Management of Design

MBA Full Time Students

Conducted by,
Rohit Swarup
Chairman, Innovation & Research Foundation
Founder Director Xplora Design Skool | Futurz Xplored
Date Session Topic Session Timing
Design & Managerial
March 1 Competence – How, Why,
13 What. Problem Articulation 2 hour at Campus individual classes

March 2, 3 Problem Articulation &

14 Ideation 2 hours at Campus combined class
March
4 Mentorship
19 2 hour ONLINE individual classes

March 5 Prototyping & Testing

20 2 hours ONLINE combined class
March Mentorship
6
23 2 hour at Campus individual classes
March Business Solutions & Industry
24 7 Case Studies 2 hours ONLINE combined class
April 1 8 Presentation & Quiz 2 hours at Campus individual classes
April End Term Exam 2 hours
Innovation Day : Generally on Institute Day
Finding Challenging Problems / Possibilities to Solve

Each team will identify a pressing problem / possibility

• By searching for a problem that you encounter on a regular basis (Could be
from campus / surrounding / past experience)
• By going to an Organization to find problems & possibilities
– 2 Visits of 2 hours each by the team

• By using the tools and techniques shared till date

• Please select an organization where you may have some acquaintance
 “( ... ) Design thinking is a
discipline that uses the
designer’s sensibilitiy and
methods to
match people’s needs
With what is
technologically feasible
and what a
viable business strategy
can cover into customer value
and market opportunity.”
Brown, T. (2008) Design Thinking,
Harvard Business Review
 Observation
(Study of AS IS)

Where to look
What to look for
How to look for it
How to interpret it
Insights
We want Insights
NOT Surface Data
 Let’s discuss on what
you observed and what you can observe..
• Identify the stakeholders … Make a list of stake holders

• Map the expectations of key stakeholders – Persona, Empathy

• Map the expectations of companies in that industry that are at

different level – Large, Medium, Small, Start Up

• Where will you observe i.e. secondary research

Where to look What to look for

How to look for it How to interpret it
 Empathy
(Deep Insights)

Mental Models
Understanding
Feeling
Taking Action
 Problem Articulation

“If I were given one hour to save the planet,

I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and one

minute resolving it” - Albert Einstein

 Why is Problem Articulation Needed?
• To consider views of all stake holders
• To come to a common consensus upon the problem at hand
– Which problem to solve first
– Which problems can be grouped together
– Which problems can be tackled later

• Brings Clarity for everyone about the actual problem

• Writing problem in a comprehensive and precise manner
required activities required activities required activities
Execution & test, search, sort, solve Immersion,
Implementation engagement
required mindset required mindset required mindset
checklist thinking analytical thinking Design Thinking
 The Key two things..

Validation : Are you Asking the correct/right

questions

Verification : Are you answering the questions

currently i.e. are you Getting the correct/right
answers
 The Problem Statement
1. How might we..
2. For whom : Organization /
Department
3. Core Issue i.e. problem
4. Percentage /amount change
5. In what time frame
6. Because of the following “Insights”
can be 3 or more..
 Core Issue : Problem
• We may now take a macro perspective i.e.
– If a problem is with behaviour → we may call it culture and environment at the
department : Enhance the Work Culture
– If it’s a delay in Purchase process → Customer dissatisfaction / Loss of business :
Enhance Customer Satisfaction / Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit
etc)
– If its Employee efficiency → Productivity Loss / Loss to Business : Enhance
Productivity / Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit etc)
– If its lack of variety / quality → Customer dissatisfaction / Loss of Business :
Enhance Customer satisfaction / Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit etc)
– If its lack of knowledge, communication etc. → Dissatisfied customers,
employees / Loss of business : Enhance Customer satisfaction / Enhance
Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit etc)
– If its that customers are not buying → Is it to increase footfall or is it to increase
sales or is it to increase point of purchase ease or ease process / system :
Enhance Footfall / Increase Sales / Ease Process
 Kind of Symptoms
A Company is
• not able to increase revenue
• have dissatisfied customers
• not able to increase its market share
• having a trouble with employee performance
• having trouble with production
• not able to increase customer base
• having trouble with distribution
• having slow delivery of products
• having attrition problem
• having problem with 4 generations working under the same roof
 Percentage / Amount Change
We may now quantify the change we want to bring in i.e.
– Enhance the Work Culture by 2X
– Enhance Customer Satisfaction by 30%
– Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit etc) by Double
– Enhance Productivity / Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit
etc) by 10% / by 5 Lakh /day
– Enhance Footfall by 25% or 50 customers per day / Process Efficiency
by 15% or Reduce time from 30 min. to 10 min.
This depends upon, as a manager/consultant the seriousness of
the problem, feasibility i.e. practically how much should be
changes for the organization / dept. to feel satisfied
 In what time frame
We may now quantify the change we want to bring in i.e.
– Enhance the Work Culture by 2X in 3 months
– Enhance Customer Satisfaction by 30% in 3 weeks
– Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit etc) by Double in 6
months
– Enhance Productivity / Enhance Business (Volume, Turnover, Profit
etc) by 10% / by 5 Lakh /day in 1 week OR one Quarter
– Enhance Footfall by 25% per day / Process Efficiency by 15% or
Reduce time from 30 min. to 10 min. in 2 months
This depends upon, as a manager/consultant the judgement that
you make for how much time you feel it will take to bring about
such a change. CAUTION : we have not sought a solution this is
only a judgement for bringing some clarity to our clients.
 Insights
Why is this problem happening, (e.g.)
–Customer not satisfied → Why?
• Variety Not there at the store → Why?
– Company not getting good → Why?
» Factory output low → Why?
• Lack of work force due to COVID
e.g. Problem description Billing queue is a problem – NO it’s a symptom

Billing queue due to crowd

e.g. Direct Impact

Short of manpower/ machines a problem /

e.g. Cause - effect software is a problem / Operator is a problem /
Too much crowd always

e.g. Organizational hurdles Business not well/ commodity store etc.

Covid, Efficiency, Technology,

e.g. System hurdles competition, products not selling
 Let’s relook at the project till this stage..
• If the problem defined is not very interesting and
challenging then lets pivot – go back to the field and seek
a new set of observations & insights

• If the problem identified is a symptom and not the root

problem – then lets dig deeper
 Submission
Team
Team Presentation PPT i.e. 3 problem statements
 POST PROBLEM ARTICULATION
QUICK INTERACTION WITH EXPERTS –
IS THE PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING !!!!

1. Interview them

2. Ask questions

3. Take help from them to improve your Problem Statement

4. Enhances your understanding of the problem from their perspective

5. Let the team take notes using HMW, so that the questions are all in the same format
 Thank you.
rohitswarup@xdsindia.com