The Tools and Frameworks: A Practical Assessment
Strategy Canvas ★★★★★
Strengths:
- Visually powerful; makes strategy tangible
- Easy for diverse stakeholders to understand
- Reveals strategic convergence at a glance
Weaknesses:
- Identifying “key competing factors” is more art than science
- Risk of choosing wrong factors makes entire canvas misleading
- Works better for retrospective analysis than prospective planning
Four Actions Framework ★★★★☆
The Grid:
ELIMINATEREDUCEWhich factors should be eliminated?Which should be reduced below industry standard?
RAISECREATEWhich should be raised above industry standard?Which should be created that the industry never offered?
Strengths:
- Simple, memorable framework
- Forces both cost reduction AND value creation
- Applicable across all industries
Weaknesses:
- Looks easier than it is in practice
- Doesn’t prioritize among possible actions
- Risk of eliminating factors that matter more than you realize
Six Paths Framework ★★★★☆
Strengths:
- Systematic approach to finding opportunities
- Prevents overlooking alternative perspectives
- Rich with examples
Weaknesses:
- Can feel overwhelming (which path first?)
- Paths sometimes overlap, causing confusion
- Limited guidance on evaluating which opportunities are biggest
Buyer Utility Map ★★★☆☆
Strengths:
- Comprehensive view of buyer experience
- Identifies pain points across entire lifecycle
Weaknesses:
- Can become a mechanical exercise
- All 36 spaces rarely matter equally
- Doesn’t help prioritize which utilities to focus on
Blue Ocean Idea (BOI) Index ★★★★★
Four Critical Questions:
- Utility: Does your offering unlock exceptional utility?
- Price: Is it priced to attract the mass of target buyers?
- Cost: Can you profit at the strategic price?
- Adoption: Have you addressed adoption hurdles upfront?
Strengths:
- Clear go/no-go framework
- Prevents launching ideas with fatal flaws
- Examples of failures (Philips CD-i, Motorola Iridium) are instructive
Weaknesses:
- Requires honest assessment, which organizational politics often prevent
- Binary pass/fail doesn’t capture degrees of strength
- Adoption hurdles often emerge only after launch