Find the right framework for your problem

Where does the lack of clarity come from?

• We haven't settled where the business should grow or compete. What are you choosing between?
  • Growth routes: new markets, new products, or more of what we already sell Ansoff Matrix. It sets the four growth routes side by side with their relative risk, so the choice is made explicitly. If instead you need an honest read of your position before choosing a route: SWOT Analysis.
  • Which existing products or business units to invest in, hold or exit BCG Growth-Share Matrix. It sorts a portfolio by market growth and relative share, so investment follows position. If instead the question is how one business should grow: Ansoff Matrix.
• The direction is set, but it hasn't become goals people work towards. OKR. It turns a direction into a few objectives with measurable key results, reviewed each quarter. If instead goals have to cascade through several management layers over a year or more: Hoshin Kanri.
• There are many goals, and nobody can see how they connect. Strategy Map. It draws the cause-and-effect chain from capabilities to customer and financial results, so each goal shows what it feeds. If instead the need is tracking progress on goals already connected: Balanced Scorecard.
• Priorities swing every time new information arrives. Lean Strategy. It fixes the vision and a deliberate boundary, then lets experiments revise priorities inside it, so new signals adjust the plan rather than reset it. If instead the business model itself is still unproven: Lean Canvas.
• My team isn't sure what it's for or how it contributes. Team Charter. The team writes down its own purpose, scope and working norms in one agreed document. If instead the purpose is clear but there are no measurable targets: KPIs.

Answer this one step by step

What kind of options are you choosing between?

• Features, projects or initiatives competing for one team's capacity. What kind of decision do you need?
  • A ranking we can defend with numbers RICE Score. It scores each option on reach, impact, confidence and effort, giving one comparable number. If instead you can't estimate reach reliably: ICE Scoring.
  • A quick call the team can agree in one session Value vs Effort Matrix. Options are plotted on two axes in a single workshop, and quick wins stand out. If instead a fixed deadline is the real constraint: MoSCoW Prioritization.
  • What fits into a fixed deadline or release MoSCoW Prioritization. It sorts scope into must, should, could and won't, so the cut line is explicit. If instead the options need a ranked order rather than categories: RICE Score.
• My own tasks: too much to do and no way to tell what matters. Priority Matrix. It sorts tasks by urgency and importance into do, schedule, delegate and delete. If instead the tasks compete for a whole team's capacity: Value vs Effort Matrix.
• Strategic options whose payoff depends on how an uncertain future unfolds. How far ahead does the decision need to hold?
  • The next few years, with a handful of big uncertainties Scenario Planning. It builds a few plausible futures and tests each option against all of them, so the choice holds up across outcomes. If instead the question is which long-term trends matter at all: Futures Thinking.
  • Ten years or more, and we're not sure which trends matter Futures Thinking. It scans and weighs long-range trends while holding several futures open, before any one is planned for. If instead a few key uncertainties are already known: Scenario Planning.
• Different ways to grow the business. Ansoff Matrix. It compares market penetration, market development, product development and diversification by relative risk. If instead the choice is across existing products or units: BCG Growth-Share Matrix.

Answer this one step by step

Why do decisions stall?

• Nobody agreed the criteria, so every option gets reopened. RICE Score. The criteria and scores are written down, so a reopened decision has to argue with the record. If instead the decision needs to be made in one meeting: Value vs Effort Matrix.
• Nobody is sure who has the final say. RACI Matrix. It names who is accountable for each decision, and who is only consulted or informed. If instead the right people are known but some keep blocking: Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement.
• Certain people or groups keep blocking or reopening it. Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement. It maps each party's power and interest, so concerns are handled before the decision rather than after it. If instead the resistance is to a change already decided: Kotter's 8-Step.
• It's a money decision, and nobody trusts the numbers. What kind of decision is it?
  • A long-term investment that pays back over years Capital Budgeting. It compares investments on NPV, IRR and payback, which moves the debate to the assumptions. If instead the question is simply whether sales will cover costs: Break-Even Analysis.
  • Whether a product, price or launch will cover its costs Break-Even Analysis. It finds the sales volume at which revenue covers costs, a single number people can test. If instead the worry is running short of cash along the way: Cash Flow Forecasting.
• The future is too uncertain to commit. Scenario Planning. It tests the decision against several plausible futures, so commitment no longer depends on predicting one. If instead the worry is specific risks rather than whole futures: Risk Management Framework.

Answer this one step by step

What is the disagreement really about?

• People want different outcomes because their interests differ. Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement. It makes each group's stake and influence explicit, so the negotiation happens in the open. If instead the direction is decided and people are resisting it: Kotter's 8-Step.
• We agree on the goal but pull in different directions on priorities. How large is the group that needs aligning?
  • A leadership team or a few teams OKR. Shared, visible objectives force the trade-offs into the open every quarter. If instead goals must hold across several management layers: Hoshin Kanri.
  • Several layers across a large organisation Hoshin Kanri. Its “catchball” process negotiates goals up and down the levels until each unit's plan fits the whole. If instead you want a lighter quarterly cycle: OKR.
• We're working from different pictures of the market. SWOT Analysis. One workshop produces a single shared view that later arguments can refer back to. If instead the disagreement is about the industry's economics and competitive pressure: Porter's Five Forces.
• We read the organisation itself differently: structure, systems, culture. McKinsey 7S Framework. It examines seven linked elements one at a time, showing exactly where people's diagnoses diverge. If instead the disagreement is about how the strategy should lead to results: Strategy Map.

Answer this one step by step

What keeps you reacting?

• Changes in the wider environment keep catching us off guard: regulation, the economy, technology. PESTEL Analysis. It scans six external forces systematically, so shifts are spotted before they arrive. If instead you need plans for several ways those shifts could play out: Scenario Planning.
• Competitors set the pace and we follow. What would help most?
  • Understanding what drives competition in our industry Porter's Five Forces. It explains where profit pressure comes from, beyond the rivals you can see. If instead you want to see where each competitor sits: Competitive Positioning Map.
  • Choosing one clear way to compete Porter's Generic Strategies. It forces a choice between cost leadership, differentiation and focus, which ends reactive drifting between them. If instead you'd rather step out of the contest: Blue Ocean Strategy.
  • Finding space where there is little competition Blue Ocean Strategy. It looks for demand competitors aren't serving, instead of fighting over the same customers. If instead you intend to stay and compete where you are: Porter's Generic Strategies.
• We have a strategy on paper, but day-to-day decisions don't follow it. Balanced Scorecard. It ties the strategy to a small set of measures reviewed regularly, so daily decisions answer to it. If instead the strategy's own logic is unclear: Strategy Map.
• We have no clear picture of where we stand, so every move is a reaction. SWOT Analysis. It gives a quick, shared starting position to plan from. If instead you need to see how each part of your offering is evolving and where to move next: Wardley Mapping.
• Risks hit us before we see them coming. Risk Management Framework. It identifies and rates risks by probability and impact, with a plan for each. If instead the risks come mainly from the wider environment: PESTEL Analysis.

Answer this one step by step

What's missing from the picture?

• Who our customers are and how they differ from each other. STP Framework. It splits the market into segments, chooses which to serve and defines the position for each. If instead the segments are known and a product team needs a shared picture of one user: User Personas.
• What customers are really trying to get done. Jobs to Be Done. It looks past who customers are to the progress they want to make, which explains why they buy or switch. If instead you need their needs gathered in their own words first: Voice of the Customer.
• How the market and our competitors are laid out. Competitive Positioning Map. It places competitors on the two dimensions buyers care about, which shows crowded spots and gaps. If instead the question is how attractive the industry is overall: Porter's Five Forces.
• How our business actually creates and captures value. Is the business established or new?
  • Established, with customers and revenue Business Model Canvas. Nine blocks on one page connect customers, value proposition, channels, costs and revenue. If instead most of those blocks are still guesses: Lean Canvas.
  • New, and most of it is still an assumption Lean Canvas. It swaps partner and resource blocks for problem, solution and key metrics, which puts the riskiest assumptions first. If instead the model is proven and needs mapping in full: Business Model Canvas.

Answer this one step by step

Where do you want to start?

• Working out which of our strengths are genuinely hard to copy. VRIO Framework. It tests each resource for value, rarity, imitability and organisation, and separates lasting advantages from ones any rival can match. If instead you want the reasoning behind that test first: Resource-Based View.
• Customers see us as much the same as everyone else. Competitive Positioning Map. It shows where you sit against rivals on the dimensions buyers use, and which positions are open. If instead you want to redesign the offer rather than reposition it: Blue Ocean Strategy.
• We haven't decided whether to compete on price, uniqueness or a niche. Porter's Generic Strategies. It frames exactly that choice and explains the risk of trying to do all three. If instead you first need to know what you're genuinely good at: VRIO Framework.
• We don't know which features customers would value as different. Kano Model. A customer survey sorts features into basic, performance and delight, and delight features are where products stand apart. If instead you don't yet understand the underlying need: Jobs to Be Done.

Answer this one step by step

What best describes the stall?

• We've saturated our current market, and there's no obvious place left to grow. Ansoff Matrix. It sets out the four routes beyond today's market and products, ranked by risk. If instead you're not sure which customers to pursue next: STP Framework.
• The market is crowded, and competing has turned into a price fight. Blue Ocean Strategy. It looks for demand rivals aren't serving by changing which factors you compete on. If instead you intend to stay and compete where you are: Porter's Generic Strategies.
• Some products or units are growing, and others drag the total down. BCG Growth-Share Matrix. It shows which parts of the portfolio deserve investment and which are holding growth back. If instead the question is where the strong units should grow next: Ansoff Matrix.
• We win new customers, but lose them again. Customer Journey Mapping. It traces the customer's experience step by step and shows where they give up. If instead you first need a steady measure of loyalty: Net Promoter Score.
• We don't know why growth stopped. SWOT Analysis. It gives a quick, shared diagnosis of internal and external causes before choosing a response. If instead you suspect the industry itself has become less attractive: Porter's Five Forces.

Answer this one step by step

Why do the dates slip?

• The work was never broken down properly, so the estimates were guesses. Work Breakdown Structure. It splits the project into deliverables small enough to estimate and assign. If instead the pieces are clear but their durations are genuinely uncertain: PERT.
• Our estimates are always too optimistic. PERT. It combines optimistic, likely and pessimistic estimates into a date range with its odds. If instead the tasks are too large to estimate at all: Work Breakdown Structure.
• Delays in some tasks hold up everything else. What kind of work is it?
  • A project with a fixed end date Critical Path Method. It finds the chain of dependent tasks that sets the finish date, so attention goes where a delay moves the end. If instead the need is to show the schedule to others: Gantt Chart.
  • Ongoing work flowing through a team Kanban. Limiting work in progress shows where items queue up and wait. If instead one stage clearly limits everything: Theory of Constraints.
• Requirements keep changing, so any long-range plan goes out of date. How much change are you ready for?
  • A new way of working, with defined roles and routines Scrum Framework. Short, fixed sprints commit only to the next slice of work, with set roles and events that keep re-planning honest. If instead you only want a regular planning rhythm: Agile Sprint Cycle.
  • Just a regular rhythm of planning and review Agile Sprint Cycle. A fixed timebox of planning, daily re-planning, review and retrospective, without adopting a whole method. If instead you want the full set of roles and artefacts: Scrum Framework.
• Nobody sees the schedule, so slips surface too late. Gantt Chart. Tasks, dependencies and dates sit on one timeline anyone can read. If instead you need to know which slips affect the end date: Critical Path Method.

Answer this one step by step

What is going wrong?

• We finish the work, but it doesn't move the results we care about. OKR. Key results measure the change you want, not the activity, so finished work is judged by what it moved. If instead goals exist but the measures lack targets and owners: KPIs.
• Results miss the budget or plan, and nobody can say why. Variance Analysis. It splits the gap into named causes such as price, volume and mix, each with an owner. If instead there is no agreed measure to compare against: KPIs.
• Quality is inconsistent: too many defects or errors. Lean Six Sigma. Its DMAIC cycle traces defects to their root causes and removes them. If instead you first need a reliable measure of how often defects happen: Six Sigma Metrics.
• Each part performs, but the organisation as a whole underdelivers. McKinsey 7S Framework. It checks whether strategy, structure, systems, skills, style, staff and values support each other. If instead the problem is that only financial results get measured: Balanced Scorecard.

Answer this one step by step

What do you need to see?

• Whether we're hitting our goals and targets. Do agreed measures exist yet?
  • No, we don't have agreed measures KPIs. Each measure gets a target, a frequency and a named owner. If instead the measures need to cover more than financial results: Balanced Scorecard.
  • Yes, but they're scattered and nobody looks at them Dashboarding and Visualization. It arranges the chosen measures in one display suited to how it will be used. If instead most of the numbers have no target behind them: KPIs.
• Where each piece of work is, and what's stuck. Kanban. A board shows every item and its stage, and work-in-progress limits expose where things pile up. If instead the team works in fixed cycles: Scrum Framework.
• How a project is progressing against its plan. Gantt Chart. Planned and actual dates sit side by side on one timeline. If instead the plan was never broken into trackable pieces: Work Breakdown Structure.
• How our processes really run, compared with how we think they run. Process Mining. It rebuilds the actual process from system event logs, including the variants nobody documented. If instead the process doesn't leave data in a system: Value Stream Mapping.

Answer this one step by step

Where do things fall through?

• Nobody knows who decides, who does the work and who just needs to be told. RACI Matrix. Each task or decision gets one accountable person, with everyone else's role named. If instead the whole team is unclear about its purpose and ways of working: Team Charter.
• I'm overloaded and can't let go of work. Could other people do much of it?
  • Yes, but I hold on to it Delegation Matrix. It sorts tasks into what to hand over, to whom, and with how much authority. If instead the real problem is not knowing what matters most: Priority Matrix.
  • No, there's just too much and I can't tell what matters Priority Matrix. It sorts tasks by urgency and importance into do, schedule, delegate and delete. If instead many of those tasks could go to others: Delegation Matrix.
• People are spread across projects and get double-booked. Resource Allocation Matrix. It shows each person's load across projects, so overallocation is visible before it causes misses. If instead the problem is knowing who has the skills for each task: Skills Matrix.
• Pieces of a project slip between teams because the scope was never split up. Work Breakdown Structure. Every deliverable becomes a named package that can have one owner. If instead the pieces exist but their owners are unclear: RACI Matrix.

Answer this one step by step

Where do ideas get stuck?

• There are too many ideas and no quick way to choose. ICE Scoring. Each idea is rated on impact, confidence and ease in minutes, which cuts the pile to a shortlist. If instead you need a ranking you can defend with reach and effort figures: RICE Score.
• Ideas get approved, then stall somewhere between concept and launch. Innovation Pipeline. Ideas move through defined stages with a go or stop decision at each gate, so none sit in limbo. If instead the stall is inside the delivery team's own work: Scrum Framework.
• Delivery starts, but the first release is never quite ready. User Story Mapping. It lays out the user's activities and cuts a thin first release across them, so something usable ships early. If instead a fixed date means scope has to be cut: MoSCoW Prioritization.
• One team or stage limits how much gets through. Theory of Constraints. Its five focusing steps find the single bottleneck and organise everything else around it. If instead you first need to see where the work queues up: Kanban.

Answer this one step by step

What is missing between the teams?

• Shared goals: each team optimises for its own targets. OKR. Shared objectives with key results owned by several teams make cross-team work part of everyone's goals. If instead the goals must cascade through several management layers: Hoshin Kanri.
• Clean hand-offs: work crossing between teams has no owner. Business Process Management. It manages the process end to end across departments, with an owner for the whole chain. If instead the issue is a few specific tasks rather than a whole process: RACI Matrix.
• A shared view: each team sees only its own numbers. Dashboarding and Visualization. One display of common measures gives every team the same picture. If instead the teams can't see how their goals connect to each other: Strategy Map.
• Shared capacity: teams compete for the same people. Resource Allocation Matrix. It makes the competing demands on each person visible, so trade-offs are agreed rather than fought over. If instead the scarce resource is a particular skill: Skills Matrix.
• The structure itself: reporting lines, systems and incentives pull teams apart. McKinsey 7S Framework. It examines how structure, systems and shared values interact, which is where silos are built in. If instead the incentives reward only financial results: Balanced Scorecard.

Answer this one step by step

Where does the time go?

• Work waits between steps, and the waiting is longer than the work. Value Stream Mapping. It puts the whole flow on one page and separates working time from waiting time. If instead each step is logged in a system: Process Mining.
• One step or team is always the choke point. Theory of Constraints. Its five focusing steps raise the bottleneck's output and pace everything else to it. If instead you first need to see where work piles up: Kanban.
• Too many people and departments touch each piece of work. Business Process Management. It redesigns the process end to end with one owner for the whole chain, which removes handoffs rather than speeding them up. If instead the delay is waiting for particular people to sign off: RACI Matrix.
• Customers feel the delays: they wait, chase and repeat themselves. Customer Journey Mapping. It follows the process from the customer's side and shows where internal handoffs become their waits. If instead the fix lies in the internal flow behind those points: Value Stream Mapping.

Answer this one step by step

What would help most?

• Rethinking the whole process from the customer's point of view. Lean Core Principles. It starts from what the customer values, removes everything else, then builds flow and pull. If instead you need to see the current flow before changing it: Value Stream Mapping.
• A quick, visible fix to one process. Kaizen Blitz. A five-day event redesigns one process and puts the change in place before the week ends. If instead you want improvement to keep going afterwards: Kaizen.
• Steady, small improvements that everyone makes as part of daily work. Kaizen. The people doing the work suggest and make small changes continuously, and the gains add up. If instead you need a visible result quickly to build momentum: Kaizen Blitz.
• Knowing what good looks like: others seem to do this better. Benchmarking. It compares your process with a reference point, inside or outside the organisation, and shows how others close the gap. If instead you first need an accurate picture of your own process: Process Mining.
• Clutter: time goes on searching for tools, files and information. 5S Methodology. Sort, set in order, shine, standardise and sustain create a visible order people keep up. If instead the tidier workplace should become the start of wider improvement: Kaizen.

Answer this one step by step

What do you see when you look closer?

• Everyone is working on too many things at once. Kanban. Work-in-progress limits make people finish before starting, which shortens how long each item takes. If instead one step clearly sets the pace for everyone: Theory of Constraints.
• One part of the system sets the pace, and the rest wait for it. Theory of Constraints. Extra effort anywhere except the constraint adds nothing, so it directs improvement to the one place that matters. If instead the real issue is how many things are open at once: Kanban.
• We can't tell where the time actually goes. Value Stream Mapping. A timeline under the map shows hours of work against days of waiting. If instead the work runs through systems that record each step: Process Mining.

Answer this one step by step

What kind of problem is it?

• The same defects keep coming back, and we don't know the root cause. Lean Six Sigma. Its DMAIC cycle defines, measures and analyses the defect before anything is changed, so the fix targets the cause. If instead you first need a reliable measure of how often defects occur: Six Sigma Metrics.
• We don't know how often errors happen, or whether it's getting better. Six Sigma Metrics. Defects per million, sigma level and yield give one consistent measure across processes. If instead the rate is known and the causes need fixing: Lean Six Sigma.
• Waste: extra steps, waiting, overproduction, work done twice. Lean Core Principles. Anything the customer wouldn't pay for is treated as waste and removed step by step. If instead you need to see where the waste sits first: Value Stream Mapping.
• Small errors the people doing the work could fix, if anyone asked them. Kaizen. It makes spotting and fixing small problems part of everyone's daily work. If instead one process needs a concentrated fix first: Kaizen Blitz.

Answer this one step by step

Why aren't they followed?

• We don't know how far real practice has drifted from the documented process. Process Mining. Conformance checking compares system event logs with the documented process and shows every deviation. If instead the process leaves no trace in a system: Business Process Management.
• The documented process is out of date, or doesn't fit the real work. Business Process Management. Its lifecycle keeps monitoring and redesigning the process, so it stays in step with the work. If instead you need to see the real process before redesigning it: Process Mining.
• People slide back to old habits after every change. Lewin's Change Model. Its refreeze stage anchors the new way in routines, measures and rewards so it holds. If instead individuals lack the knowledge or support to keep the change going: ADKAR Model.
• Day-to-day standards slip: tools, layouts and routines drift back to disorder. 5S Methodology. Its standardise and sustain steps turn a clean-up into a routine that is checked. If instead the drift goes beyond the workplace into how the work is done: Kaizen.

Answer this one step by step

What kind of change is it?

• A large transformation that affects much of the organisation. Kotter's 8-Step. It sequences a major change from building urgency to anchoring it in the culture. If instead you want a simpler three-stage frame: Lewin's Change Model.
• A defined change to how one team or unit works. Lewin's Change Model. Unfreeze, change and refreeze give a contained change a clear shape to plan around. If instead the challenge is getting each person to adopt it: ADKAR Model.
• Getting individuals to actually adopt a new system or way of working. ADKAR Model. It plans for awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement, person by person. If instead the change also means people lose something they value: Bridges' Transition Model.
• A change that means loss: a restructure, a merger, roles disappearing. Bridges' Transition Model. It manages people's inner transition (ending, neutral zone, new beginning) separately from the change itself. If instead the change spans the whole organisation and needs a full programme: Kotter's 8-Step.
• Working out who will support it, oppose it or be affected. Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement. It maps each group's power and interest, and plans how to engage each one. If instead strong opposition is already expected: Resistance Management Framework.

Answer this one step by step

What does the resistance look like?

• Open pushback: people argue against the change or refuse it. Resistance Management Framework. It diagnoses why people resist and plans a response to each cause. If instead the resistance comes from a few influential people: Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement.
• Quiet compliance: people go through the motions but don't commit. Bridges' Transition Model. Going through the motions often means people haven't let go of the old way, and it names that ending and works through it. If instead you need to find which part of adoption is missing: ADKAR Model.
• People want to change, but struggle to actually do it. ADKAR Model. It separates wanting to change from knowing how and being able to, so support goes where it is missing. If instead the gap is a skills shortage across the team: Skills Matrix.
• It started well, but people are drifting back to the old way. Lewin's Change Model. Its refreeze stage anchors the new way in routines, measures and rewards. If instead the change is organisation-wide and needs anchoring in the culture: Kotter's 8-Step.

Answer this one step by step

What seems to be behind it?

• People don't see how their work matters. OKR. Each person can trace their key results to the organisation's objectives, which links daily work to a purpose. If instead the team itself is unclear what it is for: Team Charter.
• Managers decide everything, so nobody else takes ownership. Delegation Matrix. It hands over decisions with a defined level of authority, so ownership is given rather than expected. If instead nobody is sure who owns what: RACI Matrix.
• The team is new or recently changed, and hasn't settled. Tuckman's Stages. It shows whether the team is forming, storming, norming or performing, and what each stage needs from its leader. If instead you want to agree how the team works together now: Team Charter.
• Engagement dropped after a change and hasn't come back. Bridges' Transition Model. It treats the dip as an unfinished transition and helps people through the neutral zone. If instead people accept the change but lack the skills or support to succeed in it: ADKAR Model.

Answer this one step by step

Could other people take on much of the work?

• Yes, but I hold on to it. Delegation Matrix. It sorts tasks into what to hand over, to whom, and with how much authority. If instead the real problem is not knowing what matters most: Priority Matrix.
• No, there's simply too much, and I can't tell what matters. Priority Matrix. It sorts tasks by urgency and importance into do, schedule, delegate and delete. If instead many of those tasks could go to others: Delegation Matrix.
• Not yet: nobody else has the skills. Skills Matrix. It shows who is closest to each skill, so development can be planned towards handing work over. If instead the work is a leadership role that needs a successor: Succession Planning.

Answer this one step by step

Which is closest to your situation?

• We don't know who can do what, or where the gaps are. Skills Matrix. It maps each person against each skill, so gaps and training needs are visible. If instead the gaps appeared because of a recent change: ADKAR Model.
• A few people hold knowledge nobody else has. Skills Matrix. Skills held by only one person show up at once, and cross-training can be planned for each. If instead those people are in leadership roles: Succession Planning.
• Key leadership roles have no one ready to step in. Succession Planning. It identifies critical roles and develops successors before anyone leaves. If instead the gap is in specialist skills rather than leadership: Skills Matrix.
• A change needs skills people don't have yet. ADKAR Model. Its knowledge and ability stages plan the learning a change requires, person by person. If instead you need the team-wide picture first: Skills Matrix.

Answer this one step by step

What is going wrong?

• Friction and conflict: the team keeps clashing. Tuckman's Stages. It recognises storming as a normal stage and shows how teams move through it to norming. If instead the conflict stays hidden rather than open: Psychological Safety Framework.
• There's no agreed way of working together. Team Charter. The team writes down its purpose, norms and ways of working, and holds itself to them. If instead the problem is specific tasks with unclear owners: RACI Matrix.
• People duplicate each other's work, or leave gaps between them. RACI Matrix. Each task has one accountable owner and clear roles for everyone else involved. If instead the broader working norms are missing: Team Charter.
• Trust broke down after a reorganisation or other change. Bridges' Transition Model. It deals with what people lost in the change, which is often where lost trust comes from. If instead people are actively resisting the new arrangement: Resistance Management Framework.

Answer this one step by step

What do you see?

• People stay quiet in meetings, and problems surface too late. Psychological Safety Framework. It builds the conditions in which raising a concern or a mistake is expected rather than risky. If instead the team is new and people are still wary of each other: Tuckman's Stages.
• Concerns about a change are voiced in corridors, not to leaders. Resistance Management Framework. It gives objections a legitimate channel and treats them as information rather than disloyalty. If instead the silence goes beyond this one change: Psychological Safety Framework.
• A new team is still cautious, and nobody wants to rock the boat. Tuckman's Stages. Early caution is normal in the forming stage, and it shows what moves a team beyond it. If instead the caution persists long after the team has formed: Psychological Safety Framework.

Answer this one step by step

What is missing?

• We haven't really listened: we assume what customers need. Voice of the Customer. Structured interviews capture needs in customers' own words, and about twenty per segment finds most of them. If instead you've heard what they ask for but not why they buy: Jobs to Be Done.
• We know what customers ask for, but not why they buy or switch. Jobs to Be Done. It looks at the progress customers are trying to make, which explains choices that feature requests don't. If instead you haven't gathered their needs systematically yet: Voice of the Customer.
• We have data about customers, but no feel for their experience. Empathy Mapping. It puts what customers say, think, do and feel on one page, so the team shares one picture. If instead the team needs a single reference customer to design for: User Personas.
• Everyone describes ‘the customer’ differently. User Personas. One specific, research-based person stands in for a real group, which ends arguments about “the user”. If instead the segments themselves aren't defined yet: STP Framework.
• We don't know which needs matter most to satisfaction. Kano Model. A paired survey question sorts features into basic, performance and delight by their effect on satisfaction. If instead you don't yet know what the underlying needs are: Jobs to Be Done.

Answer this one step by step

Which is closest to your situation?

• Customers don't see what makes us different. Where should the difference come from?
  • Features customers would genuinely value Kano Model. It finds the delight features that set a product apart, and the basics that only need to be good enough. If instead you don't yet know the job customers need done: Jobs to Be Done.
  • A fresh take on the offer itself SCAMPER Technique. Seven prompts, from substitute to reverse, turn the existing offer into concrete new variations. If instead you want to rethink the market you compete in: Blue Ocean Strategy.
• We solve a problem customers don't feel strongly enough to pay for. Jobs to Be Done. It shows which jobs customers urgently need done, and how well their current options do them. If instead you haven't asked customers directly yet: Voice of the Customer.
• We're aiming at too broad a market. STP Framework. It segments the market, picks the segments worth serving and shapes the position for them. If instead the segment is chosen and the team needs a clear picture of its buyer: User Personas.
• Growth depends on word of mouth, and it isn't happening. Net Promoter Score. One recommendation question tracked over time separates promoters from detractors, so you know whom to follow up. If instead you need the reasons behind the scores: Voice of the Customer.

Answer this one step by step

What makes you think so?

• The people actually using it aren't the ones we designed for. User Personas. Rebuilding personas from real users resets whom the team designs for. If instead you need to understand how those real users experience the product: Empathy Mapping.
• We're not sure which segment we should be serving. STP Framework. It compares segments on size and fit, then commits to a target and a position. If instead the segments differ mainly in the job they need done: Jobs to Be Done.
• We solve the right problem, but in a way users don't want. Design Thinking. Rough prototypes are tested with real users early, before more is built. If instead you first need to see the problem through users' eyes: Empathy Mapping.
• We've built a lot, and users touch only a small part of it. User Story Mapping. It rebuilds the backlog around what users actually do, so the next release covers their core path. If instead you need to know which features they don't value at all: Kano Model.

Answer this one step by step

What do you need next?

• To see where the experience varies across channels and touchpoints. Customer Journey Mapping. It lays out every interaction in order and marks where the experience breaks. If instead you know where it breaks but not why: Voice of the Customer.
• To understand why it falls short. Voice of the Customer. Interviews bring out the needs and frustrations behind complaints, in customers' own words. If instead the team needs a shared sense of how customers feel: Empathy Mapping.
• A consistent measure of how customers feel, tracked over time. Net Promoter Score. One question asked the same way each time gives a trend that shows whether fixes are working. If instead you need the reasons behind the number: Voice of the Customer.
• To redesign the experience, not just patch it. Design Thinking. It moves from understanding users to prototyping and testing new experiences with them. If instead you first need the full current journey on one page: Customer Journey Mapping.

Answer this one step by step

How much do you know about the drop-off?

• We see customers leave, but not where. Customer Journey Mapping. Mapping each stage of the journey shows the points where customers give up. If instead you need to hear from those who left: Voice of the Customer.
• We know where they leave, but not why. Voice of the Customer. Interviews at those points bring out the reasons in customers' own words. If instead the team needs to feel what customers experience at that moment: Empathy Mapping.
• We know where and why, and need fresh ideas to fix it. Brainstorming. Its four rules produce many options quickly, and ideas written alone before pooling beat talking in a group. If instead you'd rather vary the existing step systematically: SCAMPER Technique.

Answer this one step by step

What is confusing about it?

• Customers ask for opposite things. Kano Model. Sorting requests into basic, performance and delight explains why some matter to everyone and others to only a few. If instead the requests split cleanly by type of customer: STP Framework.
• Feedback is scattered and anecdotal. Voice of the Customer. A structured round of interviews replaces anecdotes with needs that are grouped and ranked. If instead you need one number to track: Net Promoter Score.
• We can't tell whether things are getting better or worse. Net Promoter Score. The same question asked at regular intervals shows the direction of sentiment. If instead you need to know what is driving the trend: Voice of the Customer.
• What customers say doesn't match what they do. Empathy Mapping. It records says, thinks, does and feels separately, so the gaps between them become visible. If instead the gap is between what they ask for and why they really buy: Jobs to Be Done.

Answer this one step by step

What are you trying to decide?

• Which initiatives deserve funding at all. Zero-Based Budgeting. Every initiative justifies its budget from zero, rather than carrying last year's amount forward. If instead the choice is between a few large, long-term investments: Capital Budgeting.
• Which large investments to commit to over several years. Capital Budgeting. It compares investments on NPV, IRR and payback, so options of different sizes and timings can be ranked. If instead the question is the whole budget, line by line: Zero-Based Budgeting.
• How to spread our people across too many projects. Resource Allocation Matrix. It shows each person's load across projects, so trade-offs are made openly. If instead the constraint is particular skills rather than headcount: Skills Matrix.
• Which products or business units deserve investment. BCG Growth-Share Matrix. It sorts the portfolio by market growth and relative share, so money follows position. If instead you don't know what each product really costs to serve: Activity-Based Costing.

Answer this one step by step

What makes the decision hard?

• We don't know what our products, customers or activities really cost. Activity-Based Costing. It traces overheads to the activities that consume them, so the costly products and customers become visible. If instead costs are known and the issue is that they've drifted from plan: Variance Analysis.
• Every budget line has a defender, so cuts end up across the board. Zero-Based Budgeting. Each cost must be justified by what it delivers, so cuts land where value is lowest. If instead you first need to know what each activity really costs: Activity-Based Costing.
• Costs have crept above plan, and we don't know which or why. Variance Analysis. It splits the overrun into price, volume and mix causes, each with an owner. If instead the plan itself was built on the wrong cost picture: Activity-Based Costing.
• We worry a cut now will leave us short later. Cash Flow Forecasting. It shows the effect of a cut on cash week by week before anything is committed. If instead the worry is non-financial, such as lost capability or service: Risk Management Framework.

Answer this one step by step

What kind of risk worries you most?

• Many different risks, and no systematic list of them. Risk Management Framework. It identifies risks, rates them by probability and impact, and assigns a response and an owner to each. If instead the main worry is broad uncertainty about the future: Scenario Planning.
• Big external uncertainties: the economy, regulation, technology. Scenario Planning. It builds a few plausible futures and tests plans against each. If instead the horizon is ten years or more: Futures Thinking.
• Project risk: we can't say how likely we are to finish on time. PERT. Three-point estimates give the odds of hitting each date, not a single hopeful one. If instead you need to know which tasks drive the finish date: Critical Path Method.
• Losing key people would leave us exposed. Succession Planning. It names the critical roles and prepares successors before anyone leaves. If instead the exposure is specialist knowledge held by a few: Skills Matrix.
• Running out of cash. Cash Flow Forecasting. A rolling forecast shows when cash gets tight while there is still time to act. If instead the question is how much must be sold to stop losing money: Break-Even Analysis.

Answer this one step by step

What kind of trade-off?

• Cutting investment to hit this year's numbers. Capital Budgeting. Valuing future returns in today's money makes the cost of deferring an investment visible. If instead the pressure is on the whole budget: Zero-Based Budgeting.
• We plan one year ahead, and long-term shifts catch us out. Futures Thinking. It scans long-range trends and keeps several futures open, so today's decisions account for them. If instead a few specific uncertainties matter most: Scenario Planning.
• Quick fixes are piling up risks nobody is tracking. Risk Management Framework. A risk register makes the accumulated exposure visible and gives each risk an owner. If instead the hidden risk is mainly about cash: Cash Flow Forecasting.
• Cash pressure forces decisions we'd rather not make. Cash Flow Forecasting. Seeing the squeeze weeks ahead creates time to choose, instead of reacting. If instead you need the sales level that relieves the pressure: Break-Even Analysis.

Answer this one step by step

What do you need to know?

• When cash will get tight, week by week. Cash Flow Forecasting. A rolling forecast, often over 13 weeks, shows each week's cash position and the gap to plan for. If instead you need to know why actual cash keeps differing from the forecast: Variance Analysis.
• How much we need to sell to stop losing money. Break-Even Analysis. It finds the sales volume at which revenue covers costs, a clear target for the business. If instead the problem is the timing of cash, not profit: Cash Flow Forecasting.
• Why cash keeps coming in below plan. Variance Analysis. It separates timing from price, volume and mix, so late payments aren't mistaken for lost sales. If instead you need to see what's coming rather than explain the past: Cash Flow Forecasting.
• Which costs we can cut without damaging the business. Zero-Based Budgeting. Each cost is justified by what it delivers, so cuts fall on the least valuable spending. If instead you don't know what each activity really costs: Activity-Based Costing.

Answer this one step by step