Got Market Insights? - A value-delivery-driven organization continuously explores the market for strategic insights. It first analyzes its Value Delivery Chain to identify and focus on the real primary entity in that chain (as opposed to focusing on intermediary customers/buyers). The organization then uses the Becoming the Customer methodology to analyze current and potential customers, especially the primary entities, and then analyzes competitors through the value-delivery lens.

Got a real and complete strategy? - Such an organization must next translate these insights into explicit value delivery strategy. While many assume they "have" a good Value Proposition, however, most organizations have not articulated a real and complete one, as defined in DPV, nor a complete, integrated Value Delivery System driven by that proposition. And likewise, many have a 'strategy' but omit other crucial elements in a complete strategy.

And, is it a winning, breakthrough strategy? - Finally, an organization may even have a real and complete strategy, but still must step back and ask if that strategy is clearly a winner, capable of achieving a true breakthrough in profitable growth. Essential to meeting this standard is to have chosen, and committed to delivering, a Value Proposition to the primary entity that will be truly different and clearly superior versus competition, in terms that are meaningful and important to that primary entity.