The Method in Practice - Transformation Process Guide

1

Kickoff Small Team

Establish scope and guard rails for the transformation programme

1 Day Workshop

Purpose: A focused session with a small leadership team to map the current business, explore transformation themes, and create initial canvases that demonstrate the scope and direction for the wider team.

1 Map & Explore 1 Day

Working with a small team, we map the current Cordstrap business model and explore which transformation themes have the most potential. The session concludes with three initial Business Model Canvases that set the direction for the wider Discovery work.

Map Current State

Document how Cordstrap creates, delivers, and captures value today. Work through each of the nine building blocks of the Business Model Canvas—customer segments, value propositions, channels, relationships, revenue streams, key resources, activities, partners, and cost structure.

Documented Cordstrap Business Model Canvas

Strength & Vulnerability Analysis

Identify which blocks represent genuine strengths (defensible advantages) and which show vulnerability (exposure to disruption or commoditisation). This establishes a shared reference point for transformation discussions.

Baseline canvas with strategic assessment

Explore Transformation Themes

Introduce the 12 Transformation Shifts and discuss which patterns might be most relevant to Cordstrap's context. Consider market trends, competitive dynamics, and internal capabilities to identify promising directions.

Shortlist of transformation themes to pursue

Create Initial Canvases

Develop three initial Business Model Canvases representing different transformation directions. These canvases set the scope and guard rails for the wider team—demonstrating the ambition and boundaries of the programme.

3× initial Business Model Canvases

Kickoff Outcomes

Documented current-state Business Model Canvas

Strength/vulnerability analysis establishing transformation baseline

3× initial Business Model Canvases defining transformation scope

Guard rails and direction established for wider team

2

Discovery

Engage the wider team to develop and refine transformation concepts

Training + Flesh Out + Creation Workshop

2.1 Invincible Company Method Training Half Day

We introduce the Invincible Company methodology and focus on learning the Transformation Framework. This is the core "training" element that equips the wider team with the tools and language they need before engaging with the canvases.

The 12 Transformation Shifts

Proven patterns that successful companies have used to reinvent their business models. Each shift changes specific blocks of the canvas in predictable ways:

Value Proposition Shifts: Product → Recurring Service, Low-Tech → High-Tech, Sales → Platform
Front Stage Shifts: Niche → Mass Market, B2B → B2(B2)C, Low Touch → High Touch
Backstage Shifts: Dedicated → Multi-Usage, Asset Heavy → Asset Light, Closed → Open Innovation
Profit Formula Shifts: High Cost → Low Cost, Transactional → Recurring, Conventional → Contrarian

Team fluency in transformation patterns

B2B Examples Analysis

For each shift, we examine real B2B examples: what triggered the transformation, what capabilities were required, how the canvas changed, and what results followed.

Lessons from analogous transformations

The Four Risks Framework

Every transformation involves uncertainty. We introduce the framework for systematically identifying and testing assumptions: Desirability, Feasibility, Viability, and Adaptability.

Framework for hypothesis testing

2.2 Flesh Out the Canvases Team Activity

Armed with the methodology, the team receives the 3 canvases created in Kickoff along with specific tasks to develop each concept further. This ensures the team engages deeply with the transformation directions before the creation workshop.

Canvas Review Tasks

Each team member reviews the 3 canvases and adds their perspective: What's missing? What assumptions need testing? What capabilities would be required? What customer evidence exists?

Annotated canvases with team input

Market & Customer Input

Gather relevant market intelligence, customer feedback, and competitive insights that inform each transformation direction. Teams bring evidence and examples to the creation workshop.

Supporting evidence for each concept

2.3 Business Model Creation Workshop Full Day

Building on the training and flesh-out work, the team develops and refines the transformation concepts into fully-formed Business Model Canvases with supporting documentation.

Develop the 3 Canvases

Take the initial canvases from Kickoff and develop them using the team's input. Fill in gaps, test assumptions in group discussion, and strengthen each concept.

3× fully developed transformation canvases

Capability Gap Analysis

Compare current and future canvases. What new capabilities would each transformation require? Technology? Partnerships? Skills? Which do you have? Which would you need to build or acquire?

Capability gap analysis for each concept

Identify Critical Assumptions

For each concept, identify the most critical assumptions that must be true for success. Apply the Four Risks framework to prioritise what needs testing first.

Prioritised assumptions to test

Prioritise & Select

Evaluate each concept against criteria: Strategic fit (does it leverage our strengths?), Market attractiveness (is the opportunity large enough?), Capability distance (how far do we need to stretch?), Risk profile (what's the downside if it fails?).

Go/no-go recommendations per concept

Cordstrap Example: Evaluating Product → Service

The Pattern (from Hilti)

Hilti shifted from selling tools to managing tool fleets. Customers pay for "productive workers" not "tool ownership." Revenue became predictable; customer relationships deepened.

Cordstrap Parallel

Could Cordstrap shift from selling lashing/dunnage to managing "cargo protection outcomes"? Customers pay for "zero damage shipments" not "protection products." Same pattern, different industry.

🔄 Repeatable Format for Ongoing Innovation

The Creation Workshop format is designed to be repeated as necessary. Once the team is trained in the methodology, future transformation innovation can follow the same pattern: identify new themes in Kickoff-style sessions, flesh out the concepts, then run Creation Workshops to develop them fully. This creates a sustainable innovation capability within the organisation.

Discovery Outcomes

Team aligned on the transformation methodology

3× fully developed Business Model Canvases

Capability gap analysis for each concept

Prioritised list of critical assumptions to test

Go/no-go recommendation on which concepts merit prototyping

Repeatable workshop format for future transformation innovation

Decision Gate: Proceed to Design + Test?

If concepts are promising

→ Advance to Design + Test

If concepts need refinement

→ Iterate in Discovery

If no viable concepts emerge

→ Return to Kickoff analysis

3

Design + Test

Reduce uncertainty through rapid prototyping and customer validation

3× 1-Week Sprints + Customer Validation

The goal is not to prove you're right—it's to find out where you're wrong while the cost of being wrong is still low. Jointly takes each transformation concept, builds a working digital prototype, conducts customer validation interviews, and reports back with evidence to inform the next decision.

3.1 Digital Prototype Development 1 Week per Concept

Days 1-2: Deep Dive

Jointly conducts a deep dive into the concept, customer insights, and technical requirements. We understand the transformed customer experience you want to demonstrate.

Concept requirements and prototype scope

Days 3-4: Rapid Prototyping

Rapid prototyping and iteration to create a working digital prototype that demonstrates the transformed customer experience.

Interactive working prototype

Day 5: Delivery & Walkthrough

Delivery of the prototype with a complete walkthrough. The prototype is ready for customer testing and internal stakeholder alignment.

Customer-facing materials suitable for concept testing

Presentation Materials

Along with the prototype, we deliver visual representation of the new value proposition and a presentation deck explaining the transformation concept.

Presentation deck explaining the transformation concept

3.2 Customer Validation Jointly-Led

Jointly conducts structured customer interviews using the prototypes. We design the interview protocol, run the conversations, and report back with evidence and recommendations. The prototypes make abstract ideas concrete—customers can react to something tangible rather than theoretical descriptions.

Validation Interview Design

Design interview protocols that test the critical assumptions identified in Discovery. Structure conversations to gather evidence about desirability, feasibility, viability, and adaptability.

Structured interview guide and question framework

Customer Interviews

Jointly conducts interviews with target customers using the prototypes. We capture reactions, concerns, suggestions, and signals of willingness to pay or commit.

Completed customer validation interviews

Evidence Analysis

Synthesise findings across interviews. Identify patterns in customer responses, key concerns, and areas of enthusiasm. Map evidence back to the critical assumptions.

Analysis of validation evidence by assumption

Validation Report

Deliver a comprehensive report summarising customer feedback, evidence for/against each concept, and recommendations for next steps—whether to proceed, pivot, or stop.

Validation report with evidence-based recommendations

Design + Test Outcomes

3 working digital prototypes demonstrating transformed value propositions

Presentation materials for each concept

Completed customer validation interviews

Validation report with synthesised customer evidence

Evidence-based recommendation on which concepts merit Pilot investment

Stakeholder alignment materials for internal decision-making

Decision Gate: Proceed to Pilot?

If validation is positive

→ Advance to Pilot

If concept needs adjustment

→ Iterate and re-test

If validation is negative

→ Stop or explore alternatives

4

Pilot

From experimentation to operation—prove the model works with real customers

Scope TBD based on Design + Test outcomes

The Pilot stage moves from prototypes to actual delivery. This is where the transformation concept gets tested with real customers, real operations, and real economics—but at small scale to limit risk.

Pilot Design

Define pilot scope: 3-5 carefully selected customers, minimum viable operations, clear success metrics, and defined timeline.

Operational Build

Build minimum operational capability to deliver the new value proposition. Focus on learning, not perfection.

Customer Delivery

Deliver the transformed offering to pilot customers. Track every metric that matters for validating the business model.

Pilot Assessment

Evaluate pilot results against success criteria. Determine whether to scale, iterate, or stop.

Jointly's role: Pilot design support, measurement frameworks, coaching. Scope defined based on Design + Test outcomes.

5

Scale

Integration to the Run business—convert validated pilot into a sustainable business line

Scope TBD based on Pilot outcomes

Scale is about institutionalising what worked in Pilot. The transformation concept becomes a legitimate business line with proper investment, team, and operational infrastructure.

Investment Case

Build the business case for scale investment based on pilot evidence. Define resource requirements and ROI projections.

Capability Build

Build or acquire the capabilities required for scale: technology, partnerships, team, processes.

Market Expansion

Expand from pilot customers to broader market. Define go-to-market strategy and customer acquisition approach.

Organisational Model

Determine how the new business relates to the core: separate unit, integrated team, joint venture, or other structure.

Jointly's role: Advisory support, organisational design, strategy reviews. Nature of involvement depends on transformation evolution.

Applying This to Cordstrap