Strategy and Tactics in Design

Many people assume that a strategy is a big-picture overall direction, divorced from any specific action. But defining strategy as broad concepts, thereby leaving out action, creates a wide chasm between “strategy” and “implementation.” If you accept this chasm, most strategy work becomes wheel spinning. Indeed, this is the most common complaint ab

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Good strategy is not just “what” you are trying to do. It is also “why” and “how” you are doing it. A good guiding policy tackles the obstacles identified in the diagnosis by creating or drawing upon sources of advantage. Indeed, the heart of the matter in strategy is usually advantage. Just as a lever uses mechanical advantage to multiply force, s

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The design process is now deemed to have a value of its own and is increasingly applied to strategic and organizational issues in the form of what is called ‘design thinking’. Coined in 1991 by the American design engineer David Kelley, design thinking refers to the skills that designers develop, often without realizing, in analysing problems, usin... See more

To find the strategy, ask yourself, What problem is this tactic here to solve? This question requires abandoning the what and the how and focusing on the why. The three-legged lander was a tactic, and landing safely on Mars was the strategy. The incubator was a tactic, and saving premature infants was the strategy. If you’re having trouble zooming

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