Today’s Turbulent Business Environment

•Greater uncertainty
•Increased commoditization
•Nontraditional entrants with competitive offerings
Shorter half-life of information (moving strategic enablers
to commodity)
•Tighter spending
•New technologies
•New products & services
•Changing customer demands and higher levels of personalized
preferences
•Multiple pricing, service, and utility models
•Government regulations, legal compliance, and safety standards
•Increased transparency of information due to the blurring between
customers, competitors, and suppliers

IS THIS REALLY NEW???

 IT Problems:
• Business plans do not include IT plans
• IT plans do not include business plans
• IT plans focus on technology rather than
directly addressing business strategies
• Business managers do not see IT as supporting their
strategies
• IT projects do not support business strategies. IT spending
on infrastructure and application maintenance does
not support strategy
• Company budgets do not reflect the results of IT planning
• IT plans are shelf-ware that does not guide management
decisions, projects, or budgets
• IT governance practices are ineffective
IS THIS REALLY NEW???
 STRATEGY FORMULATION

VISION (WHERE)
(BHAGS)

A NS
P L
H •MOTIVATION
IT
W
E S •GOVERNANCE
ANALYSIS

TIV
J EC •RESOURCES

OB STRATEGY (HOW) •PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

•MEASUREMENTS

•REWARDS

MISSION (WHAT)
t

LUFTMAN
 STRATEGY ANSWERS HOW

do we attain our aspirations

to decide whether to continue, start, or stop

to differentiate core versus context

 Strategy That Counts
Breaks new ground
Matters
Perpetually evolves
Provides sustainable advantage
Unique
Versus a plan to convert specific resources
you have (or can get) into specific resources
you really want or need.
 STRATEGY

As-Is Could-Be Should-Be

How-To
 STRATEGY
VISIONING BUSINESS CHOICES
•Vision / Mission gaps •Global Brand
•Competitive landscape •Constraints
•Top Down possibilities •Priorities

As-Is Could-Be Should-Be

•Tactics
•Governance
REVIEW ACTION •Resources
& LEARN PLANS •Research
•Teaching

Do-Do How-To
IMPLEMENTATION/CHANGE
Four Barriers to Strategy Implementation
Vision Barrier

Only 5% of the
workforce understands
the strategy

People Barrier Management Barrier

Only 25% of managers 9 of 10 companies

85% of executive
have incentives fail to execute strategy teams spend less than
linked to strategy one hour/ month
discussing strategy

60% of organization
don’t link budgets
to strategy

Resource Barrier

Source: Five key principles of corporate performance management by Bob Paladino

 SWOT ANALYSIS FOR
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
THESE SHOULD BE THE SAME AS YOUR AS-IS COMPETENCIES
THESE ARE YOUR CORE INCOMPETENCIES
(Be specific)
 Sample IT SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
• Major transaction control systems are relatively new,
functionality adequate well documented, maintainable, and
operationally efficient.
• The IS department has demonstrated competence and
effectiveness in adding new technologies (e.g., client/server
systems)
• The IS Department has demonstrated competence and
effectiveness in applications development in group decision
support systems
• Our outsourcing partner seems to manage a reliable, cost
effective data center.
• There is a substantial in-house electronic mail operation,
frequented by most managers in the company.
• There is substantial user manager computing expertise in
both line and staff organizations.
Opportunities:
• Expand successful relationship with the Marketing
organization to R&D.
• Use the recent BPR to identify integration priorities.
• Establish an executive steering committee with all divisions
represented
• SA Maturity assessment
Weaknesses:
• A single point of IS contact for end user operational
problem diagnosis and resolution has not been
established
• There are limited data center performance
measurement systems.
• There has been only limited transaction based
systems development productivity.
• There is a high degree of technology specialization
(narrowness) among IS professional staff and a
limited degree of business orientation.
• There is a limited departmental use of information
technology beyond simple decision support and
participation in common transaction processing
systems
Threats:
• The IS department’s effectiveness is threatened by
pockets of user negativism, especially among top
management.
• End-users are developing a high degree of technical
competence, which they may employ in a non-
integrated fashion.
• The accelerating pace of technological change and
proliferation of information technologies pose risks of
control loss, obsolescence, and difficulty in
maintaining IS professional staff competence.
• The extensive internal communication networks and
user accessibility to external databases pose security
risks to our data.
• The IS department is still not an integral part of
company’s business planning process.
 Sources of Strengths and Weaknesses
Financial issues People issues Operational issues Product and Market issues
Cash flow and cash Quality (meaning the ability, Current product portfolio Warehousing,
management experience and attitude) of managers
transport and
and employees
logistical factors

Financial structure Concentration of skills and expertise Research and technical expertise, Distribution channels, including
(to what extent is the fate of the and the ability to develop popular discount structures and dealership or
business in the hands of a talented new products franchise operations
few?)

Financial reporting
Levels of motivation Market research systems Pricing
systems

Information management Brand perception

Ability to raise Rates of pay
systems
capital
Customer service
Ability to attract and retain Supply chains
Credit-control
the best people
activities

Production lead times and Overall market potential for the

Risk-management Scope and effectiveness of training
efficiency product
systems methods
Flexibility of people and their ability to New processes that Experience of the marketing
adapt to changing situations reduce costs and mix (knowing which sales
increase efficiency activities are most effective)
Organizational culture: does it promote
efficiency or frustrate it?
Stock control
Organizational structure: is it still
relevant and effective?
Levels of delegation and
empowerment, and productivity in
terns of quality and quantity of work
competed
The degree of initiative that is both
allowed and taken
Levels of pressure (a strength) and
stress (a weakness)
Effectiveness of communication
channels
 Sources of Strengths and Weaknesses 1 of 2
Financial People issues Operational issues Product and market
issues issues
Quality (meaning the Current product
Cash flow and ability, experience portfolio Warehousing,
cash and attitude) of
transport and
management managers and
employees logistical factors

Concentration of Research and Distribution channels,

Financial
skills and expertise technical expertise, including discount
structure
(to what extent is the and the ability to structures and
fate of the business develop popular dealership or
in the hands of a new products franchise operations
talented few?)

Financial Levels of motivation Market research Pricing

reporting systems
systems

Information Bran perception

Ability to Rates of
raise pay management
capital systems
 Sources of Strengths and Weaknesses 2 of 2
Credit-control Ability to attract and retain Supply chains Customer
activities the best people service

Risk- Scope and effectiveness of training Production lead Overall market

management methods times and efficiency potential for the
systems product
Flexibility of people and their ability New processes that
Experience of
to adapt to changing situations reduce costs and
the marketing
increase efficiency
Organizational culture: does it mix (knowing
promote efficiency or frustrate it? Stock control which sales
activities are
Organizational structure: is it still most effective)
relevant and effective?
Levels of delegation and
empowerment, and productivity in
terms of quality and quantity of work
competed
The degree of initiative that is both
allowed and taken
Levels of pressure (a strength) and
stress (a weakness)
Effectiveness of communication
channels
Sources of Opportunities and Threats (MIS760)
Opportunities (Ansoff)
New markets (including export market)
New technologies
New products and product enhancements
Mergers, acquisitions and divestments
New investment
Factors affecting competitors’ fortunes
Commercial agreements and strategic
partnerships
Political, economic, regulatory and trade
developments
Threats (Porters Barriers to Entry)
Industrial action
Political and regulatory developments
Economic issues
Trade factors
Mergers and other developments among
competitors
New market entrants
Competitors’ pricing actions
Competitors’ market innovations
Environmental factors
Natural disasters
Crises, notably including health and safety liability
problem
Key staff attracted away from the business
Security issues, including industrial espionage and
the security of IT systems
Supply chain problems
Distribution and delivery problems
Bad debts (resulting from the misfortunes of
others)
Demographic factors and social changes affecting
customers’ tastes or habits
 Stakeholders

External Internal
Stakeholders Stakeholders

•Competitors Contributions Contributions •Board Members

•Creditors •Employees
•Customers/Clients The •“End User” Partners
•Local Communities Company •IT
•General public •Managers
•Governments •Senior Managers
•Regulators Inducements Inducements •Stockholders

•Suppliers/Vendors
•Unions
 Key Stakeholders
(with regards to major problems & opportunities)
Stakeholder Role Responsibilities Current State Desired State
(who) of Affairs of Affairs
Sponsor

Champion

Business
Partners
IT
Staff
Competitors
 Sponsors Decision-Making Spectrum
Unilateral Consult-and- Build Consensus Unanimous
More (One-Sided) Decide Less
Leader Leader
Control Control

Consider the following questions:

•Does the BU have the leadership focus & capability to make this
effort happen?
•Are stakeholders incentives in harmony with this new offerings
criteria for success?
•Are the stakeholders capable of the change required?
 Alternatives
• Problem/Opportunity 1
– Alternative a
.
.
– Alternative n
.
.

• Problem/Opportunity n
– Alternative a
.
.
– Alternative n
.
.
 Recommendations
Prioritized Expected Why Better Than Responsibility Risks
Recommendations Benefits Alternatives
& Key Subactions (Quantitative/
(Description) Qualitative)
TINA – There Is No Alternative – Here’s what we
know about the future. Now let’s go meet it.

Three R’s: Regulations, Restraint, and Rules

 Next Steps
Step Step Description Assigned Target Issues/Comments
and objectives Responsibility Completion and
Date Dependencies
1 Market recommendations

2 Secure:
Sponsor (who?)
Champion (who?)
Team (who?)
3 Proof of concept
Prototype

4 Establish a beachhead

5 Phased deployment
 Recommendations and Next Steps
should answer the following:
• How is this relevant to what I do?

• What, specifically,
specifically should I do?

• How will I be measured and what are the consequences?

• What tools and support are available?

• WIIFM-What’s
WIIFM in it for me? For us?

• Next steps are the specific things that must be

immediately done to carry out your
recommendations

Give stakeholders what they need to act, QUICKLY!!!

 EXAMPLE OF
REQUIRED DETAIL
PROBLEMS/OPPORTUNITIES: OLD KITCHEN & BATHROOM

ALTERNATIVES: DIFFERENT DESIGNERS/CONTRACTORS

- KITCHEN: CABINETS (MODERN, COLONIAL, DARK/LIGHT…)
VENDORS FOR OVEN, REFRIGERATOR, DISHWASHER
- BATHROOM: STYLE (MODERN/TRADITIONAL, LIGHTS, COLORS)

RECOMMENDATIONS: XYZ CONTRACTOR

KITCHEN: STYLE (MODERN, MAPLE), KITCHEN AID APPLIANCES
BATHROOM: STYLE (TRADITIONAL, WHITE; TOTO)
THESE ARE THE BEST CHOICES BECAUSE…

NEXT STEPS: OBTAIN SPOUSE APPROVAL (today)

-CONTRACT WITH XYZ (Tuesday)
-REVIEW/APPROVE XYZ PLAN; GIVE $10K DEPOSIT (2 weeks)
-ORDER APPLIANCES AND FIXTURES (Saturday)
2007 Top “10” IT Management Concerns
1. Attracting, Developing, and Retaining IT Professionals

2. IT and Business alignment

3.Build business skills in IT

4. Reduce the cost of doing business

5. Improve IT Quality

6. Security and privacy

7. Manage Change

8.IT Strategic Planning

9. Making better use of Information

10. Evolving CIO leadership role

How is IT viewed in Most Companies?

• Necessary Evil
• Does not meet commitments
• Speaks another language
• Large expense; questionable value
• Strategic Enabler
• Driver of Shareholder Value
 Corporate executives were asked:

Which subjects are included in your formal business strategy?

Product strategy 51%

E-business strategy 49%

Sales/marketing 43%

Customer service 43%

Competitive position 38%

IT’s Role 35%

Manufacturing 8%

SOURCE: CUTTER CONSORTIUM, ARLINGTON, MASS, FEBRUARY 2002

 What is the Manager of key data, communications,
role of IT at hardware, and software
your Vital utility, like electricity
company ?
Tool for improving business-
process efficiency

Resource for creating new

business processes

Instrument for cutting costs

within the company
Core part of decision-making
team that sets overall strategy
Responsible primarily for
technology maintenance

Cost Center and drain on

corporate resources
Note: Multiple
Profit Center
responses
allowed

10 20 30 40 50 60 70
% of respondents
Ref: Optimize Research
Where is the Value From IT Investments?

External

IT Business Strategic
Investments Transformation Benefits

Internal

Every business is an information business.

Information is the glue that holds value chains &
organizations together.
 THE GENERIC VALUE CHAIN
FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE

M
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

AR
SUPPORT

G
ACTIVITIES

IN
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

INBOUND OUTBOUND MARKETING SERVICE

OPERATIONS
LOGISTICS LOGISTICS & SALES

MA
RGI
N
PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

Michael Porter, HBR, 1985

 THE IT VALUE CHAIN
Architecture, Portfolio, and Service
Support Activities

Delivery
IT Finance
Sourcing, Staff &
Vendors
Risk, Security, &
Compliance
Facilities & Operations

Margin
IT Enablement
Primary Activities

Demand/ Solutions Service

Relationship Development Support
Management
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT
 Strategic Alignment Model
Functional fit

Business Information Marketing Manufacturing

Strategy Technology Strategy and Engineering
Strategy Strategy
Strategic fit

Complex cross
alignments

Business Technology Marketing Manufacturing &

Infrastructure Infrastructure Infrastructure Engineering
Infrastructure
 The Strategic Alignment Model
BUSINESS IT
Business Strategy IT Strategy

Business Technology
Scope Scope

Distinctive Business Systemic IT

competencies Governance competencies Governance

Strategic
Fit
Administrative IT
Structure Architecture

Processes Skills Processes Skills

Organizational IT Infrastructure
Infrastructure

Functional Integration
 Sources of Competence

Consumers and
Corporation Supplier base
Business unit consumer
as and partners
as the source communities as
a portfolio of as a source of
of knowledge a source of
competencies competence
competence

Stage 1: Stage 2: Stage 3: Stage 4:

Pre-1990 1990 Onward 1995 Onward 2000 Onward

We need to engage IT as an enabler/driver in all of these!!!

That is the focus of our course.
REF: The Future of Competition – Co-Creating Unique Value with Customers, by C.K. Prahalad, Venkat Ramaswamy
 EXAMPLE: TEN IT COMPETENCIES
1.Global Networking
2.Project and Process Management
3.Vendor / Contract negotiations and
management
4.IS Human Capital Management
5.Cross-platform security
6.E-Commerce
7.Web and Database Integration
8.Information and Knowledge
Architecture
9.Data warehousing/database design
and administration.
10.Customer service / CRM
Ref :Gartner
Group
Networking expertise of the highest order. Design,
build and manage global WANs.
This need is already strong and will not wane in the
foreseeable future. Enterprises will look for ways to
measure the expertise of project and process
managers, such as through certification programs.
The end of Y2K work will unleash a herd of
experienced managers, but there will still be a
shortfall.
Competency in this area has developed due to the
widespread use of outsourcing and other external
sources.
The coordination of training and development of IS
staff. It will be a bigger focus as companies struggle to
migrate legacy workers to new technologies and align
business goals.
Encompasses date and networking security expertise
for Web-enabled existing applications.
A hybrid of marketing and technical knowledge
Ability to connect legacy databases to the Internet.
Knowledge of Web languages (HTML,JAVA) and
SQL.
Defines the flow of information through the company
or on a website. This competency is not well defined in
many companies today. It may be part of the
knowledge officer or Webmaster.
Delivery of high-value applications including e-
commerce.
IS – professional who are adept at building customer-
service systems (particularly Web-based)
 CORE IT COMPETENCIES
Dynamic
Planning Metrics Relationship Performance
Procurement Report
Management IT Products
Digital Catalog
Innovation Techtonics Enterprise
Portfolio Value
Arch
Management Management Points of
Personal Interaction
Value Cards
Alignment Biz& IT Architecture
Strategy Asset
Packaging & Network
Management
Selling
Biz
Imperatives Servers,
Compliance Plan Market Infrastructure
Storage,
Development
Middleware &
Executive Policy Information Services DBMS
User Interface
Business
Maintain Integrate Logic
Process Technology
Application
Service Manage Development
Business Security
Security Center Human
Continuance Business
Capital
Process &
Operations Fulfillment Integration
Program
Data Center Mgmt
Enterprise Program
Program Mgmt
Infrastructure Governance &
Office
Application Help Desk Scope & Risk Mgmt
Scale, Deliver
& Manage
Source: META Group
 IT Management Competencies (1 of 2)

Business Deployment
•Examination of the potential business value of new, emerging IT
•Utilization of multidisciplinary teams throughout the organization
•Effective working relationships among line managers and IT staff
•Technology transfer, where appropriate, of successful IT applications, platforms, and
services
•Adequacy of IT-related knowledge of line managers throughout the organization.
•Visualizing the value of IT investments throughout the organization
•Appropriateness of IT policies
•Appropriateness of IT sourcing decisions
•Effectiveness of IT measurement systems

External Networks
•Existence of electronic links with the organization’s customers
•Existence of electronic links with the organization’s suppliers
•Collaborative alliances with external partners (vendors, systems integrators,
competitors) to develop IT-based products and processes.

Line Technology Leadership

•Line managers’ ownership of IT projects within their domains of business responsibility
•Propensity of employees throughout the organization to serve as “project champions”

Ref:ZMUD
 IT Management Competencies (2 of 2)

Process Adaptiveness
•Propensity of employees throughout the organization to learn about and subsequently
explore the functionality of installed IT tools and applications
•Restructuring of business processes, where appropriate, throughout the organization
•Visualizing organizational activities throughout the organization

IT Planning
•Integration of business strategic planning and IT strategic planning
•Clarity of vision regarding how IT contributes to business value
•Effectiveness of IT planning throughout the organization
•Effectiveness of project management practices

IT Infrastructure
•Restructuring of IT work processes, where appropriate
•Appropriateness of data architecture
•Appropriateness of network architecture
•Knowledge of and adequacy of the organization’s IT skill base
•Effectiveness of software development practices

Data Center Utility

•Appropriateness of processor architecture
•Adequacy of quality assurance and security controls

Ref:ZMUD
The only true IT Core Competency:
AT&T
The 26-terabyte data warehouse contains two years of telephone records and is
used by 3,000 employees for functions such as marketing analysis and pricing
calculations
LAND REGISTRY
The 20-terrabyte transactional database contains land-ownership records for all of
England and Wales, including documents that date back to the 1700s.
EXPERIAN
The data warehouse is used for direct marketing to consumers and is one of the
busiest in the world, handling nearly 900 simultaneous queries during peak times.
BOEING
The transactional database contains information on every aircraft assembled and is
one of the biggest and fastest in the world, processing nearly 300 transactions per
second.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
When completed in two years, with an initial projected capacity of 5 petabytes, the
data warehouse and repository will hold medical records for 9 million military
personnel. WHAT ARE COMPANIES DOING WITH THE
INFO THEY HAVE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS?
 Strategy vs Organization Matrix

g
ol

ha ring

ng

VP
l
Pu act VP
ORGANIZATION

M ecu nse

rin
t
tr

en

si
ng

t
e
on

uf ive

tu

es
u
ou

ou

le t i v
pm
nt

si

ve ct

ac
/C

W
an t
lC

eh
de

Sa ecu
De du

uf
lo
ns

s
s
ar
STRATEGY

ga

rc
i

le
an
o
es

Ex
Ex
a

Pr

Sa
Le
Pl

M
Pr / / # / /
Improve Inventory
Control
Streamline Order Cycle
/ # / @
Expand Product Line
/ / / / @# @ / @ /
Increase Advertising
Penetration / @ @
Tie Production to
Demand / # @ / /
Expand Selling
Relationships @ # @
Reduce Raw Materials
#
@ Essential / Desirable # Primary Responsibility
 Process vs Strategy Matrix

hi ng
to e Pr tio dv

an tio
l Inv

ns lli
STRATEGY

ps
Ti tra A
De od n
e
Ex r C ine

m uc
od d e

tio Se
in

d
ne ase
Pr pan ycl
nt ve

tL
de ml

la d
Co pro

Pe e

Re pan
ro
Or rea

uc

r
PROCESS

c
In
Im

St

Ex
Design Product
@
Develop Manufacturing
Process @
Process Customer
Order / @ @ / @ Major Impact

/ Minor
Control Product
Inventory @ @ @ / Impact

Analyze Marketplace
@ @ @
Market Vehicles
 Process vs Organization Matrix

g
ol

ha ring

ng

VP
l
Pu act VP
ORGANIZATION

M cu nse

rin
t
tr

en

si
ng

t
e
on

uf ive

tu

es
u

ou
ou

le tiv
pm
t

si

ve ct

ac
en

/C

W
an t

eh
lC

Sa cu
De odu
lo

uf
id

s
s
ar
PROCESS

ga

rc

e
an

le
an
es

Ex
Ex

Pr

Sa
Le
Pl

M
Pr
Develop Manufacturing
Process @ / # @
Design Product
/ / / @ / # / / /
Process Customer
Order / @ # @ @
Analyze Marketplace
@ @ @ @
Control Product
Inventory / # / /
Market Product
@ # @
Establish Business
Direction # @ / @ @
@ Major Involvement / Minor Involvement # Primary Responsibility
Where do we go from here?

1. Establish team & commitment.

2. Define “as is” & “to be” using the model.
3. Evaluate “as is” “to be” via a gap analysis.
4. Prioritize gap analysis.
5. Develop strategic planning approach.
6. Review conclusions with stakeholders.
7. Carry out plan.
 AS IS Presentations
•If working – Use your company/organization
•Must team up with co-workers

•If not working – work in team of at least 4

•Select case from included cases
•Cannot use Kodak or Air Products
•Research on web for additional information

•As Is Analysis: Use forms on next 2 pages

•1 chart (1 page ONLY) for Business As Is
•1 chart (1 page ONLY) for IT As Is
 BU SI NESS A s- Is
BUSIN ESS STR ATE GY

BUSINESS SCOPE
PRODUCTS/SERVICES:

CUSTOMERS/CLIENTS:

COMPETITORS:

DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCIES

BUSINESS GOVERNANCE
INTERNAL DECISIONS:

GOVERNMENT REGULATION:

STRATEGIC PARTNERS:

BUSIN ESS IN FR ASTR UC TU RE

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

KEY PROCESSES

H/R
 IT A s- Is
IT STR ATEGY

TECHNOLOGY SCOPE
KEY APPLICATIONS:

KEY TECHNOLOGIES:

SYSTEMIC COMPETENCIES

IT GOVERNANCE

IT INF RASTR UCTU RE

ARCHITECTURE

KEY PROCESSES

H/R
 AS IS Presentations
•Considerations

•Split Business Segments when discussing Business

Strategy (Products, Customers, Competitors)

•Every company has ALL 38 IT processes; focus on the

ones that are very good and are in need of
improvement

•Include major products & vendors when discussing Key

Technologies and Architecture

•Marketing should always be included as a Business

Process

•When discussing Competencies “10 years of profit”

is not a competency; how they made the profit is

•Do not forget Skills in HR

 AS IS Presentations
•Presentations
•10 minutes
•All team members must present
•Bring hard copy to class

Good Luck!
Metrics to Include in Appendix
✂ As-Is
✂ To-Be
✂ SWOT
✂ Stakeholders
✂ Alternatives
✂ Recommendations
✂ Next Steps
✂ Governance Archetype
✂ Alignment Maturity Assessment
✂ TVO
✂ Others???
✂ Lessons Learned
 Three Planning Horizons

Primary
Horizon Focus Issues Responsibility
3-5 years Strategic Vision architecture, Senior Management
business goals, mission CIO

Resource allocation, Middle Managers

1-2 years Tactical project selection CIO

6 months – 1 year Operational Project management, IS Professionals

meeting time and budget Line Managers
Partners
 Scenario Planning Grid
Impact on Firm
High Medium Low
Probability of Occurrence

High
High
Priority!

Medium
Medium Priority

Low
Low Priority
 FIVE STEPS IN INTERVIEW
PREPARATION
Read Background Material
Establish Interviewing Objectives
Decide Whom to Interview
Prepare the Interviewee
Decide on Question Types and Structure
Open-Ended Questions
Closed Questions
Probes

TELL ME MORE, I’LL LISTEN

 Interview Agenda
1. Define the Goals
2. Ask the Right Questions
3. Connect to the Bottom Line
4. Understand Costs and Resources
5. Focus on the Right Things
6. Adopt Effective Process to Produce Action
7. Tackle the Practical Problems
8. Make the Right Decisions
9. Plan for the Right Results
10. Keep Score
11. Deal with Culture
12. Chart the Path to Implementation
13. Define What’s Next
14. Answer the “So What?” Question
 INTERVIEW GUIDE (1 of 3)

1. Introduction
B. Courtesies
Make introductions and thank interviewee for agreeing to participate.

D. Research Objectives
Relay that the point of the interview is to understand what information
would be most valuable to interviewees so that they may be better
served.
This will require understanding:
The activities they perform and any trends/changes.
The associated information requirements.
The potential value to them of this information.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE (2 of 3)

Introduction (contd.)
C. Guidelines
Discuss how the results will be treated. Usually it is helpful to state
that they will be not be asked for any proprietary or confidential
information and will not be quoted without permission.
Provide a brief overview of the questions you plan to ask and how
long the discussion should last. Get confirmation that they are
comfortable with this and ask if there are any questions.

5. Questions to ask
Before asking the pre-defined questions, the interviewer should develop
hypotheses on the answers to test specific ideas on possible
opportunities and to keep the discussion focused.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE (3 of 3)

A. Wrap-up
A. Background
Capture any relevant information on the background of the
interviewee such as:
Role and responsibility.
Experience.
Name, address, phone number.

B. Closing
Thank the interviewee for his/her time. Ask for referrals and
permission to follow up if needed.
Provide an honorarium as needed.