MANAGING UPWARDS These slides are intended to provide a structure for someone who wishes to adopt QFD and other systematic approaches within his or her own organisation, to make a presentation to their bosses. The slides are simply a set of headings, but the notes section for each page provides some guidance on completing the slides. Please do not attempt to use these slides as part of a presentation until you have read and fully understood the relevant sections of ‘Managing by Design’, you know how the slide works, and you are clear on the points you wish to draw out with it.

MISSION AND VISION The role of XYZ in the ABC Market Who we serve How we add value to them How the future is evolving Our Vision New opportunities that are opening up in a changing market How we see our future standing in our customer’s plans The key things we need to (will) get right On this slide, outline clearly how you see your unique role in your market place, the results of your exploration into how your markets will evolve, and how your role and understanding places you in an ideal position to harness the opportunities presented. Ensure that you understand enough of your bosses own vision that you can (implicitly) link what you are trying to achieve to their own success and aspirations.

BUSINESS THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES How we currently stand in terms of our vision: Our current strengths … S W O T Our key weaknesses … Major opportunities … The risks we face … On this slide outline a clear and comprehensive analysis of your current positioning regarding your vision. A SWOT type of analysis provides an ideal and generally accepted format for getting the key points across. Ensure a clear logical link between the items on your SWOT, and your aspirations in your vision.

THE STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES What we need to achieve if we are to fully utilise our strengths and opportunities to overcome areas of weakness and achieve our vision: … On this slide, translate the key findings of the SWOT into a set strategic imperatives: key things that you need to get right and deliver if you are to use your strengths and opportunities to overcome your weaknesses and the risks that you are facing. Once again the logical links from the SWOT to your strategic imperatives must be clear and logical. It is also important that your strategic imperatives really are strategic – they must be corporately important and are likely to be set over a timescale of years rather than weeks or months (this clearly varies by industry).

OUR OBJECTIVES How the strategic imperatives translate into clear objectives, measures & targets for the coming year … On this slide, outline how your Strategic Imperatives translate into objectives measures and targets for this coming year. Once again the logic must be clear and well thought out. The objectives will be taken from the left-hand side of your QFD.

HARNESSING THE DORMANT POTENTIAL OF THE ORGANISATION Processes… … Objectives… … On this slide use your QFD diagram to illustrate how you are using previously untapped aspects of your organisation to fully leverage your objectives. Highlight the squares that will be making additional (and perhaps unconventional) contributions. The previous slides will have given your boss a clear picture of the inexorable logic of the approach you are taking (providing you have got your information and data sources right and your logic clearly thought out). This slide will begin to demonstrate how you are seeing your organisation in new ways in order fulfil the challenge which it is facing – and will illustrate clearly the power of QFD without the need for a lengthy explanation.

STRENGTHENING OUR MANAGEMENT APPROACH Current issues in our management processes … Emphasise (verbally) how crucial effective management of the performance will be to ensuring your vision is delivered, and then illustrate some of the shortfalls that have been manifest in the existing management approach. Use real examples and the results of your own survey (which your management team have ownership of) to illustrate the issues, but be careful to steer close to what your boss already sees in your organisation, or expects to generally be the case. Introducing a raft of new and unsuspected issues at this point could derail the whole thing.

SYSTEMATICALLY ENSURING SUCCESS PHILOSOPHY PEOPLE PREDICT PERFECT PROCESS PURPOSE Build up from the specific issues on the previous slide to show how they can be addressed by a more systematic approach, and illustrate this by practical and pragmatic examples of good practice (ideally with physical examples that you might have to hand). Ensure that your explanations are rooted in clear practical advantages, and emphasise the logical improvement over what currently exists.

PROGRESS TO DATE What we have achieved so far … Next steps Having established the picture, explain the progress that has already been made – in particular in terms of things that your boss can relate to and perhaps has a personal interest in. Ideally include some practical benefits, and then explain how your plans will continue to build on these.

HOW YOU CAN HELP … And then, outline clearly how they can help and support you in your work. Chapter 13 of ‘Managing by Design’ will help you think through some of the things you might need to ask for, and what you might offer in return.