Assignment 1: Framing the Problem/Opportunity

Due: Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 4 (Weight: 15%)

Overview

Effective leaders understand that actions must be based on facts. Which facts are most important, however, depends on how the problem is framed. Failure to adequately define the problem can set in motion a series of misguided undertakings in which irrelevant data are gathered, unnecessary analyses are completed, and unsupported decisions are made. The first step in developing your Board Brief is to craft a clear statement of the problem/opportunity, and then determine which data are most critical to solving that problem. This is your opportunity to begin using the business analytics tools that will guide you throughout your Capstone Project.

Instructions

For all assignments in your Capstone Project, your work will be based on the organization you identified in your Week 2 Discussion Question post. In this assignment, you will submit a 2 to 3-page paper in which you will include a brief overview of market conditions and develop a clear and well-focused problem/opportunity statement. This requires you to provide sufficient background on the competitive environment and the organization to accurately frame the problem for your Board. Your deliverables are:

Present a brief overview of market conditions, the competitive environment, and the strengths and weaknesses of your organization relative to your competitors. You should draw on one of the methodologies you have studied in the program (such as Jack’s 5 Step Strategy Framework, SWOT, PESTEL, or Porter’s Five Forces) to guide you, but DO NOT present a full-blown market analysis to the Board. Your Board members will already possess significant knowledge of the market and the company, so use this overview to set the stage for the rest of your brief. Distill your overview down to 2 components.
First, provide a general overview of market conditions, trends, and big issues. For example, you may begin with a line such as “As you know, we have experienced considerable challenges in this space over the last two years…”
Then, summarize the competitive environment. Open with a sentence such as “Our biggest competitor ABC has made bold steps to develop X and has made significant gains in market share in Y. This has presented us with a number of challenges…”

Problem/Opportunity Statement

Following your overview, identify the specific problem or opportunity that, if properly addressed, will have a significant positive impact on the success of the organization. This will include your “testable hypothesis” for which you will gather and analyze data to validate in your next assignment. To accomplish this:

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Define a clear problem or opportunity that addresses what is important to the organization in order to meaningfully improve its competitive strength. Note: It is expected that you will refine the problem/opportunity statement you drafted for your Week 2 Discussion Question, leveraging the feedback you received from your classmates and professor.
Identify key data and metrics you will study that are relevant to addressing the problem/opportunity.
Identify stakeholders who will be involved in addressing the problem/opportunity. At this stage, you do not need to name specific people, but you must identify functions, departments, geographical areas, etc., that will be impacted. You must also explain the nature of the potential impact.
Include relevant information on previous experiences or findings related to this problem/opportunity. This information may be noted in an appendix if that is more appropriate for context and flow

Formatting and Submission Requirements

Submit your work in Word
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, and the course title and date
Include a references page with your sources
The cover page and the references page are not included in the required page length
Use professional font (Times New Roman or Arial), 10-12 font size, and double-space
Use headings to identify main topics and subtopics
Separate paragraphs by a single space

Rubric: Assignment 1

Criteria	Unsatisfactory	Low Pass	Pass	High Pass	Honors
1. Demonstrate correct application of selected framework for market analysis Weight: 15%	Did not use an approved framework or did not demonstrate understanding of the proper application of the selected framework	Demonstrated minimal understanding of the selected framework; included several incorrect applications of key elements	Demonstrated basic understanding of the selected framework; only minor incorrect or insufficient applications of key elements	Demonstrated very good understanding of the selected framework; no incorrect applications of key elements	Demonstrated deep understanding and thorough application of the selected framework; focused clearly on the most critical market forces
2. Include appropriate data and real-world examples to populate the selected framework for market analysis Weight: 15%	Did not include appropriate and verifiable real-world data and examples and/or included vague or unsubstantiated or irrelevant data and examples	Included 4 or fewer verifiable real-world examples and data; several data and examples were off- topic or poorly connected to key framework elements	Included 5 or more verifiable real-world examples and data; minimal examples were off-topic or poorly connected to key framework elements	Included 5 or more verifiable real-world examples and data; all examples were on-topic and connected to key framework elements	Included 5 or more verifiable real-world examples and data; all examples were extremely well- chosen and provided excellent support for key framework elements
3. Clearly define the problem and/or opportunity, leveraging feedback from DQs Weight: 20%	Did not submit or incompletely defined a problem or opportunity of importance to the organization; problem or opportunity not supported by market analysis	Problem or opportunity statement was overly vague and/or was not supported by market analysis; scope may have been too broad or too narrow	Problem or opportunity statement was supported by market analysis; scope may be too broad or too narrow and needed to be more tightly defined	Problem or opportunity statement was clear and was supported by market analysis; scope was appropriate and well- defined	Meets all HP requirements and includes a compelling call to action
4. Identify key data and metrics to study that are essential to addressing the problem and/or opportunity defined Weight: 25%	Did not identify key data and metrics relevant to the problem/opportunity or identified irrelevant data and metrics	Identified 2 or fewer key metrics and data relevant to the problem/opportunity; connection to the problem/opportunity may be unclear	Identified 3 or more key metrics and data relevant to the problem/opportunity; connection to the problem/opportunity is included, but is vague or overgeneralized	Identified 4 or more key metrics and data relevant to the problem/opportunity; connection to the problem/opportunity is clear and specific	Identified 5 or more key metrics and data relevant to the problem/opportunity; connection to the problem/opportunity is clear and specific and demonstrates excellent insight into potential causes and correlations
5. Identify stakeholders who will be involved in addressing the problem/opportunity Weight: 10%	Did not identify stakeholders and/or did not explain the rationale for inclusion and anticipated impact	Identified some stakeholders, but omitted additional key stakeholders; provided minimal rationale for inclusion and/or missing or unclear anticipated impact	Identified all key stakeholders and rationale for inclusion; provided basic explanation of anticipated impact	Identified all key stakeholders and rationale for inclusion and addressed the nature of anticipated impact	Identified all stakeholders, provided rationale for their inclusion, and made a clear connection between stakeholders and anticipated impact based on proposed actions

Criteria

Unsatisfactory

Low Pass

Pass

High Pass

Honors

6. Describe previous findings or experiences related to the problem/opportunity

Weight: 15%

Did not describe previous findings or experiences related to the problem/opportunity

Partially described previous findings or experiences related to the problem/opportunity; key findings were omitted or relevance was unclear

Satisfactorily described previous findings or experiences related to the problem/opportunity; key findings were included, but some explanations of relevance were vague

Thoroughly described previous findings and experiences related to the problem/opportunity; findings and experiences are reflected in all elements of the assignment

Exemplarily described previous findings or experiences related to the problem/opportunity; findings and experiences are evident in all elements of the assignment and are integrated in a meaningful way

Assignment 1: Framing the Problem/Opportunity Due: Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 4 (Weight: 15%) Overview Effective leaders understand that actions must be based on facts. Which facts are most important, however, depends on