Crackerjack Visual Thinking

Category: Visual Thinking

  • Why the Crackerjack Visioning Process Creates Double-Loop Learning

    Double-loop learning
    Double-loop learning

    The most valuable insight from a visioning workshop often appears after the workshop.

    During the session, ideas connect, assumptions get challenged, and the emerging model becomes clearer. But something interesting happens when the thinking from the workshop is turned into a strategic visual artefact — often a rich picture.

    Suddenly new insights appear:

    – Missing connections.
    – Hidden assumptions.
    – Strategic tensions.

    In other words, the picture creates a second learning loop.

    The workshop improves the thinking. The visual artefact changes the thinking.

    I wrote a short article on LinkedIn about how this shows up in the Crackerjack Visioning Process™. You can read it by clicking here.

    #VisualThinking #StrategicThinking #SystemsThinking #OrganisationalLearning #StrategyDevelopment #CrackerjackVisioning

  • Creating a vision rich picture for Project 4 Learning Lab

    Creating a vision rich picture for Project 4 Learning Lab

    Crackerjack Visual Thinking recently worked with Project 4 Learning Lab (P4L) to create a rich picture of their vision for the future.

    P4L help organisations find their flow; delivering products to market faster, accelerating flow of knowledge work and accelerating flow of product. They work with organisations including Rolls-Royce, Astra Zeneca, Alstom and Infosys.

    Crackerjack ran a half-day visioning workshop with the team using the Crackerjack Visioning Process™ and then created the rich picture based on the outputs from the process:

    Project 4 Learning Lab Vision

    Click on the image to see the full size PDF version of the rich picture.

    Click HERE to see the animated build version of the image.

    Keith Howells, P4L CEO, shares his experience of the process…

    Why did you want to visualise your vision?

    We were looking for a way to communicate our vision and the work that our organisation does in a holistic way that was both multi-dimensional and engaging at the same time.  We also wanted to ensure that as a team we were absolutely aligned in what we do, how we do it and why that is important to us and our stakeholders.

    How did you find the visioning process (both the workshop and the image development process)?

    The visioning process was exciting and really easy for us all to engage in.  It gave us a structure to have conversations to help us align as a team without it ever feeling constraining.  It was really interesting to see how the process engaged everyone involved and allowed them to express their thoughts and opinions in a slightly different way to how we might in a “normal day”.

    We found the visioning workshop really energising and by the end we felt good that we were in agreement of around 80 or 90% of the inputs that went into the generation of the final picture.

    The image development process was straightforward too because it was staged around the definition of a high level concept and supporting layout before focusing on the details of the imagery and the finer points of the text.

    John was very open to change (whilst also guiding us towards something that was coherent) as we asked for one thing and then decided that we needed something different!  It was a really good experience.

    How do you intend to use the finalised rich picture?

    We plan to use it in two main areas…firstly, to explain to potential new clients about the work we do, how we do it and the difference it typically makes to our clients, and secondly, to support the onboarding of new team members by providing a foundation so that they can become really effective really quickly.

    Find out more…

    Find out more about Project 4 Learning Lab at https://www.p4learninglab.com

    To find out more about the Crackerjack Visioning Process™ and our work, visit https://www.crackerjackvisualthinking.com

     

    #project4learninglab #visualthinking #crackerjack #visioning #richpictures #engagement #communication #business #vision #onboarding #alignment #collaboration #storytelling

  • Delighted to welcome our new client Project 4 Learning Lab (P4L)

    Delighted to welcome our new client Project 4 Learning Lab (P4L)

    We’re delighted to welcome our new client Project 4 Learning Lab (P4L).

    P4L believe in the untapped potential of humanity. Their vision is to unleash human value and accelerate progress towards a thriving, inclusive, and sustainable world for generations to come. Working with clients including Rolls-Royce, P4L harness the power of collaboration, empower organisations to open the valve, make work flow, and release their potential for positive impact in a fast-changing world. Find out more about their work here: https://www.p4learninglab.com/

    Excitingly, as well being a client of Crackerjack, we will also be working together to combine the power of visual thinking with P4L’s ability to help organisations ‘find their flow’. More information on this over the next few weeks!

    project4learninglab p4L crackerjack visualthinking simplifycomplexity communication visualthinking agile

  • Visual thinking: Helping simplify complexity in UK power generation

    Visual thinking: Helping simplify complexity in UK power generation

    Creating a future-proof power generation system for the UK is a hugely complex and costly task (as todays announcement of the UK Governments £14.2bn investment in Sizewell C shows).

    Here at Crackerjack, I’ve been working with a client to help them simplify complexity and visualise how they can help increase the speed and efficiency of three of these major infrastructure construction projects: Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C and the STEP fusion energy project.

    In each case, I’ve been able to create visual rich pictures that have facilitated a deeper and clearer understanding of my clients work for the project teams from each of these construction projects. This also works in reverse, with the creation of the rich pictures enhancing my clients understanding of how they can best support these vital construction projects.

    In one case, the rich picture I originally produced for my client is now being used by a senior exec member of one of the infrastructure construction project teams as a key element of their keynote presentations to key stakeholders (including to the UK Government).

    The more complex a project becomes, the more important it is to simplify complexity in order to engage people with your work and ensure they understand the role you can play in it. Visual thinking and rich pictures can be the bridge between complexity, and simplicity and understanding.

    Find out more about my work here on our website or contact me to explore simplifying your complex project.

    John

    Crackerjack visualthinking communication engagement understanding powergeneration sizewellc hinkleypointC HPC SZC STEP fusionenergy simplifycomplexity

  • Visualising complex product ecosystems

    Visualising complex product ecosystems

    Organisations like SAP, Siemens, and PTC offer comprehensive solution ecosystems that span multiple domains—PLM, simulation, digital twins, IoT, and more. While these solutions are powerful, they are also complex. As a result, many customers struggle to understand how the various tools relate to one another and, more importantly, how they align with their own operational challenges and transformation goals.

    The Communication Gap

    • Customers often focus on immediate problems and can’t always see how a broader platform approach addresses their needs.
    • Sales and product teams may describe capabilities from different angles, leading to inconsistent messaging.
    • Internal stakeholders may lack a shared view of how the offer is positioned for different markets or maturity levels.

    A Visual Thinking Approach

    Using a facilitated visual method—such as the creation of a rich picture—can help bridge the gap between technical solutions and customer understanding. A rich picture is a large, illustrative diagram that captures:

    • The customer’s operational environment and key challenges.
    • How different products or tools contribute to solving those challenges.
    • The broader transformation journey and how solutions align to that trajectory.
    • Dependencies, touchpoints, and contextual factors that are difficult to convey in text or slide decks.

    Benefits of this Approach

    • Customer Understanding: Provides a visual narrative that helps customers see where they fit and how the solution supports their goals.
    • Sales and Marketing Alignment: Offers a consistent, reusable asset that can guide strategic conversations and value positioning.
    • Internal Clarity: Acts as a reference point across teams—helping product, sales, and delivery functions align on message and intent.
    • Adaptability: Can be tailored by sector, persona, or maturity level to suit different engagement scenarios.

    Common Use Cases

    • Industry-specific product overviews.
    • Executive briefings and stakeholder workshops.
    • Onboarding tools for new clients or internal teams.
    • Strategic planning, partner enablement, or bid development.

     If you would like to explore how visual thinking can help you engage clients with your product, please contact us.

    #VisualThinking #CustomerEngagement #ComplexitySimplified #SolutionSelling #DigitalTransformation #TechMarketing #EnterpriseSoftware #StrategicAlignment #IndustrialSoftware #SystemsThinking #EngineeringDesign #CustomerSuccess #InnovationConsulting #VisualConsulting

  • What is Visual Strategy Consulting?

    You’ve probably heard of strategy consulting. And you may be familiar with visual thinking. But put the two together, and something quite powerful happens.

    Visual strategy consulting is about using visuals—not just to present a strategy, but to shape it. It’s about helping teams see the big picture, spot connections, and make decisions faster. When the usual spreadsheets and slide decks start to blur into one, a well-drawn visual can suddenly cut through the noise and make things clear.

    As one of my clients recently shared: “This started board-level conversations we didn’t expect!”

    Imagine mapping out a complex transformation or trying to align a senior team on a shared vision. Words alone can often fall short. But with a structured, visual process, those fuzzy ambitions start to take shape—literally. Diagrams, models, and story-based visuals can show what’s possible and get everyone pulling in the same direction.

    Visual strategy consulting isn’t about making things look pretty. It’s about making thinking visible—so strategy becomes something you can explore, test, and refine together. It creates space for creativity and clarity, which is often what’s needed most in complex change.

    If you work in transformation, innovation, or organisational design, it’s worth exploring how visual approaches can support your next big move.

    #VisualThinking #StrategyConsulting #BusinessStrategy

    #OrganisationalChange #TransformationLeadership

    #ChangeManagement #LeadershipDevelopment

    #InnovationStrategy #FutureOfWork

  • Great feedback from Domestic & General

    Great feedback from Domestic & General

    Really pleased to receive the following feedback from Mathew Scoines, Programme Director at Domestic & General, about a rich picture project recently completed for him:

    Crackerjack was brought into Domestic and General to help us visually represent an extremely complex new platform via an easily consumable and readable ‘rich picture’.  The process was led by John from Crackerjack who achieved this remit and delivered a service and outcome beyond our expectations.  The method by which Crackerjack engaged with us and elicited the information required to shape this visual output was extremely well crafted and fascinating to be part of.  

    John guided us patiently and professionally throughout the process and helped us articulate and break down the key aspects of our new platform solution supporting stakeholder and subject matter expert discussions to elicit the right information at the right level of detail.  John listened carefully and focussed on genuinely understanding our business and the context for this task.  This resulted in a rich picture which skilfully encapsulates a very complex solution and presents it in a format which is easily consumable by and useful to both seasoned experts in our business as well as the layperson.   

     I would recommend both the use of a rich picture to convey complexity in a form which is easy to read and understand and most certainly recommend Crackerjack as the organisation to help achieve this.

     We have commissioned Crackerjack now to take the rich picture and build a story based animation and narration around it – this is going extremely well and I have no doubt will turn out great with John’s guidance and expertise.

     Mathew Scoines

    Programme Director

    Domestic and General

  • #livescribing back in 2016!

    #livescribing back in 2016!

    Site icon
    #livescribing back in 2016!
  • Visual Thinking Skills Online Course – Spaces still available!

    Visual Thinking Skills Online Course – Spaces still available!

    Visual Thinking Skills Online Live-Streamed Course – spaces still available!

    Hi All,

    Hope you had a good Easter break.

    Just a quick post to let you know that there are still places available on my Visual Thinking Skills online live-streamed course on the dates shown below (including the next course this coming Wednesday 27th April).

    If you want to develop your drawing and listening skills and capture people’s thinking as pictures to help them see their big ideas, find out more by clicking on the image below.

    It would be great to see you there!

    John

    #people #visualthinking #skills #training #drawing #listeningskills#bigideas #communicationskills #livestream #onlinecourses #coaches#facilitationskills #facilitator #teamleader #manager #trainer


    Visual Thinking Skills Online Course

    Our other services for individuals: SEE Your Future™ Visual Goal Setting | Personal Vision Rich Pictures | Visual Coaching

    Our other services for teams and organisations: Visual Meeting Facilitation | Strategic Vision Rich Pictures | Whiteboard Animation | Live Scribing


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