Spotlight
PAGE: https://alison.com/course/developing-strategy-to-solve-business-problems
PROMISE: Map strategic thinking to specific business bottlenecks instead of guessing.
WHO: Small business owners who are overwhelmed by SaaS tools and need a framework to keep only what works.
WHYNOW: The time spent on manual audits is high and a structured framework reduces the cost of trial and error.
DESC: This management training course explains how to develop business strategies by harnessing OKR, reductive thinking and brainstorming to solve problems.
BEFORE: Subscriptions are treated as isolated line items without strategic context.
BEFORE: Business issues remain vague and unstructured during audits.
BEFORE: Tools are selected based on feature lists rather than objective alignment.
AFTER: Each subscription is mapped to a specific root cause of business friction.
AFTER: Business issues are structured into clear problem statements for evaluation.
AFTER: Tool choices are validated against defined objectives and key results.
GAIN: A clear link between root causes of business problems and specific SaaS tools.
GAIN: A structured problem statement that clarifies what a tool must solve.
GAIN: An alignment check between business objectives and active subscriptions.
STEP: You list random tools without knowing which business problem each one solves. || Identify the major factors that cause the problems facing your business || Connect each SaaS subscription to a root cause of friction before evaluating solutions.
STEP: You struggle to justify a new tool because the business issue is vague. || Indicate business issues and place them into a problem statement || Use a clear problem statement to verify if a tool addresses the specific gap.
STEP: You buy tools that do not align with your quarterly goals. || Define your business objectives and key results || Audit subscriptions against key results to drop tools that do not drive outcomes.
NOTFOR: Teams that need technical implementation guides or API documentation.
NOTFOR: Businesses that do not face strategic ambiguity or tool sprawl issues.
FACT: Average duration: 1.5-3 Hours
FACT: CPD-accredited certificate available
FACT: Beginner level
COVERS: Identify the major factors that cause the problems facing your business
COVERS: Indicate business issues and place them into a problem statement
COVERS: Define your business objectives and key results
COVERS: Recognise potent strategies to solve business problems
COVERS: Analyse all necessary data before a brainstorming session to decide on the right strategy
COVERS: Evaluate the progress of your problem-solving plan by means of an action tracker
COVERS: Business Development
COVERS: Course Overview
COVERS: About This Course
COVERS: Course Description
COVERS: Read More
MODULE: Business Problems: Identify and Rectify || How to Identify Business Problems | Define Success by Setting Objectives | Developing Strategy for Solving Problems | Planning and Execution
What you are probably seeing
You look at your monthly software bills and see charges for tools you rarely open.
You track a customer through three different platforms to finish one job, causing delays.
Why it happens
New tools are often bought to fix specific fears rather than to remove known friction.
Workflow steps are not broken down clearly, so extra subscriptions become a buffer for missing processes.
What changed recently
Step by step
1. List every task that takes more time than it should this week.
2. Identify the exact point where you switch between two different apps.
3. Select one tool that connects those two steps without adding a new tab.
4. Delete or pause one subscription that does not replace the new tool.
5. Track your time on that specific task for seven days to verify the improvement.
Ways to go further
Start here: Developing Strategy to Solve Business Problems For when you want to map tools to the specific problems slowing the business down. Open the free course on Alison ↗
Affiliate links: CHEAPUNO may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
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