Business Priority Exercise

What is a Business Priority Exercise?

The business priroity exercise is a method for structuring a conversation with a customer around their strategy and business priorities.

Using 12 magnetic cards which contain generic priorities, the facilitator asks the group to select their top 3 from a business perspective.

Business Cards

As the group are working out which 3 to select, the facilitator should be asking probing questions about their thought process.

Once 3 have been selected, they are put up onto a white board and the discussion moves to focus on the positive and areas for improvement for each one.

The facilitator should drive the conversation for each one by asking questions such as ‘tell me more about how this is working now’ and ‘what is the biggest challange you face with doing this’.

As the conversation progresses, a mindmap should be built up around each subject in different coloured pen to indicate what’s working and what’s a challange.

Business Cards

Why use it?

The purpose of the exercise is to structure the conversation around the companies priorities. These should then be the focal point for any further discussions.

When used in engagements such as Navigate and Pathfinder, the selected priorities can be used to ensure whatever decisions are being made on the future technology and culture roadmap, they are inline with the business priorities.

Who do you need?

  • Key Business Decision Makers
  • CEO, CIO, CTO
  • Senior Lines of business

Suggested Time

  • 45min - 1 hour

Difficulty

  • Facilitator: Moderate
  • Participants: Easy

Facilitation Materials Needed

  • Whiteboard
  • Whiteboard markers
  • Business Priority Cards

Process Phase

Any time

External References

SEMAT Input State

SEMAT Output State