Date: March 2012

Problem Solving
Boot Camp

Source: Most of the following approach was created and codified by Barbara Minto in her book: “The Pyramid Principle”
We all solve problems daily

• “How should we complement our product portfolio?”

• “How can we reduce illegal immigration?”

• “What do I buy my mother for her birthday”

• “How can we reduce the number of bugs in our

application?”
• “How can I win Wimbledon?”

• “Why should I buy a home?”

• “How can I lose weight?”

But most of us haven’t received formal training on how to solve
problems
A reliable, repeatable problem solving process model does exist*

1
Define the problem in which your R1 R2
current analyses are meant to take place
Solution

2
Extract the question
you are trying to answer
in relation to the problem

Communicate your
Diagram a “Diagnostic

3
Framework” that allows you to
critically analyze the “The
Problem” and (later) unearth
5
findings and
recommendations
logically using pyramid
structures
issues or opportunities?

4
Generate “Potential Solutions” (via logic
trees, brainstorming, precedent) and vet
solutions via analyses and expertise

* This process is similar to scientific method, “Issue Analysis” used by the top management consulting firms and “sequential analysis” used
1. Define the
Problem
It is important that you define a problem well, otherwise you run the
risk of wasting time and effort on the wrong analyses
Imagine a company’s parking lot keeps filling Phrasing the problem in different ways yields
up leaving employees with no place to park different solutions and, therefore, analyses
their cars…

Problem Solution

Expand its
dimensions
The capacity of our
parking lot is too small
Put more cars in the
current space

This requires analyses of

land use policies and
infrastructure planning

Problem Solution
Provide alternative
means of transport to
Too many cars are employees
being parked at work
Allow one car per
employee

This requires analysis on

employee incentives and
public transportation options
“Problems” aren’t always as easy to define as you might
think

• We projected profits to go Some negative

• Profits are down 7%
down by 15%! events aren’t
“problems”

• • Some positive
I just won $1 million in the The prize was supposed to
events are
lottery be $5 million “problems”

• Next week is my wife’s • I’d like to throw her a “Problems” can be

birthday totally unique birthday triggered by big or
party small events

• We’ve decided to increase • We need to know what

sales in top 20 companies changes to make
Even after we
know the solution,
• We identified changes we implementation
• We need a plan for becomes the new
can make to increase
implementing those “problem”
employee morale
changes
You can’t define a problem in one sentence: A Problem
always arises from a GAP between the current state
and the desired result
This is a problem
• Some employees are not • Employees want to arrive
GAP
able to find parking on at work with a minimum
campus of effort
A gap exists between our aspiration for a retail store (which presumably provides some benefit) and
our current state of having no retail stores in India

This is not a problem

No
• Profits are down 7% • We projected profits down
GAP
7%

Even though the left box sounds bad, there is no problem because there is no gap from what was
expected

These are the required pieces of a problem

Current state (R1) – Particular situation in the
world, that yields a specific and Undesired result
Current,
Future, desired
undesired state GAP state (R2)
Desired result (R2) – Some other result that (R1)
you aspire to get to i.e. desired result
A problem needs enough context that a reader won’t get
distracted from listening to your proposed solution
Problem Context

1 “Disturbing
“Wait… why did you bring
Event”
that up all of a sudden?” Record number of
employees did not
Current,
undesired
Future, get a chance to
desired state
state (R1) park their car
(R2)
The current Cars of the including the CEO
parking lot is employees fit 2 “I see. And remind me again
too small to into the where this is all taking place
accommodate
GAP parking lot of a and why it matters?”
all employees’ company
cars garage
“Opening
Scene”
90% of employees
park in the lot near
Solution? building three
3 “Ahh, ok. So what are we
going to do about that
problem…”
Which problem you solve depends a lot on where you are at in the
problem solving

R1 R2
R1 R2
The CEO No employee
The CEO No employee couldn’t find should ever
couldn’t find should ever parking want for
parking want for today parking
today parking

Re-design the parking

Here we know the solution to the
lot to hold more people
parking situation. So the problem
is how to implement the solution Solution

R1 R2
I don’t know
Parking lot
? anything
redesigned
about
to hold more
Solution designing
people
parking lots
Here the problem is how to
solve the parking situation
?
Solution
The elements of a complete Problem Definition helps you to spot gaps in
your understanding and orient the reader so she focuses on the solution
A DISTURBING EVENT is the reason you are looking at the
An OPENING scene lays out where the problem lies
problem today

Opening scene is a visualization on where the Disturbing event is the event or “something that
problem is playing out i.e. the context at which it is happens” to warrant a change in the existing situation
occurring
1. It is the starting point to have a discussion on Only 3 types of disturbing events exist
the problem definition 1) The world changes (new competitor, new
2. It is usually a process , structure OR fishbone technology, etc.)
within which the problem occurs ( OR can 2) You (company) make a change ( new leader,
even be just contextual information \ new process, etc.)
directional provided represented pictorially) 3) You (company) notice something that has been
3. At this point, it is fairly high-level and not there all along (poor performance, etc.)
necessarily MECE i.e. think that you are
explaining something to your wife or mother
who know nothing about what you are talking
about
A Problem always arises from a GAP between the current
Putting it all together
state (R1) and the desired result (R2)

[Link] state (R1) – Particular situation in the Opening Scene

world, that yields a specific and Undesired result i.e.
The challenge your reader is facing or is likely to Current, Future, desired
undesired state (R2)
face, or the opportunity at hand state (R1)

[Link] result (R2) – Some other result that

you aspire to get to
1. Is usually a structure, process or result that Disturbing
you want in place of R1(OR if R1 is an Event
opportunity, then R2 is an aspiration to take Solution to get from R1 to R2
advantage of the opportunity)
2. State R2 as specifically as possible
3. If you don’t know R2, the first step in analysis
is often figure out what the R2 should be
2. Extract the
Question
Figure out what question
you need to analyse to solve
the problem
By itself, a problem definition suggests many possible questions

Why did we choose

Problem definition: this solution?

R1 R2
We need a
Profits in
new Is this the RIGHT
India are
below target
revenue solution?
source

Open a MSFT retail store

in India
How do we
Solution implement this
solution?
There are 6 common types of questions that arise from a problem
definition
R1 R2 R1 R2

1 4
I lost my I found I lost my I found
dog my dog dog my dog
Question: What Question: What
should I do? among the solutions
1. Put up reward posters of listed is the best
? my dog solution?
2. Search the dog pounds of
Solution the neighborhood
3. Post a message on
Facebook
R1 R2 Solution

2
R1 R2

5
I lost my I found
dog my dog Question: How do I
Profits in
put up the posters of
India are
the dog below
?
target Question: What
should our strategy
Put up reward posters of for MSIT India be?
my dog
Solution ?

Solution
R1 R2
R1 R2

3 6
We have
I lost my I found
Question: Is the the most
dog my dog
solution of putting up ? effective Question: Is there a
posters of my dog the salesforc problem with our
right one i.e. will it e salesforce?
help me find my dog? (Benchmarking
study)
Put up reward posters of
my dog ?

Solution Solution
It is important that you choose the right question, otherwise you run
the risk of wasting time and effort on the wrong analyses
Remember… our company’s parking lot Imagine we decided the solution was to:
keeps filling up leaving employees with no Allow one car per employee
place to park their cars…

Question Potential analyses

How many employees
have more than one
car at work?
Is that the right
solution?
How many parking
spots do we need?

This requires us to focus on

a numerical analysis

Question Potential analyses

Create parking
passes for entry to
How do we implement the lot
the solution?
Give out one pass per
employee

This requires us to change

a process
A useful way to generate the question is to write a full-sentence
“Introduction” to the problem

The elements of the Problem Definition lead you to form Problem Definition – Example 1 Implied Introduction
the INTRODUCTION
Future,
Current,
undesired
desired 1. Situation: Opening
[Link] full sentences using Opening Scene state (R1)
state
(R2)
Scene/Disturbing
Event, R1
elements from the problem
2. Trigger: R2
definition Disturbing
Event 3. Question: How do
we get to R2 from
?
[Link] from left (opening scene, R1?

disturbing event) to right and

then down. The last thing known
by the user will be the “Trigger”* Problem Definition – Example 2 Implied Introduction
• If R2 but no Solution, R2 will
go in the Trigger Current,
Future,
desired
undesired 1. Situation: Opening
• If you have a Solution, then it Opening Scene state (R1)
state
(R2) Scene/Disturbing
Event, R1, R2
will go in the Trigger
2. Trigger: Solution
Disturbing
Event
[Link] Trigger should naturally Solution
3. Question: Is it the
right solution?
raise a Question in your mind

[Link] Question is what your

analysis will seek to answer
* Barbara Minto uses the term “Complication” in place of Trigger; we use “Trigger” to avoid the pejorative sense of “Complication”
Example: Using the elements of a problem definition to seed the
Introduction helps generate the QUESTION your reader wants answered
Problem Definition Elements Introduction
1. Situation: Company ABC
Opening Scene Current, has a parking lot with a
Future,
undesired maximum capacity of 200
desired state
Parking Lot of a company state (R1) cars and with no further
(R2)
ABC at Hyderabad is scope for expansion. A
located at XYZ. Cars of
employees do Cars of the recent study indicated that
not fit into the employees fit employees morale was
parking lot of a into the impacted due to this
company parking lot of a challenge. In fact last week,
garage. The GAP company the CEO and 50 other
max capacity of garage. Will employees were forced to
the lot is 300 reduce park in a different parking
cars, which is inconvenience lot. It is also known that the
well below the to employees capacity of this parking lot is
average parking and increase also well below the capacity
lot of a similar morale of a similar sized company
size company
2. Trigger: However, the to
reduce the inconvenience
caused to employees and
increase morale, the
Disturbing management would prefer
that all cars brought by
Event
employees can be parked in
Record number of the current parking lot
50 cars that did not without increasing the
get a chance to capacity of the parking
park their car
including the CEO ? lot(note: last thing known by
user)

Solution 3. Question: How can we

reduce the number of
cars that need to be
parked at Company XYZ’s
parking lot?
Intuition and experience helps to frame good introductions which is
critical to problem solve effectively
You have been tasked with creating a proposal to open retail stores in
India by a senior manager. Apple has been wildly successful with
SITUATION
their retail stores and MSFT wants to do the same. MSFT has retail
(S) stores in the US, and China and the manager determines that a
proposal should be made for India as well

Opening Scene MSFT currently has a retail presence in US

R1: We don’t have a
US China R2: ?
retail store in India and China but no stores in India.
Retail Retail
(Question: What should we do?)
Disturbing Event Answer: Open a retail store
Solution: Open a While we know the action our manager
China got permission retail store in India
to launch a retail store
wants to take (i.e. open a retail
Q: How do we do that? store) , we don’t what problem we’re
solving (i.e. R1, R2)

Opening Scene R1: At this trend, we R2: We must find new MSFT currently has a retail presence in US and
are going to be
US China short of our revenue
revenue sources in India China but no stores in India. Our current
by next fiscal year
Retail Retail target for 2014 revenue is limited to $ A. However, It is
suggested that opening a retail store in India
Disturbing Event Solution: Open a retail
will increase revenue by X%
store in India
We calculated a new
set of revenue targets (Question: Will a retail store help us increase
Q: Will opening a retail do what
our revenue to x%?)
we want it to?

Opening Scene R1: At this trend, we R2: We must find new MSFT currently has a retail presence in US and
are going to be
US China short of our revenue
revenue sources in India China but no stores in India. Our current
by next fiscal year
Retail Retail target for 2014 revenue is limited to $ A. We know that we
want to open retail store in India by December
Disturbing Event Solution: Open a retail 2012 to increase our revenue
We calculated a new store in India
set of revenue targets
Q: How do we do that? (Question: How do we go about opening a
retail store in India)
[Link] the
Problem
Create a framework to
conduct an “Issue Analysis”
Question analysis always repeats 3 steps at deeper and deeper
levels of the problem until you find the “root cause”

Is there an issue at
Where do the issues lie What would an issue look
this piece of the
that cause the problem? like?
problem?

Create a detailed Formulate a question, Construct analyses to

picture (process or that can be answered test for the answers
structure) of the area with a yes or a no, which to those yes or no
where the problem lies will identify causes of questions
(i.e. draw a “diagnostic any issues in each piece
framework”) of the framework
• Compare a percentage to
Example: Talent
Acquisition Acquire other percentages in the
Process process

• Are any of the percentages • Compare the percentage

lower than is optimal? over time
% of % that % of
students in applied to interviewe • Compare percentages to
IIT that are MSFT
Eng. grads
es given
offers
other firms in the same
industry
A diagnostic framework is a depiction of the problem which allows
you to structure your analyses
1 2 3
Identify Topics & Setup Customer Engagements Process:
Prepare Speakers
Speakers Engagement Designed new process for increasing
quantity and quality of customer
4 5 6
Deliver
Measure Update engagements
Engagement Engagement
Engagement
Effectiveness Tracking
7
Learn & Improve Process

Cloud sales structure: Used to

identify the best way to increase
Azure adoption in India

Talent Acquisition Process: Used

to increase the number of students
with certain skills among recruits

% of % of
% that
students in interviewees
applied to
IIT that are given offers
MSFT
Eng. grads
 Diagnostic Frameworks can be structured in 3 ways
External Customer Engagements Process
1. Showing Physical Structure 1 2 3
Identify Topics & Setup
Prepare Speakers
Speakers Engagement
1. Shows the actual flow of goods or activities
within a process or organization or industry 4 5 6
Measure Update
2. Each piece of the structure will have its Deliver
Engagement Engagement
Engagement
own “yes no question” you should answer Effectiveness Tracking
to decide if it is “causing the problem” 7
Learn & Improve Process

Example: Tracing source of high prices in

vendor 2. Tracing Cause & Effect
Does not know better vendor

Wrong vendor
Does not want better vendor 1. Traces cause-effect of financial elements,
Wrong engagement for work
activities or tasks that contribute to a
particular end result
Wrong contract terms
Wrong amount of work 2. E.g. show explicitly the levels of financial
Price is too high
elements, tasks or activities
Wrong timing for work

Lacks info

Lacks authority
Wrong negotiating
process
Lacks ability

3. Classification Example: Show MECE bucket of possible

causes
Sales
1. Groups likely culprits of a problem, by similarity
2. Create a MECE classification at the upper
branch, and use that as a guide to generating Profits Gross margin
further causes below

Cost on sales
The diagnostic framework allows you to plan and execute your
analysis in a systematic manner
Example: Cloud using Divide Diagnostic
Apply the same process at each piece of the diagnostic
framework Framework How can we
improve
How well do our
dissemination
offerings stack of our
up to the message?
1. At each “node” of the diagnostic framework, competition’s?

come up with a series of questions that are

phrased to require a “Yes” or “No” Answer

2. If you can answer “YES” then move the

How sticky
analysis one level deeper (i.e. “double click” is our
messaging?
on that node)

3. Each double click of a node can have its own

mini, diagnostic framework, totally distinct Examples of questions that generate issues:
from the parent framework; it’s like a fractal, Customer Engagements
 Do we track all the sessions that we have?
no matter how deep you zoom in, the  Do we have a standardized list of topics we offer?
process stays the same  Do we have speakers who are trained to deliver
sessions?
 Do we have a process to understand what the customer
wants
 How should we setup the engagement process (this is
not a valid question because it is not a yes\no question)

4. “Analyses” involves much more than Excel

modeling
a. Political Considerations
b. Interviews
c. Research
 4. Develop a
solution Generate
and vet potential solutions to
the problem
There are different techniques for finding solutions depending on
whether you want to generate, expand on or vet solutions

1
Use a creative thinking or brainstorming technique
(e.g. alternate POV, brainmapping) to generate
solutions

Sell new
product
Increase

2
Group together a MECE volume/price Sell more of
list of potential solutions Sales are down existing
into a tree (i.e. Logic Increase product
trees) to expand your price/volume
solution set

3
Use experience and subject matter expertise to vet
solutions
Brainstorm to generate solutions 1
WHY Brainstorm
Brainstorming is a great way to
come up with a lot of ideas that you
would not be able to generate by
just sitting down with a pen and
paper. The intention of
brainstorming is to leverage the
collective thinking of the group, by
engaging with each other, listening,
and building on other ideas.
Conducting a brainstorm also
creates a distinct segment of time
when you intentionally turn up the
generative part of your brain and
turn
down the evaluative part.
Brainstorming can be used
throughout a design process; of
course to come up with design
solutions, but also any time you are
trying to come up with ideas, such
as planning where to do empathy
work, or thinking about product and
services related to your project – as
two examples.

Source: Stanford Design School – Design Bootcamp

Use “logic trees” to expand on your solutions 2
The human mind can perform 3 types of analytical
activities

Determine the causes of an effect i.e. Divide a whole into its parts i.e. Classify like things i.e.
Time Order Structural Order Degree Order

Effect Company Universe of

all problems

These 3 All other

Cause 1 Cause 2 Cause 3 Division A Division B Division C problems problems

1. Determine in advance the 1. Logically divide the problem 1. In most cases, you put the
effect you want, and then 2. Ensure division is MECE strongest point first
identify the chain of actions 3. Three ways to divide the 2. Identify the type of point
that cause it activities being made
2. The net result of a series of a. Activities themselves (PM, 3. Group together those of the
actions is always the effect development, testing) same point
of carrying out the actions b. Locations (US, India) 4. Look for order in the groups
3. Usually described in “Time c. Sets of activities directed at 5. The net result of a series of
Order” a product, market or actions is always the effect
4. Important to distinguish a customer ( Windows, MSIT, of carrying out the actions
cause from an effect (i.e. etc.) 6. Usually ordered in “Time
reverse the cause and effect 4. The Description or Order of Order”
and see if it makes sense) these activities depends on 7. Important to distinguish a
5. Recognizing that ideas or what you want to emphasize. cause from an effect (i.e.
conclusions are talking i.e. reverse the cause and effect
about a process is useful to a. Activities, then time order and see if it makes sense)
remember when structuring b. Location, then structural
Make logic trees Mutually Exclusive & Collectively Exhaustive
(MECE) to ensure complete thinking 2
A B
C
A B A B
D D C
Mutually exclusive Collectively
MECE sets
sets exhaustive sets

MECE Explained: Question: Should I enter

• When items are broken into the XYZ market
categories where there is no
overlap between categories it is 1) Financial factors
Mutually Exclusive
2) Non-Financial factors MECE
• When every possible reason is
covered in the framework, then
and only then is it considered
1) Opportunities
Collectively Exhaustivec
2) Risk Not
MECE
 3
Reduce Resource usage

Reduce Energy

Use experience and analyses to vet your solutions

Electricity (by purpose)

HVAC

IT

Lighting

Other (e.g. refrigeration, vending)

Modeling suggests too Fuel

Politically infeasible
costly
Outside campus

Employee transport

Supply chain transport

On campus

Generators

Shuttles

Food prep

Experts suggest this

Other

step is hard Reduce Water

By people

Food prep

Drinking

Hygiene

Reduce Material
Vetting solutions:
Food related

Supplies

Paper
• Conduct “analyses” to vet
solutions for feasibility (e.g.
modeling, interviews, SME)
Other

Electronics

• Select solutions likely to have

Reduce Land

Modeling reveals feasible and high-

Green spaces

impact!
Building spaces
the biggest impact
5.a.
Communicate
your results
Structure communications in
a logical pyramid form
To get a listener interested in what you have to say, you first have to
set context with an “Introduction”
The first step of the situation should make a statement about the subject
SITUATION
at hand. It is something that the reader of the argument already knows
(S) and anchors you to a specific place and time

A tension that raises a question that your document is trying to solve i.e.
Trigger
something that went wrong, a logical discrepancy
(C) (Known to the Reader)

The Question in the readers mind that the document aims to resolve. This
Question is bought about by the Situation and the occurrence of a Trigger
(Q) (What should we do, Should we do what we plan to do, How should we do
something, Why did it happen)
Answers the Question raised and also indicates the main point of your
document (This is determined from the problem solving you did in section
3)
Key Line The key line should be expressed as an idea i.e. something that raises a
question in the readers mind, because you are telling him something he
doesn’t know
Example
MSIT India has set aggressive targets for customer engagements in FY12, both in Situation (known
terms of frequency of these engagements and its effectiveness to the reader)
With the current run-rate, MSIT India is unlikely to achieve the target of 250+ Trigger (known to
engagements for FY12, unless there are proactive interventions the reader)
Question (How can MSIT India achieve its target of 250+ engagements?) Question:
MSIT India can increase customer engagement effectiveness to 250+ engagements in
Keyline
a year by pulling change levers at each step along the “customer engagements life
cycle”.
<List the Steps in the Process>
To get a listener to understand you, you must structure your
arguments in a way that matches the way humans think
Thus, every document
The mind seeks to impose A grouping of ideas is
should be deliberately
order on everything it easier to comprehend if it
structured to form a
perceives arrives pre-sorted
pyramid of ideas
The mind seeks to impose order on
everything it perceives
• Sorts into pyramidal groupings to
make sense (grouping and
summarising)
• Conducts Q&A sequence when
presented with new information
• Can hold approx. 7 ideas in short-
To communicate most easily to another
term memory
mind, ensure that the message arrives pre-
sorted to the reader
• The reader imposes the same order you
intended instead of searching for a new
1234567 one
• The reader can clearly grasp the
reasoning and focus more on whether he /
she agrees with it than on trying to
comprehend it
• The reader can more easily raise logical
Ans

Thus, structuring a document in a pyramid of wer

questions regarding the message

ideas helps to Poin
t3
Poin
t2
Poin
t1

• Reduce time need to produce a document

3 2 1 2 1 2 1
• Decrease the length of the document
• Ensures that the thinking and writing are
complete and logical
Drive Understanding: The brain naturally thinks in a pyramid
structure
Introduction
Situation: Three rules for a pyramidal structure
Trigger:
Answer
Question: 1. Ideas at any level in the
pyramid must always be
summaries of the ideas
grouped below them.
3
Point

2
Point

1
Point
2. Ideas in each grouping must
always be the same kind of idea
e.g. reasons, steps,
2

1
3

recommendations, changes to
be made, etc., (otherwise
cannot summarize them one
level up)

3. Ideas in each grouping must be

logically ordered. There are only
two possible logical ways in
which to order a set of ideas:
a. deductively
b. Inductively
• chronologically
• comparatively
Drive Understanding: Inductive vs. deductive structure
In a deductive argument, the second point
In an inductive argument, ideas are of the same “kind”
comments on the first, and the third point
and can be expressed by a plural noun
comments on the first two

We must improve our customer

Socrates is mortal
engagements process

Speakers have Therefore

Speakers We don’t learn Men are Socrates is Socrates is
the wrong
perform poorly from events mortal a man mortal
topics

1. Look for similarity in either the 1. A classic syllogism: the writer

“subject” or “predicate”, and states a premise about the
draw an inference based on the subject of her conclusion, she
similarity then states a premise about the
object of the first premise, and
2. Essentially tells the readers by logic, derives a conclusion
how he has to change and then
at the next level why each 2. Essentially tells the readers
change makes sense (This is why he should change and
preferred usually the reader how to go about it
cares about how the change
should happen) 3. Should not be used in the key-
line of a pyramid structure
3. Note: Levels below the key line
5.b. Minto
Communication
Tools
By Matt Hempey
Problem Definition

Opening Scene R1 R2

Solution

R1 R2

Disturbing Event

Solution
Situation

Complication

Question

Main Idea

Next Steps
 1
Point 1
2

1
Point 2
2

Point 3 2

3
 Question
Induction: Provoked

1 Classify Like Things

Degree Order

pp. 89-93 Set

Subset Subset Subset

Tips
• Avoid intellectually blank statements
(e.g. “There are three reasons”).
• Identify the common framework
underlying each subset.
• Consolidate common subsets
Importance

Often, classifications are really structural

or process in nature. Make sure to
consider whether this is the case.

Plural noun

Description of
relationship

Not enough slots? Consider summarizing grouped ideas (Ch. 7)

6. Make your
communications
“sticky”
Problem: How do you convince an auto-rickshaw driver
to buy Azure? - Use the “Stickiness” principles to
improve your message
Chart from the book “Made to Stick” by Dan and
Chip Heath
Unsticky: Complex; Abstract

• Abstract verbiage
• Not core
• Not customer benefit
• Nothing eye-catching

• Uses MSIT jargon

• Too many filler bullets
• Uses jargon
• Terms aren’t schemas
• Abstracts away from
sensory language

• Framed in terms of
technology as
opposed to customer
need or activity
Sticky: Simple; Concrete
• Unexpected data • Familiar scale
• Vivid detail numbers

• Fewer facts - 90%

same info • Plain language
• Less clutter • Testable
(because use the
• More readability same apps)
Unsticky: Nothing Unexpected; No Emotional
Connection

• Too many emotions • Benefits in dry, abstract

• All vague emotions language
• Not in terms of • Does not phrase in WIIFY
“What’s In It For You” for the individual
(WIIFY) • No attempt to forge
identity

• Does not address “non-

financial costs” (e.g.
Lock-in; effort learning
new tech; loss of
prestige losing capital
spend)
Sticky: Unexpected; Emotion
• Strikes emotion
in listener who
can identify with
this kind of failure

• Unexpected
because large
impact from little
change

• Unexpected because
honest and revealing
• Emotional because
scary
• Maintains curiosity gap
for next section
Unsticky: No stories “Stories drive action
through simulation (what
• ~90% of to do) and inspiration
presentations on (the motivation to do it)”
cloud are data – Chip Heath
based and have
no story to tell

• Those that do tell

stories, mostly talk from
a company, as opposed
to individual
perspective
Unsticky: Bad stories (case
studies) • No unexpected
information or attention- • Jargon and
grabbing statements to technical details
inspire desire to change stifle inspiration

• The case presented has

no protagonist
• The story does not lead
“The order processing and
the customer through a
invoicing are RESTful services
sequence of events (i.e. that are easy to build and
no simulation) require minimal XML markup,
making it a lightweight option
• Fact presented with no for data transfer. The RESTful
narrative or tension (i.e. no services use Shell standard
expectation gap to maintain XML schemas and were
interest) developed using the WCF 3.5
“WeFramework”
wanted a platform-as-a-service
solution, not just cloud infrastructure,”
says Prakash. “We concluded that
Windows Azure offered the best long-
“Any story that is term value and the most reliable
cloud platform for transforming our
interesting has tension business.”
and color in it – that is
what makes it interesting. • Fails to answer
A story about an key questions –
Why, Why not ,
• No details on the uninterrupted march to
How etc. (i.e. no
“process” of transitioning glory is a bore and feels simulation)
to AZURE (i.e. no just blah and not really
simulation) true to the reader” –
Sticky: Story
• Unexpected facts
maintain expectations
and interest
• Vivid facts on key
steps
(simulation)
• Easy to
understand
benefits
(inspiration)

• Short narration holds

interest
• Story makes it easier to
understand benefits

• Cost savings
clearly captured
(inspiration)
Unsticky: Not credible
• Lack of vivid
details
• No “anti-
authority”
• No trialability

• Good use of
“authorities” or
experts
• Lack of vivid details
undermines case
Resolution: Our team made changes to our Azure pitch along each
“sticky” attribute

• Simplified EBC pages, removed jargon, changed

analogies
Simple
• Shifted focus from technology to customer benefits
• Customized the story to customer’s level of Azure use
• Added noteworthy anecdotes to EBC decks (Amazon
Unexpect example)
ed • Added provocative questions to partners (How would you
sell Azure to kids?)
• Brought in a “credible expert” (Mike)
• Emphasized MSITs bona fides as an IT shop (size and
redible
scale)
• Positioned pitch more like an “IT guy to IT guy”
• Designed new step-by-step placemat (to ease
onboarding)
Concrete • Reframed spectrum of Cloud offerings in terms of
customer needs (as opposed to a technical explanation
of the differences)
• Included “cautionary tales” in EBC decks
motion • Addressed non-financial costs of migration which scare