The one-pager
Make the problem and opportunity compelling and clear,
and do it as simply as possible.
What's in it?
Current State
It forces clarity on what’s really happening and why it matters. A strong current state grounds the problem in actual observations, data, and experience.
Future State
It paints a clear picture of what better could be, so everyone moves in the same direction. You don't need all of the details, but clearly articulate what changes would be made and how that would solve the current problem.
Next Step & Hypothesis
It defines a simple next step you can take in the next two weeks. Be clear about what you will do next and what you think will happen. This is the secret sauce to continuous improvement and innovation!
Why a one-pager?
Everyone is busy. Everyone is stretched. Don't make leaders and team members search for data and read through pages of unnecessary text. Get right to it. This is a master leadership practice. What's the problem, and why is it important? How should it work? What simple next step can you take next to learn more?
Start by clearly defining the problem within the current state section using real examples, data, and storytelling to make the problem visible and undeniable. What is actually happening? Where is the friction? Who is affected? Instead of jumping prematurely to solutions, we show that we've taken the time to go to gemba, ask good questions, and we use that detail to describe the problem as it exists today.
Then, immediately shift into the future state. If the problem were solved, how would things work? How would it feel? What would be different for customers, employees, or stakeholders? Even if every detail isn’t known yet, paint a vivid, shared picture of the direction forward using design thinking and structured ideation.
Finally, translate vision into action: What is one super simple step we can take in the next two weeks? What’s our hypothesis? What data will we gather, from whom, and what do we expect to learn? Do we need another gemba visit? Leadership approval? A vendor quote? A team meeting? Don't try to solve world hunger and don't try to solve your problem in one fell swoop. Progress comes from small, thoughtful experiments. That's how we learn, and that's how we grow.
