PriyankaBose

What is Way of Working (WoW)?
Way of Working (WoW) refers to the specific practices, methodologies, and approaches that define how work is carried out within an organization. It encompasses processes, tools, principles, and cultural norms that guide employees in their day-to-day activities and decision-making processes. It encompasses various aspects depending on the organization's industry, size, and objectives, include (but not limited to):
1.       Processes and procedures: WoW outlines the standardized processes and procedures that govern how tasks and activities are executed within the organization. It provides clarity on the steps to be followed, roles and responsibilities, and the sequence of activities involved in delivering products or services.
2.       Methodologies and frameworks: WoW may incorporate specific methodologies, frameworks, or approaches that are used to accomplish work efficiently and effectively. Examples include project management methodologies, agile practices, Lean principles, Six Sigma, or any other recognized process improvement frameworks.
3.       Tools and technologies: WoW defines the tools, software, and technologies that are utilized to support work processes and enhance productivity. These may include project management software, collaboration platforms, data analytics tools, or any other technology that facilitates work execution and communication.
4.       Communication and collaboration: WoW includes guidelines and practices for effective communication and collaboration among team members, departments, and stakeholders. It outlines channels of communication, reporting structures, meetings, and other means to foster effective information sharing and collaboration.
5.       Performance metrics and measurement: WoW establishes the performance metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and targets that are used to measure progress and assess the success of work processes. It defines the criteria for evaluating performance and provides a basis for continuous monitoring, analysis, and improvement.
6.       Training and skill development: WoW may encompass training programs and initiatives aimed at developing the skills and competencies necessary for employees to perform their work effectively. It includes training on specific tools, methodologies, or other relevant areas that contribute to the overall work processes.
7.       Continuous improvement practices: WoW encourages a culture of continuous improvement by incorporating practices such as regular review, analysis, and feedback loops. It promotes a mindset of seeking opportunities for improvement, learning from mistakes, and implementing changes to enhance processes and outcomes.
The goal of establishing a well-defined Way of Working (WoW) is to create consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness in how work is conducted throughout the organization. It provides a common understanding of expectations, processes, and outcomes, enabling employees to align their efforts and collaborate more effectively. By having a clearly defined
Which phase of DMAIC is this most closely related to?
In the context of process improvement methodologies, "Way of Working" (WoW) is not a specific term or phase within the DMAIC framework.
However, while the Way of Working (WoW) is not explicitly associated with a specific phase of DMAIC, it refers to the overall approach, methodologies, and practices that an organization follows to conduct its work/ processes. It includes the standard operating procedures, guidelines, and cultural norms that shape how work is carried out in organisations. A strong WoW aligns with the principles of continuous improvement and can support the DMAIC framework by providing a structured and disciplined way of conducting process improvement projects.
Hence, WoW is may be looked at as closely related to the Improve phase of the DMAIC framework. The Improve phase focuses on identifying and implementing solutions to address the root causes of process inefficiencies and deviations from desired performance.
How does it help create a culture of continuous improvement in an organization?
It is evident that WoW helps create a culture of continuous improvement in an organization in several ways:
·         Standardization: WoW promotes the standardization of processes and procedures, ensuring consistency and reliability in how work is performed. This allows for easier identification of areas for improvement and comparison of performance across different teams or units.
·         Collaboration: WoW encourages collaboration and cross-functional cooperation. By establishing clear communication channels and fostering teamwork, employees can share knowledge, insights, and best practices, leading to more effective problem-solving and continuous learning.
·         Data-Driven Decision Making: WoW emphasizes the use of data and metrics to drive decision making. It encourages employees to collect and analyse relevant data to identify trends, patterns, and areas of improvement. This data-driven approach enables more informed decision making and helps prioritize improvement initiatives based on their potential impact.
·         Continuous Learning and Experimentation: WoW supports a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation. It encourages employees to be open to new ideas, try out innovative approaches, and learn from both successes and failures. This iterative process allows for continuous improvement and adaptation to changing circumstances.
·         Employee Empowerment: WoW empowers employees by giving them the necessary tools, knowledge, and authority to make improvements in their own work areas. This sense of ownership and empowerment fosters engagement and motivation, as employees feel empowered to contribute to the organization's overall improvement efforts.
Outcome
Establishing a culture of continuous improvement through a well-defined Way of Working (WoW), organizations can expect to,
·         Foster a mindset of improvement: A clear WoW that emphasizes continuous improvement helps employees understand that seeking ways to enhance processes and outcomes is an integral part of their work. It encourages them to constantly question the status quo and look for opportunities to make incremental or breakthrough improvements.
·         Encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing: An effective WoW promotes collaboration among employees, enabling them to share best practices, lessons learned, and innovative ideas. This exchange of knowledge and experiences enhances problem-solving capabilities and accelerates improvement efforts across the organization.
·         Standardize processes and reduce variability: A well-defined WoW includes standardized processes and procedures that promote consistency and reduce process variability. This standardization enables better control over operations, easier identification of deviations, and opportunities for improvement.
·         Emphasize data-driven decision-making: A strong WoW encourages the use of data and metrics to drive decision-making. It promotes the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data to identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities. This data-driven approach enhances the accuracy and effectiveness of decision-making, leading to more impactful improvements.
·         Empower employees: An effective WoW empowers employees by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and authority to contribute to process improvement initiatives. It encourages them to take ownership of their work, experiment with new ideas, and contribute to a culture of continuous learning and growth.
Overall, WoW helps create a culture where continuous improvement becomes ingrained in the organization's DNA. It promotes a proactive approach to problem-solving, a focus on efficiency and quality, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. By embedding these principles into the organization's way of working, it becomes a natural part of the organizational culture and leads to sustained improvements over time.
Conclusion:
While WoW and DMAIC are not directly correlated, organizations can leverage a strong WoW to support the DMAIC framework and create a culture of continuous improvement.
 
 

One of the primary requirements for a start-up to be successful, is to have an innovative or disruptive idea that will witness sizable market adoption. However, when they start, founders have no idea, whether their idea will actually gain any market acceptance at all.
 
Founders and companies spend months and sometimes even years in building a perfect a product / service, to eventually learn that customers don’t even want that specific feature, or USP, or quite often than not, the product all together.
 
This is the problem that the lean start-up solves.
 
The Lean Start-up
The lean start-up is an approach to build companies and launch products quicker, that are in-sync with customer needs.
 
It was proposed in 2008 by Eric Ries (also the author of the book “The Lean Start-up”), with his entrepreneurial learnings from adapting customer focused development and lean practices to technology start-ups.
 
As the name suggest, the lean start-up evolved from the lean management framework of continuous and iterative improvement through Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) cycle.
 
Lean Principals in a Lean Start-up
Testing before Investing
The lean start-up demonstrates the importance of iteratively development, and involves building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), viz. a version of the product that has just enough features to be released for testing and feedback from early customers.
This approach essentially limits the exposure to associated market and financial risks, by reducing and often eliminating the need for enormous capital investment in extensive product development and expensive product launches, for ideas that not even be accepted by the market.
 
The lean approach is centered around the concept of agile development and aims to,
o    Shorten product development cycles
o    Rapidly validate the business model’s is viability
o    Build products are in sync is customer requirements and wants
 
This is achieved by framework of hypothesis-driven experimentation, iterative product releases and validated learning.
 
 Customer Centric Approach
+ Flexibility
+ Rapid, Responsive Development
 
The lean start-up emphasizes on a customer centricity, by that it follows a rapid development and validation through a consistent customer feedback methodology (rather than intuition), prioritizing flexible and iterative development, over stringent planning. 
 
Companies use these customer feedbacks to learn if and what in the products, do the customers want and don’t, and use these learnings for validation on whether to continue to build the product, pivot and/ or enhance some product features. The company continues this cycle called the Build, Measure, learn loop, also called the lean principles.
 
This framework hence, enables recovery more often, vis-à-vis a full-fledged product deployment.
 
 
The Lean Canvas
The lean canvas was devised by Ash Maurya, that helps deconstruct and brainstorm ideas from their fundamental business assumptions. Adapted from Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas and optimized for Lean Start-ups, the lean canvas a has striking, and rather tactical combination of the Business Model Canvas and Brand Proposition Canvas, keeping in sight the critical aspects of and symbiosis between both the product and the market.



 
Lean Canvas in creation of a Lean Start-up 
While, traditional business model canvases offer a long-term view of the business with limited capabilities for performance measurement; Start-ups really need something that keeps them focussed on the fundamental elements and targets of the business.
Lean canvas model on the other hand offers constant visibility to these elements, enhanced problem solving, iterative planning & flexibility and tools to monitor goal – performance measurement metrics, the lean canvas is instrumental to the success and growth start-ups and development business, both.



The General Electric – Used Case
General Electric is often cited as one of the most a successful example of a large organization demonstrating the power and potential of the lean start-up approach and principles (to read more follow the link: https://hbr.org/2014/04/how-ge-applies-lean-startup-practices)
 
Lean canvas graphic source: https://medium.com/@steve_mullen/an-introduction-to-lean-canvas-5c17c469d3e0; References: https://yonderconsulting.com/3-examples-of-lean-startup/
 
 

Imagine a product, so incredibly valuable
– It does all the selling by itself.
 
Ever used Zoom? Yes?
So, how did you learn about Zoom?
Advertisement? Banner? Sales email?
 
That’s right, using the product itself got you acquainted to the value it brings, into the “sales” funnel, and then the product did rest of the selling.
 
The most famous product-led success stories like Zoom, Dropbox and Calendly – all witnessed rapid growth, driven by an incredible market fit, stunning product adoption and retention. All that without any sales calls or emails to promote the product.
How’s that? In a world of information overload, people control who they want to hear, see or read. And people – they love it when there’s no selling, no spamming. When it feels like a natural inclination to buy-in, when they see value before they pay; That’s when you’ve made a customer that sticks, and even more – spreads the word.
 
Many organizations have their hopes on PLG, dreaming of becoming the next success product-led growth story. That said, there are quite a few reasons why companies can’t just switch to a product-led growth model, some of these reasons include:
1.     No self-service
2.     No free trial or freemium option
3.     No ability to purchase online
4.     Complex Pricing model
5.     Complex product setup, usage and navigation
 
Perhaps a sales-led approach would be more realistic for such products that fit the aforementioned criterions.
 
Let’s understand what fits where and what works best for your product?
 
PRODUCT- LED GROWTH (PLG)
SALES- LED GROWTH (SLG)
 
Suitable Candidates for PLG:
Interest generated from the bottom of the funnel Instant Value creating products, leading to instant customer impact Product which is easy to understand, evaluate, adopt and integrate in existing workflows Easy to try and buy option Customer is decision maker and the end-user  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Suitable Candidates for SLG:
Interest generated from the top of the funnel. Product where time to value is long Self-service is not available Suitable for products/ businesses with relatively smaller addressable market Complex product coupled with an enterprise sized client Customer and end-user may be different In initial phases of the product/ category, when your product is not fully established, hand holding customers becomes important.  
Advantages of PLG:
Wider potential top of the funnel, with more customers who will have access to free-trial and/or freemium model (or if you’re offering free trials) Significantly lower customer acquisition cost (CAC) Instant the customer value and experience Increase customer retention and upsells Shorter sales cycle Higher potential for product virality  
 
 
Advantage of SLG:
Traditional, yet proven and tested model to acquire enterprise customers Increased conversion rate and faster onboarding for complex products Ability to close high Lifetime Value (LTV) customers High level sales-end user engagement ensures easy learning of usage and relevant features. Customer specific customisation of the product/ solution Closer to customer, hence better access to customer feedbacks  
Disadvantages of PLG:
·Can only be utilised where product offers trial or freemium model Significant investment in product innovation, design and continuous improvement  
 
Disadvantages of SLG:
Enormous investment in Sales and Marketing of the product The customer acquisition model is often leaky The organizational structure hinders product development  
 
 
 
SLG+PLG Approach 
Many of the successful product-led businesses have eventually integrated the traditional, tried and tested sales-led approach as they’ve have grown. This integration was essentially instrumental in
·       reaching out to those potential customers can could not have been reached via. product-led approach.
·       customer expansion such as upgrades, renewals, and allow you to target at an enterprise level.
 
Both product-led and sales-led approaches have their prospects, time and place. Understanding when which works best and how to incorporate them together to bring the maximum value and experience to the customer is the key, because in the end, it’s the customer impact that really matters and drives long-term sustainable growth.
 
References: https://productled.com/blog/product-led-vs-sales-led/, https://productled.com/blog/product-led-growth-definition/