Strategy Frameworks Slides

A framework is a question-answering tool.

Start by naming the decision: enter, exit, prioritize, fix economics, redesign experience, or build advantage. The right framework is the one that can change that decision.

Flat revenue, margin down 3 points, new competitor.

Begin with a profit bridge and value chain because the immediate symptom is margin leakage. Use Five Forces later if the leakage proves structural.

CEO wants market attractiveness; CFO wants promotion leakage.

Ask learners to pick the first framework, state what it reveals, state what it hides, and name the second framework they would queue.

Strong: Uses a profit bridge first and explains the decision fit. Weak: Uses Five Forces only because a competitor entered.

Ask: "What does your framework hide?" If the group cannot answer, they have named a tool but have not selected one thoughtfully.

Framework rationale: decision, question, candidate frameworks, evidence required, what each reveals, what each hides, recommended first framework, follow-on analysis.

Advisory-grade work compares alternatives, names framework limits, and sequences analysis instead of defending a favorite tool.

Industry analysis explains the profit ceiling.

Use rivalry, buyer power, supplier power, substitutes, and entry threat to explain who captures returns and why.

A B2B software segment grows 14%, but retention falls and procurement power rises. The market can grow while returns compress.

HR tech entry has market growth data, competitor profiles, two customer interviews, and no margin benchmarks. Learners must give a provisional view and name missing evidence.

Strong: Enters only with a defensible wedge and proof of switching-cost economics. Weak: Enters because the market is large and funded.

Ask: "Who captures the profit in this market?" Keep growth, attractiveness, and client fit as separate ratings.

Industry attractiveness brief: arena definition, force-by-force evidence, profit pressure, missing evidence, structural conclusion, entry implication.

Advisory-grade work states the conditions under which the client could win, not just whether the market looks appealing.

A goal says what the company wants. A strategy says where it will compete and how it will win there.

A payments company chooses specialty medical practices and wins through lower-friction payment, financing, and compliance workflows.

Sales wants enterprise logos, product wants vertical specialization, and finance wants faster payback. Learners must choose and name the tradeoff.

Strong: "Win specialty clinics by reducing payment and compliance friction." Weak: "Target all high-growth SMBs with a differentiated solution."

Ask each group what they are excluding. If nothing is excluded, the answer is a priority list, not a strategy.

One-page strategy statement: candidate arenas, customer pain, profit pool, capability fit, chosen arena, advantage mechanism, tradeoffs.

Advisory-grade work makes a choice that leadership can debate because the exclusions are visible.

Growth moves differ by distance from the core: same customers, new customers, new products, new channels, or new geographies.

A cybersecurity firm funds current-account expansion first, pilots mid-market through partners, and treats compliance analytics as a gated option.

The board wants a bold story, sales wants new geographies, product wants a platform, and operations is at capacity.

Strong: Ranks moves by upside, capability distance, execution load, and gating assumptions. Weak: Chooses the largest TAM.

Require a kill criterion for every growth option. Good growth strategy includes permission to stop.

Growth option matrix: customer overlap, product overlap, capability fit, economics, risk, gating assumption, sequence recommendation.

Advisory-grade work explains why the sequence is right, not just which opportunity is exciting.

A resource or capability matters strategically only if it creates value, is scarce, is hard to copy, and the organization can use it.

Routing data is an advantage only if it lowers cost or improves reliability in ways competitors cannot match and operators actually use.

The client claims culture, data, and brand are advantages, but churn is rising and competitors copy features within six months.

Strong: Links the claimed asset to customer behavior or economics. Weak: Accepts management's list of strengths.

Ask what changes in willingness to pay, cost position, speed, risk, or retention because of this capability.

Advantage test: claimed resource, value evidence, rarity evidence, imitability barrier, organization mechanism, strategic implication.

Advisory-grade work challenges attractive claims and proves whether they matter competitively.

Synthesis decides what the analyses mean together. It is not a tour of every framework the team completed.

Healthcare analytics is unattractive broadly, but specialty clinics offer a partner-led wedge where workflow data can create advantage.

The team has 48 slides and the steering committee wants one recommendation with the top three reasons.

Strong: Selects the few insights that change the decision. Weak: Summarizes every framework in order.

Ask: "Which three facts would still change the decision if all other slides disappeared?"

Strategy story: decision, situation, three decisive insights, recommended choice, tradeoff, risk control, first 30-day action, backup evidence.

Advisory-grade work gives leaders a decision they can approve, revise, or reject with clarity.