Strategy Tools

Mapping Out Your Best Possible Direction

What makes you stand out from the crowd? iStockphoto/hidesy

Strategy is the art of working out how you'll "win" in business and in life. This section of Mind Tools teaches more than 75 individual strategy skills, ranging from simple situational analysis techniques to tools that can help you craft a unique and successful competitive position. Use the Browse by Category box to target specific strategy models, or skim the list below to explore the full range of techniques. Enjoy using these tools!

Browse by Category Core Strategy Tools Competitive Advantage Strategic Options Organization Design Strategic Prioritization
Free Tools Mind Tools Club

Executing Strategy Sourcing and Purchasing Strategy Marketing Strategy Manufacturing and Operations Quality Strategy

What is Strategy? The Three Levels of Strategy

Core Strategy Tools

SWOT Analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

The TOWS Matrix Developing Strategic Options from an External-Internal Analysis

Porters Five Forces Understanding Power in a Situation

PEST Analysis Identifying "Big Picture" Opportunities and Threats

Critical Success Factors Identifying the Things That Really Matter for Success

Understanding Competitive Advantage

USP Analysis Finding Your Competitive Position

Core Competence Analysis Building Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Porters Diamond Shaping Your Strategy to Reflect National Strengths and Weaknesses

Porter's Four Corners Model Predicting Competitor Behavior

Kay's Distinctive Capabilities Framework Using Relationships to Build Competitive Advantage

The ADL Matrix How Industry Position Influences Your Strategy

Ohmae's 3C Model Bringing Together Different Aspects of Strategic Thinking

VRIO Analysis Making the Most of Organizational Resources

Competitive Intelligence Understanding Your Competitive Position

Weisbord's Six-Box Model A Starting Point for Diagnosing Organizational Issues

Kotler and Keller's Five Product Levels Exceeding Customer Expectations

Strategic Options

Developing Your Strategy Finding Your Path to Success

Porter's Generic Strategies Choosing Your Route to Competitive Advantage

Bowmans Strategy Clock Making Sense of Eight Competitive Positions

Mintzberg's 5 Ps of Strategy Developing a Better Strategy

Blue Ocean Strategy Leaving Your Competition Far Behind

Scenario Analysis Exploring Different Futures

Understanding Game Theory Using Reason to Predict Future Behavior

The Value Disciplines Model Basing Strategy on Value

Value-Based Management Managing for the Long Term by Maximizing Value, Not Profit

The Business Motivation Model Preparing a Resilient Business Plan

Disruptive Technologies Recognize the Impact of New Products

Organization Design

Organization Design Aligning Organizational Structure With Business Goals

The McKinsey 7S Framework Ensuring That All Parts of Your Organization Work in Harmony

The EPRG Model Growing Into a Global Company

Miles and Snow's Organizational Strategies Aligning Organizational Structure and Strategy

Mintzberg's Organizational Configurations Understanding the Structure of Your Organization

The Greiner Curve Surviving the Crises That Come With Growth

The Pyramid of Organizational Development Managing the Steps of Growth

Strategic Alliances Partnering for Mutual Benefit

Diversification Reducing Business Risk and Expanding Market Size

Adizes' Corporate Lifecycle Identifying the Patterns of Growth and Decline

Strategic Prioritization

The Boston Matrix Focusing Effort to Give the Greatest Returns

The GE-McKinsey Matrix Determining Investment Priorities

Porter's Value Chain Understanding How Value is Created Within Organizations

Value Chain Analysis Achieving Excellence in the Things That Matter

Executing Strategy

Mission Statements and Vision Statements The Power of Purpose

Practical Business Planning Understanding the Components of Future Success

The Pyramid of Purpose Communicating Strategy Concisely

VMOST Analysis Ensuring That Organizational Activities Deliver Your Vision of the Future

The Hoshin Planning System Steering Everyone in the Right Direction

The Balanced Scorecard Motivating Employees to Deliver Your Strategy

The Triple Bottom Line Measuring Your Organization's Wider Impact

Corporate Governance Keeping Organizations Accountable

Employer Branding Creating a Worker-Friendly Culture

Simons' Seven Strategy Questions Improving the Implementation of Your Strategy

Turnaround Management Rescuing a Struggling Organization

Sourcing and Purchasing Strategy

The Outsourcing Decision Matrix Analyzing the Make-or-Buy Decision

Working with Outsourced Suppliers Communication and Clear Expectations Are Key

The Kraljic Portfolio Purchasing Model Assessing Risk and Maximizing Profits

Procurement Management Increasing the Strategic Value of Purchasing

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Managing Suppliers Effectively

Words Used in... Outsourcing A Glossary of Terms

10 Cs of Supplier Evaluation Evaluating Potential Suppliers

Marketing Strategy

Developing Your Marketing Strategy Connecting Products With Customers

The Marketing Mix and 4 Ps Understanding How to Position Your Market Offering

The 4S Web Marketing Mix Considering Key Online Marketing Elements

Market Segmentation Understanding Different Customer Needs

The Product Life Cycle Managing Your Product to Maximize Success

The Product Diffusion Curve Keeping Your Marketing Message Fresh

The Ansoff Matrix Understanding the Different Risks of Different Options

The Sales Funnel Keeping Control of Your Sales Pipeline

Customer Experience Mapping Seeing Your Business Through the Eyes of Your Customers

The Brand Pyramid Building Customer Loyalty

Keller's Brand Equity Model Building a Powerful Brand

Kapferer's Brand Identity Prism Identifying Your Brand's Voice

Corporate Social Responsibility Benefiting Both Your Business and the Community

Manufacturing and Operations

Lean Manufacturing Working More Efficiently

Kaizen Gaining the Full Benefits of Continuous Improvement

Kanban Creating Efficiency in the Workplace

The Product-Process Matrix Using the Right Process for the Volume of Work You're Doing

Just In Time (JIT) Reducing Inventory, Minimizing Waste, and Responding to Your Customers

The 5S System Reducing Waste and Increasing Productivity

Business Process Reengineering Using Radical Change to Improve Organizational Performance

Value Stream Mapping Making Improvements That Add Value

Achieving Economies of Scale Understanding Why Bigger Can Be Better

The Innovation Circle A Process for Introducing New Products and Services

The RATER Model Five Ways to Measure Service

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) Strengthening Your "Weakest Link"

Green Management Taking Steps Towards A Greener Brand

Quality Strategy

Zero Defects Getting It Right First Time

Crosby's 14 Steps for Improvement Organizing Long Term Quality Improvement

Total Quality Management (TQM) Delivering Quality at Every Level

Deming's 14-Point Philosophy A Recipe for Total Quality

Six Sigma Improving Quality Systematically

House of Quality Diagrams Building Customer Satisfaction Into New Products

Benchmarking Comparing Your Performance With the Best

Critical to Quality (CTQ) Trees Translating Broad Needs to Require