Introduction

RI Expands the Efficient Frontier

Almost all Programs at the Roadmaps Institute are built around a very simple concept called  the Efficient Frontier.  The Efficient Frontier is reached for a company when a project portfolio is optimized.  Projects are usually prioritized to go into the project portfolio based on Return on Investment or ROI.   The number of projects that can be accepted into a company's project portfolio is limited by the resources available.  This constraint can be seen in the graphic as the "Budget" Line.  The limitation on the expected return on the projects if resources are fixed is the available projects based on the knowledge of the managers involved.  

What RI does with client companies is works with them to move up the budget line to higher return on investment projects as frontier expansions, with highest level expansion being the Alliance Frontier. 

For an explanation of each dot in the chart, follow this link!

12 Principles

Learning about the Roadmaps Institute starts with the 12 Principles that were created along with the first Program at RI .....  The DR2IVE  Program.    The 12 Principles permeate everything that RI has done since 2005.   Watch this video to learn about the 12 Principles. Pay special attention to the 13th Principle which is a favorite not in the list of 12.  (Note: it is presented by Dr. Starling prior to gender affirmation.)

What is a Roadmap?

Roadmaps are interlinked improvement projects an organization plans to do in the future.  Each project or milestone links to more detailed information with activities and costs. Roadmaps are created from projects determined by RI Assessments.

RI Goes Beyond Standard Roadmaps  

A standard Roadmap can also be referred an Organization  or Company Roadmap.  A level up from a standard Organizational Roadmap is an Enterprise Roadmap, which combines and optimizes division projects.   The highest level is referred to as an Alliance Roadmap, which includes collaborative projects between the champion enterprise, but also key suppliers and customers ... aka Alliances.  Combining best practices and roadmaps at all three levels of Organization, Enterprise, and Alliance Roadmaps results in the ultimate competitive advantage of what RI has defined as Robust Roadmaps.

Better Roadmaps with Best Practices

Most companies that have used RI methods have focused on just one step chart, but some have measured themselves on an entire Industry Segment Model which usually includes 10 step charts covering the top ten core competencies in their industry.  The circular illustration on the left shows an Industry Segment Model for Aerospace.  Once assessed, and this figure is assessed, we refer to it as a Navigation  Wheel. 

A Navigation Wheel contains Core Competency Step Chart results, where each “spoke” on the Navigation Wheel represents a chart. The Navigation Wheel provides a 360o view of a company’s capabilities, as well as the planned results from roadmaps for improvement.  The current state of the organization  is shown by the interior edge of the yellow area.   The future state of the organization  after a two-year roadmap is shown by the interior edge of the red area.

25 World-Class Step Charts

Step Charts are the foundation upon which we discover opportunities for improvement.  At RI, we kept creating new charts based solely on industry requests.  RI's most popular core competency step charts cover:  Alliance, Brand, Channel, Cost, Customer, Demand, Design, Diversity, eCommerce, Ethics, Financial, Flexibility, Information, Leadership, Lean, Legal, Outreach, Process, Program, Quality, Resource, Risk, Service, Supplier, Sustainability.

Notice that none of the charts represent one traditional functional area since they are core competencies that span multiple traditional function.   Core competencies also span value chains and RI charts are specifically written to account for suppliers and customers in value chains.

Example Step Chart

Here is a voiceover of the World-Class Cost Management Step Chart by Dr. Starling (prior to gender affirmation).   Note that the step charts have four steps: Clerical, Mechanical, Proactive, and World-Class.  Although most companies have already progressed past the Clerical step when they do their first assessment with an RI Chart, the four steps are useful to identify successes that are behind a company as well as gaps they want to close for the future.   By listening to Dr. Starling present this chart common to all organizations, one can grasp the power of a maturity model type analysis.  

The video is 1 hour 39 minutes to just present the one chart.  

Lead with Paradigm Integration

Since RI incorporates the latest developments in management practice, the institute can be thought of as a paradigm integrator.  As a paradigm integrator, RI brings together the world’s best practices under one “umbrella.”   When the next paradigm emerges, RI works to incorporate it into its step charts.  Organizations can then tap the best practices from established and new paradigms without becoming too focused on one paradigm.

A result of this approach is the World-Class Management Step Charts need updating as new paradigms and best practices emerge.  So if you found one of our old step charts floating around on the web somewhere, odds are it is outdated.  And if you evaluated your company on a chart such as World-Class Cost Management a decade ago as an 8 out of 10 but you have stagnated since that time, odds are your latest score would be something like a 6 out of 10 today!

Design Your Own Competitive Advantage

All programs at RI were initially developed with industry and academia.  Our step charts are a bit like Legos!  You can put them together however you see fit to meet the needs of your customized program.  In the remaining  sections of this web site you will see various ways these "legos" can be put together into programs.   We request you look over the existing programs, but consider building your own for your company so your needs are explicitly met. 

 At RI we want to work with you for results, not as an  academic exercise.

Let build a world-class program together!