This book is for:

• Start-ups

• Stale businesses on the cusp of adopting new ideas

• Existing businesses struggling with growing pains

• Anyone who wants to learn about how to develop their business

The goals of the

Bootcamp• At the end of the six months to have worked through the principles of the

book

• To apply many of them to real world situations that apply to our own

businesses

• To embed some functions into your activity that give you a cutting

edge

Let’s Refresh ourselves on

some of what we have covered

• Most businesses fail because they build something

that no-one wants

• Failing fast means we preserve more capital and can

pivot more

• The currency of start-up is learning – validated

learning through a Minimum Viable Produce (MVP)

• Vision leads to steering

• Ideas and assumptions are not the same – Ideas have

embedded assumptions that need testing

• Finding the ‘Big Idea’ and testing it

• Pivot or persevere?

• 3 Engines of growth – Sticky, Viral & Paid

Problems Getting to the Root Cause

The Goal this Morning

To go away with some new tools and

fresh thinking so that every

decision to pivot or persevere is

seen as an opportunity or problem

solved.

What is a ‘problem’?

No more than an

opportunity

Today we will cover:

•The 5-Whys

•IDEAL - Model for

problem solving

•The Value of Small Batches

Benefits of effective

problem solvingSaves Time Weak Links

Cause and Effect Stops it recurrence

Ever thought you solved something that didn’t need solving?

The 5-Whys

Why?

1

Why?

2

Why?

3

Why?

4

Why?

5

Ro

ot C

ause

Created By Toyota in the

1930’s – Still used today

• Better when the process comes from

the grass routes

• Five is not the fixed amount of

Whys – but it is the minimum to get

to the root of a problem

• Look for answers that are grounded

in fact

The 5-Whys – an

exampleProblem – I got in the car this morning and it would not start

1. Why did it not start? – Because the battery was dead

2. Why was the battery dead? – Because it had been not getting charge as I was driving

3. Why was it not getting the charge? Because the fan belt was slipping

4. Why was the fan belt slipping? Because I have not replaced it recently and it was worn

5. Why have you not replaced it? Because I missed the service this year as I lost my phone and diary

Counter Measure

Make sure that I diarise important

events multiple ways. Request a call

from the garage.

A problem

A ‘fictitious’ doggy day-care

centre is having problem with

a small number of clients

paying late for their

sessions.

Using 5 Why’s lets consider

the problem

The 5-Whys1. Why are clients paying late?

A. They pay via the internet for a set amount of

days and on reconciliation at the end of the

month they are using more days than they paid

for so we have to chase them.

2. Why are they not paying for any excess days when

they drop their dog off?

A. When the dogs arrive there is normally a lot of

activity so, because it’s quick and easy, the

owners hand over the dog (who is known to us)

and they are manually logged in on the daily

sheet

3. Why does the daily sheet not show number of

number of days used and paid for?

A. The daily sheets are manually updated on an ‘as

and when’ basis with sessions loaded onto a

spreadsheet which updates the days

The 5-Whys4. Why are these records not regularly

updated?

A. No set time has been allocated nor

responsibility for updating them been

given to a team member

5. Why has no time been allocated or

responsibility been given?

A. Up until now it has never been seen as

a problem

Counter MeasureThe daily sheets will be updated at

the close of every day and the duty

to do this will be diarised so the

team member knows.

Marketing

Sales

Profit

Marketing

Sales

Profit

What should be happening What is happening

IDEAL method for

problem solving

I -Identify

D -Define

E -Explore

A -Action

L -Learn

Step 1 – Identify the

symptoms?

• Supply chain misaligned

•Blockages & bottlenecks in processes

•Poor data capture

• Wrong hires

• Disengaged staff

• Mistakes in decisions

• Anxiety and emotional distress

•Wrong number of clients

•Poor quality products / services

• Low customer retention

•High bounce rate

•Low profit

•Poor cash flow

•Weak credit

FinanceMarketing

& Sales

OperationsPeople

Symptoms Symptoms

Symptoms Symptoms

Don’t mistake

identification with

definitionStep 2 “Define the Problem”

Written Definition

Ownership

Affects Symptoms Systems

Take 10 Mins

Step 3 – Explore

solutions

•Mindset – need to learn

•Look for patterns

•Avoid confirmation bias

•Be data critical

•Sensitivities

•Cause & EffectWiden your thinking

Explore Common themes

Narrow the focus

MindsetSeven steps to getting

1. Take responsibility for the problem

2. Take ownership of your emotions

3. Be clear about the true nature of the problem

4. Be dispassionate in the description – avoid blame

5. Actively listen

6. Be curious

7. Be clear on all the benefits of a problem is solved well rather than quickly

Step 4 - Actions

High

Impact

Low 1 2 3 4 5

HardDo-Ability Ea

sy

Act with purpose

Prioritise & Target

Objectives

1. Compare

solutions

2. Shortlist

3. Generate

consensus

Step 5

-Learn• What has changed?

• What problems have

we solved?

• What might be the

problems in the

future?

• Do we need to

innovate?

• Do we need to go

again?

Record your

results

Small Batches

Small Batches

Some counter-intuitive business

lessons

1. Sleep more and work less

2. Promote your competition

3. When did ‘a billion’ enter the

planning vocabulary – manage

expectations

Work in small batches

It improves efficiency and motivates

you

To come

13 Dec 2016 – The accelerate

your business – innovation

and people

Any Questions?

Back on the 13th of December