Case Study B - Driving High-Productivity Meetings with CPS (Customer Planning Sessions)🎐

Drawing from my experience at IBM, I facilitated a Customer Planning Session (CPS) at Company B that significantly accelerated decision-making and project progress.

#CPS #customerplanningsession #project #leadership #projectleadership #プロジェクト推進力

---

⏩The Challenge: Uncertainty in a Critical Acquisition

"We will spin off Division A in April next year. Figure out the details."

This was the abrupt directive given by top management, with only a timeline but no clarity on execution. The operational teams were left in a state of uncertainty, not knowing what decisions needed to be made, what preparations were required, or how to proceed. Anxiety and confusion were prevalent.

For those who have faced similar challenges, this case study demonstrates how a structured, two-day Customer Planning Session successfully navigated these uncertainties and delivered concrete outcomes.

---

⏩The Approach: Structured Collaboration in a Two-Day CPS

Company B, a manufacturing firm, needed a detailed plan for spinning off one of its divisions into an independent entity within six months.

✅Session Details:

• Timing: October 2021 (Two-day intensive workshop)

• Participants: 11 key stakeholders, including executives, sales, maintenance, quality, export, IT, finance, and order management

• Objective: Develop a spin-off implementation plan, identifying key tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines

• Initial Problem Identification: Each participant identified two key risks to the spin-off, leading to 21 pre-collected concerns

✅How it looks like:

Meeting style of CPS (Customer Planning Session)

Sometimes I request all participants to stand in front of flip chars where those discussion results are visible in front of them.

Those 17 flip chars stands all two days discussion result

✅Session Outcomes:

• Identified Issues: 21 key challenges surfaced

• Root Cause Analysis: 22 underlying causes identified

• Solutions Developed: 17 concrete action plans formulated

• Implementation Strategy: 16 structured initiatives created

---

⏩Results: Successful Spin-Off Execution in Six Months