Project Canvas Guide

Widely used management disciplines are often linked to a few simple frameworks that can be easily understood, and applied, not only by managers but also by the majority of individuals. Porter’s Five Forces1 and value chain2 analysis help to make strategy a key area for every organization to apply. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)’s Growth Share Product Portfolio matrix,3 developed by BCG founder Bruce Henderson, helps us to understand product mix in a simple manner. And the seven Ps4 in marketing, first proposed in 1960 by E. Jerome McCarthy (originally there were four Ps), are an essential framework to help us determine a product’s or brand’s market offering. These four frameworks are some of the best known and most widely used in their domains thanks to the ability of their founders to simplify complex matters.