The lack of collaboration between technical and commercial professionals is a common stumbling block in the business world. It can arise from a lack of involvement, disinterest, or simply a lack of trust. The result of this is that there are frequent misjudgments in terms of strategy, budgeting, planning, and capitalizing on opportunities. This occurs when professionals, who are already busy with other tasks, are asked to provide input in areas where they have insufficient insight.
To address these problems and promote effective communication, it is crucial to utilize visualizations that enable the company to communicate quickly and clearly with customers, employees, and partners. These visualizations function as reference points during both face-to-face and virtual discussions and assist in evaluating the situation sketches and system sketches [*] that were discussed during these conversations. In this way, reference models contribute to a better understanding within the entire business context.
[*] The situation sketch and system sketch is a co-creation of people with different mindsets and backgrounds that places expectations in a context with clear impact.
To achieve this, there are three models specifically tailored to your company that are invaluable:
- The Business Landscape: This model provides an overview of the playing field in which your company operates and why. It includes the most relevant elements within the business system, such as the defined vision and mission, the different business domains, the applied and available technologies, and the key internal and external partners—including their interdependencies, roles, and defined characteristics.
This model clearly indicates how employees should understand and view the company, emphasizing how the different aspects are interconnected. - The Product Reference Map for Product Development: This model provides a visual representation of both existing and future products, including their functionality and their mutual relationship and relationship with services and other systems.
Using this visual reference, employees gain a clear and actionable understanding of the complexity of product development and can more precisely assess how new products fit within and integrate into the existing infrastructure. - The working method: This visualization demonstrates the company’s own work-supporting framework and how it can seamlessly align with others to form a common framework. This model offers a clear insight into the company’s working method and how different teams can collaborate to achieve shared goals. It promotes a culture of transparency and efficient communication.
To make these models truly effective, their value must be immediately evident and intuitively understood by everyone involved. Keep the visualization simple and focused: those working with it should grasp its essence within three minutes of explanation and be able to quickly regain the overview within 30 seconds. This clarity not only accelerates understanding, but also builds confidence and reinforces the sense that the model is not optional, but essential to guiding the work and making decisions.
These three models are invaluable because they prevent organizations from getting lost in ambiguous communication. They also aid in aligning activities and priorities with expectations, contributing to making better decisions and assessments. With these models, the company has a solid foundation to build upon. They provide new employees with a clear reference point to align their work, enabling them to quickly understand the business landscape, product development, and the work method. In this way, they can effectively integrate and add value from the beginning, without the risk of new employees causing a breach of knowledge in growth processes.
It is essential that these visualizations are always readily available and accessible, so they can be quickly consulted when preparing for and conducting interactions. They guide the capture of knowledge and the documentation of agreements through structured reviews, while supporting continuous communication that focus both technical and commercial perspectives and anticipates future developments.
Using these three visual anchors, creates an image of openness for your company and foster trust with professional employees and your network. This enables them to gain sufficient insight when questioned about specific situations, reducing misjudgments in strategy, budgeting, and planning. With a solid foundation of effective communication and collaboration, companies can successfully evolve and thrive in the ever-changing business environment.
To successfully develop and apply these models, guidance and inspiration are invaluable. It’s “systems thinking” in practice, and it requires some experience to get it right from the start. I’m ready to support you in creating the visuals with the right format and structure, and to provide you with valuable advice and inspiration for effective implementation. Ultimately, you’ll be able to further develop and maintain the models yourself, making them an indispensable tool within your company.