Toolkit 001 · by Dr Ying Wu

Strategy Toolkit

From analysis to viable solutions. Eleven established tools in three levels, with steps, a worked example, links to official templates and resources where available, with full references. Built for an innovation challenge on financial inclusion, and useful for any brief.

Easy10 minutes each. Understand one person and the real barrier. MediumAbout an hour. Test fit, the outside world and viability. ComplexA few hours. Build the full business case and impact plan.
Practise with the game → Teacher's guide to the game
Start here

Which tool earns which marks?

Most innovation panels judge something like this. Use the tools that strengthen the criteria where your idea is weakest.

Judging criterionTools that strengthen itWhat judges look for
Innovation and creativityHow Might WeValue Proposition CanvasA fresh answer to a real root cause, not a gadget
Understanding of consumer challengesJobs to be DoneBarrier mapFive WhysOne clear person, the real barrier, evidence
Commercial viabilityDesirable · Feasible · ViableBusiness Model CanvasAssumption mappingWho pays, why they keep paying, what could break it
Social impact and inclusionTheory of ChangeStakeholder mapMeasurable outcomes and the partners who make it happen
Presentation and communicationPESTLE plus the one-sentence pitch belowA clear story, one number, a confident answer to "what if?"
Level 1

Easy kit

Quick tools to do together on a whiteboard or sticky notes. Do these first, always.

Jobs to be Done

E1 · 10 min

People don't want a bank account. They want to get a job done in their life, like paying rent safely or sending money home. Design for the job, not the product.

Use it: at the very startOutput: one sentence

Steps

  1. Pick one real person: a name, an age and a situation. Not "young people".
  2. Name the job they need money to do this month.
  3. Add what gets in the way.
  4. Write it as: [Person] needs to [job] but [barrier].
Example: Aisha, 19, paid weekly by a delivery app, needs to save for rent, but fees scare her off banks.

In the game: Step 1, pick a community.

Go deeper: persona and empathy map templates.

Source: Christensen, C.M. et al. (2016) 'Know your customers' "jobs to be done"', Harvard Business Review, 94(9). Read at HBR

Barrier map

E2 · 10 min

A quick scan of the seven barriers that keep people out of formal banking, so you focus on the two that matter most for your person.

Use it: after Jobs to be DoneOutput: top two barriers

Steps

  1. List the seven: physical access, digital confidence, trust, affordability, ID and paperwork, culture and language, financial know-how.
  2. Score each 1 to 3 for your person.
  3. Circle the top two. Not all seven: fix everything and you fix nothing.
  4. Find one piece of evidence for each (a statistic, a quote, a report).
Example: Aisha scores affordability 3, trust 3, digital confidence 1. Her top two are affordability and trust.

In the game: each community shows its two key barriers.

Sources: barrier list from the Biz-a-thon 2026 brief; global evidence in the World Bank Global Findex 2025; UK evidence in the FCA Financial Lives 2024 survey.

Five Whys

E3 · 10 min

Ask "why?" until you get past the symptom to a root cause your client can actually change.

Use it: on each top barrierOutput: a root cause

Steps

  1. Write the problem as a plain statement.
  2. Ask why, and write the answer underneath.
  3. Repeat until the answer is something a company could fix. Five is a guide, not a rule.
  4. Check: is the root cause about the system, not blaming the person?
Example: Why no account? Fees scare her. Why? One overdraft fee hit hard. Why? Her pay jumps around. Why does that matter? Accounts assume a monthly salary. Root cause: products designed for steady pay.
Source: Ohno, T. (1988) Toyota production system. Productivity Press. Guide: Lean Enterprise Institute, 5 Whys

How Might We

E4 · 10 min

Turn the root cause into an opportunity question that invites lots of ideas.

Use it: before brainstormingOutput: one HMW question, ten ideas

Steps

  1. Rewrite the root cause as "How might we...?"
  2. Check the size: not "end poverty", not "add a button".
  3. Generate ten answers in five minutes. Quantity first.
  4. Pick the one that uses what your client already owns.
Example: How might we help Aisha save without fear of fees? One answer: no-fee cash deposits at the ATM, with a weekly savings nudge.

In the game: the channel card is your answer.

Source: IDEO.org (2015) The field guide to human-centered design. Method page: IDEO.org Design Kit, How Might We

Go deeper: build a persona and an empathy map

Once your team has picked one person, give them more depth: what they think, feel, say and do, and what a normal week looks like. These free resources come from their original creators. Download them from the source; they are linked here, not reproduced.

Tip: base your persona on evidence (a statistic, an interview, a report), not guesses. Aisha is fictional, so for your own persona keep every detail realistic and back it with something you can point to.
Level 2

Medium kit

Tools to test your idea against the customer, the outside world and the money.

Value Proposition Canvas

M1 · 45 min

Match what your customer needs (jobs, pains, gains) with what your solution offers (pain relievers and gain creators). You have "fit" when every big pain has a reliever.

Use it: once you have an ideaOutput: a fit check

Steps

  1. Customer side: list jobs, pains and gains. Rank the top three of each.
  2. Your side: list your products and services, pain relievers and gain creators.
  3. Draw lines from each relief to a pain. Any pain without a line is a gap.
  4. Cut features that don't link to anything.
Example: Aisha's pain is fees and fear; the reliever is no-fee cash deposits at the ATM. Her gain is feeling safe and building savings; the gain creator is regular savings nudges that help her save consistently.

Licence: the Value Proposition Canvas is © Strategyzer AG. You may use it in teaching and coursework with credit. Use the official version (free download) and do not alter, sell or build it into software without Strategyzer's permission.

Source: Osterwalder, A. et al. (2014) Value proposition design. Wiley. Official template: Strategyzer, Value Proposition Canvas

PESTLE scan

M2 · 30 min

Scan the outside world for changes that could help or break your idea: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental.

Use it: before you commitOutput: top two risks and a plan B

Steps

  1. For your community and market, note one or two factors under each letter.
  2. Mark each as likely or unlikely, and high or low impact.
  3. Turn the two "likely and high impact" factors into risks.
  4. Write a plan B for each. Judges love a team that has thought about "what if?"
Example: Social: a scam wave makes people distrust new financial services. Legal: identity checks for new accounts get tougher. Economic: cost of living squeezes savings. Technological: mobile data prices rise.

In the game: the reality check is a PESTLE event.

Origin: Aguilar, F.J. (1967) Scanning the business environment. Macmillan. Practical guide and template: CIPD, PESTLE analysis

Desirable · Feasible · Viable

M3 · 15 min

The three-circle test from design thinking. A strong idea sits where all three overlap.

Use it: to find your weakest spotOutput: three scores and a fix

Steps

  1. Desirable: do your users actually want it? What's your evidence?
  2. Feasible: can your client build and run it with what they have?
  3. Viable: does the money work, and who pays?
  4. Score each 1 to 5. Your lowest score is tonight's homework.
Example: Smart ATM cash-to-savings: desirable 4 (Aisha uses cash), feasible 5 (existing machines), viable 2 (who pays?). Fix: a partner bank pays a fee per new active saver.

In the game: Innovation, Viability and Impact scores.

Source: Brown, T. (2008) 'Design thinking', Harvard Business Review, 86(6), pp. 84-92. Read at HBR
Level 3

Complex kit

Tools for the full submission: the business case, the partners, the impact and the risks.

Business Model Canvas

C1 · 1 to 2 hours

A one-page map of how your idea creates, delivers and captures value, in nine blocks.

Use it: for your conceptOutput: one-page business model

Steps

  1. Start on the right: customer segments, value proposition, channels, customer relationships, revenue streams.
  2. Then the left: key activities, key resources, key partners, cost structure.
  3. Check the logic: does every revenue stream come from a segment that values your proposition?
  4. Highlight the blocks where your client (machines, network, partners) is essential.
Example: Segment: gig workers. Channel: ATMs in convenience stores. Key partners: a bank and a delivery platform. Revenue: a fee per active saver paid by the bank.

Licence: the Business Model Canvas is shared by Strategyzer under a Creative Commons licence. Keep "Strategyzer.com" clearly visible under every canvas you use, and credit the original if you adapt it.

Source: Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010) Business model generation. Wiley. Official template: Strategyzer, Business Model Canvas · Usage terms

Stakeholder power-interest map

C2 · 30 min

Plot everyone who can make or break your idea by their power and their interest, then decide how to work with each.

Use it: for your stakeholders boxOutput: a 2 by 2 map

Steps

  1. List stakeholders: users, banks, regulators, retailers, community groups, your client and its partners.
  2. Place each on a grid: power (low to high) against interest (low to high).
  3. High power, high interest: manage closely. High power, low interest: keep satisfied. Low power, high interest: keep informed. The rest: monitor.
  4. Name one action for each "manage closely" stakeholder.
Example: Partner bank and regulator: manage closely. Retail host stores: keep satisfied. Community charities: keep informed and involve as trust builders.
Sources: Mendelow, A.L. (1981) 'Environmental scanning: the impact of the stakeholder concept', ICIS 1981 Proceedings, Paper 20 (original power and dynamism matrix); Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (1993) Exploring Corporate Strategy, 3rd edn, Prentice Hall (power-interest version).

Theory of Change

C3 · 45 min

Show how your activities lead, step by step, to the social impact you promise, and how you'll measure each step.

Use it: for your success measures boxOutput: impact chain with measures

Steps

  1. Start at the end: the long-term change you want.
  2. Work backwards: which outcomes must happen first?
  3. Then the outputs and activities that cause them.
  4. Add one measure per step, and the assumptions linking them.
Example: Activity: no-fee deposits at 50 ATMs. Output: 2,000 accounts opened. Outcome: first deposit within 30 days; still active after 6 months. Impact: more households with emergency savings.
Source: Weiss, C.H. (1995) 'Nothing as practical as good theory', in Connell, J.P. et al. (eds) New approaches to evaluating comprehensive community initiatives. Aspen Institute. Guide: Center for Theory of Change

Assumption mapping

C4 · 30 min

List what must be true for your idea to work, find the riskiest assumption, and design a quick test before you build anything.

Use it: before you pitchOutput: riskiest assumption plus a test

Steps

  1. Write assumptions under desirable, feasible and viable.
  2. Plot each by importance and by how much evidence you have.
  3. Pick the important one with the least evidence.
  4. Design a cheap test (five interviews, a survey, a mock-up) and decide in advance what result counts as success.
Example: Riskiest assumption: gig workers will trust an ATM-based savings pot. Test: show a mock-up to five delivery riders; success if three say they'd try it.
Source: Bland, D.J. and Osterwalder, A. (2019) Testing business ideas. Wiley.
Put it together

Fill your innovation canvas

If your brief asks for an innovation canvas, here is which tool fills each box.

Concept

Business Model Canvas, built from your How Might We answer.

Target users

Jobs to be Done statement plus the Value Proposition Canvas.

Stakeholders

Power-interest map, with one action per key partner.

Success measures

Theory of Change: one measure for outputs, outcomes and impact.

Your one-sentence pitch: "For [person] who [barrier], we [solution], paid for by [who], and we'll know it works when [measure]."
Copyright

Copyright, credits and licences

Every framework here is credited to its original authors and summarised in my own words for teaching. The page does not reproduce copyrighted templates: please download the official canvases from the links above.

  • Business Model Canvas: Strategyzer AG, shared under a Creative Commons licence. Keep "Strategyzer.com" visible under each canvas.
  • Value Proposition Canvas: © Strategyzer AG. Free to use in teaching and coursework with credit; adaptations, resale or use in software need Strategyzer's permission. See Strategyzer's usage terms.
  • Company names: NCR Atleos and Brink's are named for educational discussion only. This toolkit is independent and is not endorsed by either company.
  • Persona and empathy map resources: linked to their creators (Interaction Design Foundation; Dave Gray, XPLANE; Nielsen Norman Group). Download them from the source and follow each creator's terms.
  • Examples: "Aisha" is a fictional persona created for teaching.

Created by Dr Ying Wu for the Learning Lab. For educational use enquiries, please get in touch.

Checked October 2026

References

  • Aguilar, F.J. (1967) Scanning the business environment. New York: Macmillan.
  • Bland, D.J. and Osterwalder, A. (2019) Testing business ideas. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Brink's Company (2026) Brink's to acquire NCR Atleos for $6.6 billion. Press release, 26 February. SEC filing
  • Brown, T. (2008) 'Design thinking', Harvard Business Review, 86(6), pp. 84-92. hbr.org
  • CIPD (n.d.) PESTLE analysis [factsheet]. cipd.org
  • Center for Theory of Change (n.d.) What is Theory of Change? theoryofchange.org
  • Christensen, C.M., Hall, T., Dillon, K. and Duncan, D.S. (2016) 'Know your customers' "jobs to be done"', Harvard Business Review, 94(9), pp. 54-62. hbr.org
  • Financial Conduct Authority (2025) Financial Lives 2024 survey. London: FCA. fca.org.uk
  • Gray, D. (2017) Updated Empathy Map Canvas. Medium. medium.com. Template: gamestorming.com
  • IDEO.org (2015) The field guide to human-centered design. San Francisco: IDEO.org. designkit.org
  • Lean Enterprise Institute (n.d.) 5 Whys. lean.org
  • Mendelow, A.L. (1981) 'Environmental scanning: the impact of the stakeholder concept', ICIS 1981 Proceedings, Paper 20. AIS eLibrary
  • Interaction Design Foundation (n.d.) Personas: a simple introduction. ixdf.org
  • Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (1993) Exploring Corporate Strategy. 3rd edn. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.
  • NCR Atleos (2026) NCR Atleos Corporation reports strong results in 2025. Business Wire, 26 February. businesswire.com
  • Nielsen Norman Group (2025) Personas make users memorable for product team members. nngroup.com
  • Ohno, T. (1988) Toyota production system: beyond large-scale production. Portland, OR: Productivity Press.
  • Osterwalder, A. and Pigneur, Y. (2010) Business model generation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G. and Smith, A. (2014) Value proposition design. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
  • Strategyzer AG (n.d.) Usage of our tools. strategyzer.com
  • Weiss, C.H. (1995) 'Nothing as practical as good theory', in Connell, J.P., Kubisch, A.C., Schorr, L.B. and Weiss, C.H. (eds) New approaches to evaluating comprehensive community initiatives. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute, pp. 65-92.
  • World Bank (2025) The Global Findex Database 2025: connectivity and financial inclusion in the digital economy. Washington, DC: World Bank. worldbank.org