StrategyBlocks 6 Release Notes

We’re happy to announce the launch of StrategyBlocks 6, a significant release that includes our highly anticipated ideation tool, StrategyBlocks Ideas, as well as new functionality and a redesigned interface for our flagship platform.

The User Interface

Ease of navigation on our platform has always been a priority for us. To enhance this experience, we have reorganized the main menu to include new features and ensure a clear and logical path for users to follow:

  • Home – a new landing page filtered for each user to provide rapid access to information (see below)
  • Strategy – takes you to the various work management block visualizations (hierarchical, Kanban, and timeline)
  • Reports – provides access to the various forms of output (dashboards, status reports, data, and bookmarks)
  • Metrics and Risks – have been promoted in the navigation to reinforce their importance
  • Ideas – a new component for enhanced bottom-up planning and workflow (see below)

We have redesigned the color palette of every page and element to create a lighter and more visually pleasing user experience. The cleaner interface focuses users’ attention on the center of the screen, making it easier to use the system.

Homepage

Upon login, users land on a new homepage screen that displays their frequently used assets. It is divided into the following panes:

  • Object Panes – Provides an overview of objects you own or manage in StrategyBlocks. Panes can be hidden if not required to further simplify the Homepage
  • Actions Pane – Highlights blocks and ideas that may require some form of action
  • Preview Pane – Provides additional information about a selected object
  • News Pane – Highlights any recent changes to objects you own, follow or manage

The purpose of the Homepage is to allow system users to interact more quickly with StrategyBlocks whether they are updating delivery progress, monitoring metrics or risks, and checking the status of their StrategyBlocks Ideas.

StrategyBlocks Ideas

StrategyBlocks has always been a strong top-down platform for strategic planning, but the way organizations innovate is changing. Great ideas to create increased customer value can come from anywhere. As a result, the strategic plan must be able to dynamically grow, bottom-up, through the contribution of a wide variety of people all collaborating on a single plan. The Ideas component of StrategyBlocks 6 enables individuals to contribute their strategic thinking while reinforcing how that thinking contributes to the plan at the highest level. Whether it’s a new project proposal, a departmental business plan, or a staff suggestion, Ideas streamlines the process of integrating new ideas into the company’s overall strategy. It enables this through the following areas of functionality:

  • Creation – idea creation workflow with your own customized questions and categories
  • Design – using either an outline, mind map or GANTT, design how the idea could be delivered and when. Ideas can also be based on past ideas, templates, and archived blocks
  • Contention – add team members to the idea and analyze the contention for those key resources
  • Comparison – ability to compare competing ideas to assess the best potential new projects
  • Approval – set up custom approval paths prior to productionizing the new idea