Category Archives: Design principles

Five guiding thoughts for good operating model work

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Andrew Campbell

I enjoyed reading an article by Marcia Blenko, a Bain & Co advisor, about operating model work for charities – https://www.bridgespan.org/insights/library/organizational-effectiveness/nonprofit-operating-models.  The article follows the Bain definition of an operating model, which is focused on organisation structure, accountabilities, governance, systems … Continue reading →

Posted in Decision grids, Design principles, Design tools, Strategy, Tips for design work | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Design Principles that guide the design

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Andrew Campbell

I have already completed three blogs on the topic of design principles – design principles – how to get good ones, more on design principles and understanding design principles  .   But I was recently approached by my son, who is … Continue reading →

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More about design principles

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Andrew Campbell

The more work I do on operating models and organisation structures, the more I focus on creating good design principles.  For example, at a recent workshop in Brisbane (just showing off that I have a global client base!), I spent … Continue reading →

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The importance of starting with value chains

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Andrew Campbell

I am siting in Singapore overlooking the straights from Sentosa Island, about to contribute to a conference. (Sorry to boast but the view is … distracting)   But still time for a blog on operating models. Mark Lancelott of PA … Continue reading →

Posted in Design principles, Design steps, Value chain | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some thoughts on the process of design

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Andrew Campbell

I have realised over the years that the flow charts we put together to describe the work steps of a design project, which look very neat, dovetail into each other and make all kinds of rational logic, don’t describe what … Continue reading →

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Tips for designing target operating models

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Andrew Campbell

This video describes six tips to help you with designing operating models.   I think you will get more from reading the blogs in this blog than from watching the video,  but if you prefer the human touch, the video will … Continue reading →

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How to clarify strategy

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Andrew Campbell

When designing an operating model or business architecture, the team are often confronted with the issue of needing to clarify the strategy. For example, how many new service areas is the company planning to develop or how important are back … Continue reading →

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Design principles – how do you get good ones?

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Andrew Campbell

Most experts on organisation design or operating model design or enterprise architecture will tell you that you need to define your “design principles” or “design criteria” before you start developing solutions.   The design principles tell you what “good” looks like.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Design principles, Design steps, Design tools | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Understanding design principles

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Andrew Campbell

I had always thought of design principles as objectives that help the designer choose between options. But, as I worked, I realised that design principles only provide guidance towards an acceptable solution space. Within that space there are still many … Continue reading →

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