1.
Climbing Strategy
Mountain
Dave Malouf - @daveixd
IxDA Austin

2.
Ground Rules For Today’s Climb
1. We can only be “safe” when
everyone understands.
2. You can only go as high as
the effort you put in.
3. Imagine optimistically.
4. It’s about the journey, not
the destination.
5. Capture what you want to
remember.
Anything else?
(we’re in this together)
2

3.
The Plan For the Climb
Part 1:
1. Preparing for the Climb
2. Surveying the Mountain
3. Visualizing the Peak
Part 2:
1. Determining the Best Path
2. Points: Observe, Measure, Learn, Adjust
3

4.
Preparing for the Climb

5.
What is
Strategy?

6.
A question asked:
I was told my goals
are not strategic.
What is a strategic
goal?

7.
Tactical
I will complete X
by Y date.
Strategic
By completing X, Y,
& Z we will see a
change in these key
results that will tell
us we are trending
towards A, B, C.

8.
Tactical
We have heard
customers X, Y, Z
request A. If we
build it, we will
retain them.
Strategic
By building A, we will
see a rise in our NPS,
and make customers
X, Y, Z into references
that our sales
channel needs to
meet revenue goals.

9.
Getting to Strategy Isn't Easy

10.
Takes These Elements
1. Current state
2. Desired State
3. Purpose, Values
4. The plan
5. Measures of progress

11.
Sense of place
Sense of travel

12.
Takes These Elements
1. Knowing where you are
2. Knowing where you are going
3. Having a reason to go
4. A map between 1 & 2
5. Landmarks to look for

13.
An expedition

14.
More like this:

15.
Peak
Strategy’s Structure
Path
Point
The objective defined
as a vision.
A gate for delivery,
measurement,
reflection, learning
and pivoting.
The way “up” with
the most total
value.
15

16.
Surveying the Mountain

17.
What does your
mountain look like?

18.
It’s all about
perspective(s)
• Long view
• Medium view
• Up close
• In the moment

19.
Long view - towers over everything
19

20.
Another long view: But close to my context
20

21.
Up close but still a view of the peak
21

22.
On the mountain and in the moment
22

23.
There needs to be a
“there”, a purpose, a
reason.

24.
Mission is important
24

25.
Team Missions
Missions are not just at the enterprise level,
but also at the division and team levels as well.
Here is the mission from the HPE Helion UX
Team that I was on.
Humanize complex
systems and foster
connections between
people to deliver
value through the
HPE ecosystem.
25

26.
MISSION
Go there!
What will
it be like
there?
VISION
26

27.
Vision answers …
! Why are we bothering?
! What does success look like what when
we arrive?
27

28.
A vision gives your direction focus
28

29.
The Alps vs. the Cascades
Ranier Matterhorn

30.
Or Everest vs. K2
Everest K2

31.
What is your
purpose?

32.
In your current role, what is your mission?
Time: 5:00
Activity:
• 1 Sheet of paper
• Use your post-its
• Personal affinity of
your mission.
• Write out a short
mission.
Activity Goal:
Share your mission for
you and your team in
your current role.

33.
Give Your Hike a Purpose

34.
A Purpose Answers
• What is our motivation?
• What value will we create?
• Who benefits from this value?
• Why will they care?

35.
Share Stories
• Align meaning
• Gain mutual
empathy
• Learn from each
other

36.
Alignment is critical
My Holiday My Wife’s

37.
At Rackspace
Surgeons Pharmacists

38.
At Rackspace

39.
People
Keep it focused on human
beings.

40.
At Rackspace
Relationships Added-Value

41.
At Rackspace “Managed” = Partnership
Relationships Added-Value
Feeling known
Relevant/contextual
Flexible
Good, clear
communication
Trust
Expertise
Proactive support
Technology

42.
What’s your goal(s)?

43.
Two parts of this
exercise?
Pt. 1 = 15 min.
Pt. 2 = 10 min.
Pt 1. = Share stories. For 2min per
person in your group, share a story
about how your design team works
(good and bad).
People not telling stories, captures
thoughts/notes on post-its.
Pt. 2 = Affinitize. Find commonalities,
nuggets and work to align
perspectives.

44.
Visualizing the Peak

45.
The Peak Supports the Purpose by Answering
• What was the pain before?
• What is the solution?
• What is the value to the people it is for?
• What data supports the solution?
• How will we know we were successful?

46.
Be Emotional

47.
Outcomes
• Played to customers in front of execs.
• Customer feedback was 100% positive.
• Discussions about changing roadmaps of
various products.
• Video still played at all new employee
orientations.

48.
Desired Outcomes

49.
Desired outcomes
Desired outcome for …
[Describe the goal]
Who wants it?
[or who should want it? Be as specific
as possible]
What is wanted?
[also/or what should they want?
Use the user’s language.]
What does it get them?
[What does it actually get them?]
[What is the actual need being solved?]
[What does it get them that is greater
than what they say they want?]
How will they know they have it?
[This is written using sensory terms.]
[List Sufficient and Ideal.]
[This is a long list.]
What stops them from having it now?
[List the obstacles of achieving their goals.]
What is the sequence of steps to achieve it?
[How does the subject get there?]
[What is the immediate next step?]
What negative impact could having it create?
[This is an ecology check.]
What happens if they don’t get it?
[What is their future like if you/they don’t succeed?]

50.
Exercise: Desired
Outcomes
30 minutes
Pretty darned short, I know.
During this exercise, each table will
work through the entire canvas of a
Desired Outcomes template.
• Reference your previous affinity
work.
• Build the canvas as you go. Use
as many big post-its as you like.
• Put Sensory and Sequence on
their own big post-its for sure.

51.
Determining the best Path

52.
Always more than one way up a mountain

53.
How much fidelity in your vision?

54.
I made it to the top!

55.
Where is everyone?

56.
Avoid exhaustion

57.
The path we choose matters.

58.
Issues to consider
• How will my company scale?
• What does my team need to learn on the way?
• What path allows me to learn what I need to
know along the way?
• How many stops can I make on the way? Do
those stops have value to me? to my customers?

59.
Points:
Observe, Measure, Learn, Adjust

60.
Got a map?

61.
Landmarks

62.
Choosing the view points
Value for user
Enough data worth measuring
Not too far out
Well defined enough

63.
OODA
Observe
Orient
Decide
Act

64.
For us this translates to
Collect Data
Analysis of Data
Reflection on the Analysis
Synthesis of a Set of Hypotheses
Evaluate Hypotheses Value
Re-evaluate Previous Plan Against New Insights

65.
Your Vitals
Are you instrumented?

66.
In an agile or lean environment?

67.
Back Plan And Forward plan
Ping-Pong Planning
1. Similar to story mapping
2. Break up your path utilizing a cutting
procedure.
3. Evaluate based on core heuristics of value,
& learning.

68.
Like this …
Start Finish

69.
Cut in 1/2
Start FinishCut 1

70.
Keep cutting
Start FinishCut 1Cut
2
Cut
3

71.
Add in learning objectives
Start FinishCut 1Cut
2
Cut
3
Learning
Objective
Measure
Baseline(s)
Learning
Objective
Measure
Learning
Objective
Measure
Learning
Objective
Measure

72.
Set the points on
your path.

73.
Building a path
20min.
Review the sequence of your
Desired Outcomes against strategic
considerations mentioned previously.
Ping-pong plan against questions
that sets the path.
In your plan, be sure to add in
answers to What are you going to
learn? How are you going to
measure it?

74.
Principles for focus

75.
Principles guide you
1. They tell what is enough?
2. They tell you what is too much?
3. Focus the team.

76.
For principles to be effective …
• They must be created collaboratively across
functional areas.
• They can’t be standards of good practice.
• They need to be differentiators for you and your
organization.
• You need examples for good and bad for each
principle.

77.
Moving forward

78.
Next steps
12min total
5 min. for each part of this exercise:
• Why won’t you use this?
• What are you going to do to get
past these obstacles?
• Who are you going to partner
with?
• What are you going to do first
when you’re back at work?

79.
Let’s inspire

80.
Let’s Create Value

81.
Ready for the climb?