A focused assessment of where product and design can create greater value in a business.
The Diagnostic typically runs for six weeks and begins with the business objective. Rather than evaluating design in isolation, I look at the relationship between the company’s strategy, product portfolio, market position, capabilities, and the opportunities available to it.
The work can include the existing portfolio and pipeline, competitive position, product and design organization, patents and IP, technical and manufacturing capabilities, market opportunities, and the company’s ability to execute. The goal is to understand where value is being left on the table and where product and design can have the greatest impact.
That may mean identifying gaps in the portfolio, opportunities for new categories or markets, underleveraged technical or manufacturing capabilities, dormant IP, unnecessary complexity, products that no longer support the company’s position, or assets whose value may be greater if repositioned, licensed, separated, or developed differently.
The Diagnostic also looks at the organization itself: whether the right capabilities are in place, whether teams are working against the right priorities, and whether product development is aligned with the business objective.
The output is concise and actionable. It identifies what I see, where the opportunities are, which ones matter most, and what I recommend doing next.
The Diagnostic can stand alone, lead to a broader advisory or design engagement, or be integrated into an existing diligence, 100-day, or value-creation process.
Where strong internal teams are in place, the recommendations can be carried forward by those teams with my continued advisory support. Where additional capability is required, I can help define or build the function, augment existing resources, or deploy my studio to execute.
Most engagements begin with a conversation.
— Todd Bracher