Finding the commercial bottleneck for industrial manufacturing companies

But before we can do that, we have to find it, and it’s rarely obvious what it is. Depending on the perspective of the person you ask, you will get different opinions. That’s what makes the process of finding it so important.

We base our process of finding the commercial bottleneck on three principles:

• Diverse perspectives on the situation. Finding bottlenecks is rarely straightforward as they often refuse to fit neatly into the organisational chart, process map or architecture overview. We need ideas and perspectives that cut through the traditional silos.
• Analytical and creative process. Finding the bottleneck is not only about expertise, facts and logic. We also need human imagination, intuition, and collaboration to hone in on it.
• Look for the “could work”, not the “should work”. Whatever we find and decide on is an assumption, and our job is to test it out as quickly as possible. We keep the process short and fast-paced to avoid ending up flogging a dead horse.

Here’s what we do, step by step:

Step 1: Capture the current and desired situation

Together, we map a visual model of where you are now and where you want to be in the near future. Whether you have a clear vision or not, you’ll be encouraged to use your imagination to describe the future states of these areas:

• Vision and strategy
• Value streams
• Organisation
• Business model
• System landscape
• Pain points
• Possibilities

Step 2: Find the bottleneck

Next, we have to figure out where the bottleneck that stops exponential growth is in this picture. The question is: What needs to be different for growth to increase significantly? We use a number of creative exercises to extract as many ideas as possible and then craft a list of hypotheses. Our best collective guess will be the one to test going forward.

Step 3: Choose a solution

Now, we have a shared understanding of the current situation, the desired future state, and an assumed bottleneck for exponential growth. However, that bottleneck could be solved in numerous ways. Your choice must be based on several factors: What are your capabilities, experiences, budget, and so on?

The solution we choose should be feasible, ambitious, and desirable! Remember, we’re not looking for the “should work”, we are looking for a“could work” that can be tested as quickly as possible. Of course, all the other hypotheses are saved for potential future testing.

Step 4: Sketch an experiment

Then, we need to concretise the chosen action so we don’t risk leaving the room with completely different ideas about what’s coming. A basic draft of an experiment (you might call it a pilot, prototype, spike, MVP, or Proof of Concept) should contain initial answers to questions like “Who?”, “When?”, “What?”, “Where?”, “How much?” and “What do we expect to learn?”

The format

What? A workshop (preferably physical, although a digital meeting could work) aimed at agreeing on a hypothesis on what your commercial bottleneck is and how it could be solved.

Who? A diverse group of stakeholders from your organization that can provide perspectives as well as a mandate. Passion, perspectives, ideas, and contributions are more important than titles, but your management team is a great start! We’ll join with a small group of facilitators who will also add their perspectives and experience to the mix.

When? Typically, the steps above take place during two half-day workshops. We suggest booking a lunch-to-lunch workshop, with the possibility of drifting into adjacent conversations over dinner. The amount of time is a hard constraint, but that suits the purpose of incentivizing the group to reach an initial hypothesis and not get stuck in analysis paralysis. Keeping the first workshop short makes it easy and low-risk to try.

Preparations? We will take care of all the preparations. All you have to do is show up with an open mind!

Why does it work?

• The process sheds new light on your situation from multiple angles and breaks habitual thinking.
• There is power in combining those who know almost too much (you) with outsiders who know almost nothing (us) but ask the right questions.
• Getting key stakeholders in the same room, surfacing the friction, tearing down silos, and not allowing blame as an option.
• Grounding it all in this mindset (from The Choice by Goldratt):
  • Every situation is exceedingly simple.
  • Every conflict can be removed.
  • People are good.
  • Every situation can be substantially improved.
  • There is always a win-win solution.

Would finding the commercial bottleneck for your business be worth spending a day on? Give us a call.