Leading Actions and Decisions Assignment

Section	Point Allocation
Leadership Canvas Feasible Idea Test – JTBD Analysis Critical Thinking Case Analysis	10
	20
	20

Section 1: Leadership Canvas

“It’s not uncommon to find that 20% to 40% of the acts and activities of leaders at all three levels provide only questionable value to those above and below them. It’s also not uncommon to find that leaders are underinvesting in 20% to 40% of the acts and activities that interviewees at their level cite as important.” – Blue Ocean Leadership

The purpose of this is not to do a full audit, but to help you learn the process. If you don’t have work experience on which to reflect to complete these assignments, interview another person such as family member or friend. If you prefer to draw the diagrams below on paper and paste a picture into this document, that is fine!

• Pick either Front Line, Middle, or Top Managers in a company with which you are familiar.
• Think of the top 10 activities, good or bad, on which managers spend most of their time as well as the top 3-5 activities managers don’t currently do, but should.
• Categorize these actions under “Leadership Activities” in the Leadership Canvas on the next page based on whether each action should be eliminated, reduced, raised, or new actions created.
• Plot points based on how much time and effort managers are spending on these activities and connect those points with a red line. This represents the “actual line.”
• Plot points based on how much time and effort managers should be spending on these activities and connect those points with a green line. This represents the “ideal line.”

Leadership Canvas

Time and Effort High Average Low
Eliminate	Reduce	Raise	Create

Leadership Activities

Section 2: Feasible Idea Test – Jobs to Be Done Analysis

Instructions: Please read Finding the Right Job For Your Product attached in blackboard and watch the module presentation before completing this section of the analysis. Use the 611_Abbreviated JTBD Feasibility excel file in blackboard to assess market and product strategy and develop a feasible idea. An example is also available in blackboard for your review.

Please paste the 5 items below from your abbreviated jobs to be done analysis. Use your snipping tool to paste them as a picture.

• Jobs To Be Done Relative Importance Pie Chart (not the table):
• Market Strategy Chart (not the table):
• Product Strategy Chart (not the table):
• The name and description of a product or service you recommend creating based on your analysis. If the results of your analysis indicate that there is not sufficient opportunity to justify a new innovation, please indicate that instead.
• Interview Feedback from Interviewees:

Section 3: Critical Thinking Case Analysis: La Cocina

Instructions: Please read the following case and answer the case analysis beginning on the next page.

Miguel is a 35 year-old chef in a local Mexican restaurant and has recently noticed how many people buy their food to-go, rather than coming into the restaurant to eat. He thinks that around 25% of the restaurant’s sales come from to-go orders which would equate to approximately $75,000 in revenue. While Miguel can make $35,000 per year as a chef, he knows he won’t be making much more than that in 30 years if he stays in that position. As the sole provider for his wife and 4 children, Miguel is starting to see that he will practically never be able to retire so he is considering opening his own restaurant.

Approximately 14,000 people live in Miguel’s town (See demographics in table 1) and there is one traditional Mexican restaurant and a Taco Bell. However, the town does not have a quick-casual Mexican restaurant such as Chipotle, Qdoba, or Moe’s Burritos, which have become very popular in the past decade. Miguel didn’t personally know anyone who had started a quick-casual Mexican restaurant before, so he gathered some information from his friends at Mexican restaurants (casual dining) and Taco Bells (fast food) in nearby towns (see table 2). Miguel had little training with regard to business creation, or even accounting, but he did know the 30/30/30 rule of thumb in the restaurant business (30% of every sale goes to food cost, 30% to employees (he would be alone starting out), and 30% profit). He was also able to get a breakdown of the dishes sold at a Mexican restaurant in Trenton (see table 3).

Miguel recently heard that the secret behind a successful quick-casual Mexican restaurant was having a limited menu and quality food. Miguel was an excellent chef so he designed his entire menu around unique burritos and various nacho platters. This would also allow him to offer items such as a burrito bowl or nacho-less nachos, which includes all of the ingredients of the main items except the tortilla or chips, at the same cost and preparation time. Miguel planned to rent a space in a local strip mall and he estimated all of the fixed costs and start-up costs (see tables 4 and 5). He was aware the restaurants have one of the highest failure rates of any business so he wants to be prepared for any questions the loan officer might ask, but he isn’t sure if or when he would break-even in the business. Miguel also wants to use the data he collected from other restaurants to show that his business was viable, but he isn’t quite sure how to use the date to make a persuasive case for his business. In preparation for his meeting with the loan officer, Miguel found the following formulas online to help him calculate his break-even points:

• Contribution Margin = Price – Variable Cost
• Weighted Average Contribution Margin = (Product A Contribution Margin X Percent of total sales for product A) + (Product B Contribution Margin X Percent of total sales for product B)
• Weighted Average Price = (Product A Price X Product A Percent of Sales) + (Product B Price X Product B Percent of Sales)
• Break-Even Quantity = Fixed Costs / Weighted Average Contribution Margin
• Break-Even Sales = Break Even Quantity X Weighted Average Price

Miguel sat down and stared blankly at the formulas. He thought, “People love the food I prepare, but should I start my own restaurant?”

Instructions: Please use the case above and the “La Cocina data” excel file in blackboard to answer the following questions from Miguel’s point of view. Please list responses to questions 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 in “a,b,c” format.

• Purpose: What is the primary objective in analyzing this case?
• Question at Issue: List the primary problem in the case.
• Concepts: List at least 3 principles, concepts, or theories which help us solve these questions and apply them to this case. To receive credit, please bold and underline the principle, concept, or theory and indicate the source (e.g., Leading oneself and others, slide 5).
• Assumptions: Identify as least 5 assumptions which must be made in this case. Remember that assumptions are items over which the main character has no control and cannot access the data to answer those questions. Remember to consider all stakeholders in the assumptions (Number assumptions for credit).
• Points of View: Identify as least 5 stakeholder points of view that should be considered in analyzing this problem and why? Remember that stakeholders include all groups impacted by the company’s decisions whose perspective should be considered given the problem at hand.
• Information: What evidence (quantitative and/or qualitative) have you accumulated to help make a decision? Notice: Please show all work for credit.
• Interpretations & Inference: Describe a solution to solve the problem you identified in the case. Hint: “Gather more data” or “make a decision” is not a solution. Your role is to make the decision with the data available.
• Implications & Consequences: Describe what would need to occur if your solution is chosen.

• Nachos Contribution Margin =
• Burritos Contribution Margin =
• Nachos Percent of Total Sales =
• Burritos Percent of Total Sales =
• Weighted Average Contribution Margin =
• Break Even Quantity Per Year =
• Weighted Average Price =
• Break-Even Sales =

I can see clearly now that you are done!

It’s gonna be a bright sun-shiny day!!!