Business Design Audit

Customers
Current customer selection

• What is our revenue mix by customer?
• Where does profit come from?
• Is the origin of revenue and profit changing?
• Who are our most profitable customers?
• Which customers are showing growth?
• Which customers are integral to our strategy?

Customer service

• Which types of customers choose us?
• Why do those customers choose us?
• Are we making money off that differentiation?
• Why don’t customers choose us?

Strategic direction

• Are our current customers the ones that we want?
• Will they be who we want in five years?
• What customers are similar to our current customers that we could also satisfy?

Market trends
Customers

• Who holds the power in the market? Why?
• What do they want?
• Where is the power going?
• Where is the value going?
• What can we learn from our most demanding or innovative customers about the future?

Competition

• Who is our primary competition?
• What do they know that we don’t?
• Why are they beating us?
• Who will be our primary competition in five years?
• Where could we compete that we aren’t?

Markets

• What is the nature of the environment in which we work?
• What trends exist in the market?
• What are the risks?
• What new markets are developing?

Our strategy
Customers

• What do customers buy from us? Why?
• Is our strategy aligned with customers?
• What skills must we develop to better service customers?
• What unique skills do we have that customers value?

Trends

• What are the implications of the major trends for our strategy?
• What are we recognized for?
• What could we be recognized for?

Competencies

• What are we recognized for?
• What could we be recognized for?
• Are these the same as the competencies that the customer desires? Why not?

Source:
Are You Enjoying Globalization Yet?
by Adrian J. Slywotzky
Mercer Management Journal, Issue 20

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