Sometimes managers get lost in the weeds and need to step back and look at their businesses holistically. I created and use this very simple, one-page assessment tool to help focus on business fundamentals and key attributes to assess an organization's strengths and opportunities for improvement.

1. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
The Magic Matrix:
A Simple Business Assessment Tool
Ed Powers
Service Excellence Partners
December, 2011

2. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
About….Ed Powers
• 24 years in operations, quality, sales,
marketing, and consulting
• Co-Founder and SVP Ops for Private Escapes
• Center Partners, Sorcia, and Hewlett-Packard
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
• Examiner, Baldrige National Quality Award
• Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence
board member

3. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Business is Complex

4. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
But Business is Also Simple

5. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Focus on the Fundamentals
When I was young, I had to learn
the fundamentals of basketball.
You can have all the physical
ability in the world, but you still
have to know the fundamentals.
--Michael Jordan

6. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Business Fundamentals
• Market
• Product
• Sales
• Delivery
• Money

7. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Business Fundamentals
• Market
–A group of customers having un-met
needs
• Product
–A solution attractive to those customers
• Sales
–A means to make promises and obtain
orders

8. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Business Fundamentals
• Delivery
–A means to keep promises and deliver
products
• Money
–A means to fund operations and pay an
attractive return

9. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Fundamentals for Success
• People
• Planning
• Execution
• Learning
Jim Collins
Get the right people on the bus …
and the wrong people off the bus.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Plans are nothing.
Planning is everything.
Larry Bossidy
Execution is … rigorously discussing how’s
and what’s, tenaciously following through,
and ensuring accountability.
Peter Senge
The only sustainable competitive
advantage is an organization's ability to
learn faster than the competition.

10. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Fundamentals for Success
• People
– Selection
– Empowerment
– Development
– Leadership
• Planning
– Future state
– Focus
– Pathway to success
– Alignment and resource allocation

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Fundamentals for Success
• Execution
– “Work the plan”
– Process performance
– Results
• Learning
– Data analysis
– Research
– Simulation
– Continuous improvement

12. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
The Magic Matrix
Fundamentals
Competencies
People Planning Execution Learning
Market
Product
Sales
Delivery
Money
“Who, What, How”
discussion and
observation uncovers
gaps in people and
practices

13. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Example
Fundamentals
Competencies
People Planning Execution Learning
Market • Executive
• Key staff
• Requirements
• Strategy
• Partnerships
• Programs
• Demand
Generation
• Metrics review
• Surveys
• Listening posts
• Research
Product • Executive
• Key staff
• Roadmaps
• Project Plans
• Value
Propositions
• New Product
Introduction
• Post-mortems
• User reviews
• New technology
research
Sales • Executive
• Key staff
• Sales plans • Order
Generation
• Metrics review
• Process review
Delivery • Executive
• Key staff
• Work systems
• Supply chain
• Process design
• Order
Fulfillment
• Metrics review
• Process
improvement
Money • Executive
• Key staff
• Business
modeling
• Capital plan
• Budgeting
• AR/AP
• Fundraising
• Cash Mgt.
• Reporting
• Budget review
• Capital market
analysis

14. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Questions?

15. © 2011 Service Excellence Partners
Ed Powers
Principal
Service Excellence Partners
ed@se-partners.com
970-235-0078