fields

-      define criteria for the strategic positioning of the services for the dimensions "market attractiveness“ and "competitiveness“

-      to position with these criteria the different services (for today and the expected future)

For the italic printed phases we used scenic tools of the "SolutionStage". This have been the three "scenic" workshop-phases:

Listen to and process the department manager’s input

Mapping the department’s vision

Evaluate today’s services from a client perspective

This was the base for the following "conventional“ built working phases:

-      to define service areas and client groups

-      using this defining the strategic business fields

-      define criteria for the strategic positioning of the services for the dimensions "market attractiveness“ and "competitiveness“

-      to position with these criteria the different services (for today and the expected future)

Document with all details ==> HERE (chapter "Business Case: Using "SolutionStage" for developing a strategy in a big IT company" on page 10 ff) or ==> attached file

Contact: Hans-Peter Korn