2014-08-19 design report - aalborg...

Mentor+- Incubation, mentoring and project management for young entrepreneurs

design reportA masters thesis in Service Systems Design

II

Aalborg University CopenhagenMaster thesis in Service Systems Design

Group members:Joel Emil Klagenberg-Jørgensen

Project title: Mentor+Project period: May 1 to September 5, 2014.

Number of pages: 47Number of reports: 3Supplements: CD-R containing reports in text and pdf format, audiofi les from interviews and process report

Supervisoers: Amalia De GoetzenNicola Morelli

Joel Emil Klagenberg-Jørgensen

5

Problem defi nition

How can a service system be designed to combine mentoring, incubation and project management in a way that supports highly educated entrepreneurs with little experience getting started?

7

IndexProblem defi nition

Index

Figure list

Vision

Touch points

Overview and execution

High level service blueprint

Service design use cases

Ownership, services and business model

Detailing and examples

Script for Consultant for use case “Get assistance”

Perspectives

References

p. 5

p. 7

p. 8

p. 10

p. 12

p. 14

p. 16

p. 18

p. 36

p. 40

p. 41

p. 44

p. 47

8

Figure 1. System map inspired by Manzini et al. (2004) showing a diachronic representation of Mentor+. The system map illustrates the different modules that Mentor+ consists of.

Figure 2. A high level overview of the phases in Mentor+. This diagram forms the base of a high level service blueprint in Figure 3. on the following page.

Figure 3. A high level service blueprint inspired by Løvile et al. (2013) showing a synchronic representation of Mentor+. The service blueprint builds on the diagram in Figure 2. at the previous page and shows the actions of each actor as well as touch point channels for each service experience through the service journey. Service experience titles in bold indicates that the episode has a corresponding use case on one of the following pages (Figures 4-13).

Figure 4. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “First contact”.

Figure 5. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Setup”.

Figure 6. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Negotiation”.

Figure 7. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Register progress” using off line touch points.

Figure 8. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Register progress” using on line touch points.

Figure 9. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Offer assistance”.

Figure listp. 11

p. 15

p. 16-17

p. 18-19

p. 20-21

p. 22-23

p. 24

p. 25

p. 26-27

9

Figure 10. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Request assistance”.

Figure 11. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Get assistance”.

Figure 12. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Feedback”.

Figure 13. Service design use case inspired by Nicola (2009) detailing the service experience “Rate”.

Figure 14. Services available to participants of Mentor+, divided into four groups and rated using background color. Dark blue is essential to the execution of Mentor+, medium blue is creating a satisfying experience with Mentor+ and light blue is all the small things that makes the service experience delighting.

Figure 15. Business Model Canvas inspired by Osterwalder and Pigneur (2010) illustrating the business plan of Mentor+.

Figure 16. Template for SWOT analysis and risk analysis, developed for Mentor+ to support conversation when discussing different options. This template is a sketch that should be developed for both print and screen use.

Figure 17. Checklist for Consultant as part of the detailing of use case “Get assistance”

Figure 18. Example of fi lled out template for arranging goal, milestones and tasks in a hierarchical structure, developed for Mentor+. This template is a sketch that should be developed for both print and screen use. It is part of the project calendar, which can be viewed/edited in this format or as a Gantt chart as illustrated in Figure 19.

Figure 19. Example of fi lled out template for viewing/editing project calendar as a Gantt chart, developed for Mentor+. This template is a sketch that should be developed for both print and screen use. It is part of the project calendar, which can be viewed/edited in this format or as a hierarchical structure as illustrated in Figure 18.

p. 28-29

p. 30-31

p. 32-33

p. 34

p. 37

p. 39

p. 40

p. 41

p. 42

p. 43

10

VisionMentor+ is an answer the Danish government's goal of being amongst the countries best at transforming new

scientific research into new products and services (Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen and REG LAB, 2007). Furthermore

the Danish government wants to be amongst the societies with most startups in the world by 2015(ibid.). There is

currently a big group of potential young talents, bringing lots of new scientific research from the universities, who

have a hard time getting funded by the innovation environments (personal communication, Jakob Stolt , May 20

2014). The purpose of Mentor+ is to help the talents in this group getting a good start, which can hopefully lead to

more successful startups.

The goal of Mentor+ is to help inexperienced Entrepreneurs with high educations set a scope for the company

early on and follow a red line through the startup process. Through a six month course the entrepreneurs will

be facilitated by more experienced entrepreneurs in the roles of Consultants. Mentor+ consists of incubation,

mentoring and aid for project managing, which aims at helping the Entrepreneur test central ideas and eventually

get marked validation on a concept. Furthermore participants in Mentor+ will get used to planning and evaluating

their goals through the use of an advanced project calendar in collaboration with a Consultant. Through the

network at Symbion the Entrepreneur will also get lots of inputs on how to deal with everyday tasks such as

bookkeeping, marketing etc.

It is the hope that Mentor+ can lead to a better transformation of new scientific research into new products and

services as well as leading to a greater pool of successful startups in general.

11Problem areas

??

!

Apply

Setup

Set target Elavuate target

Execute Rate

?

!

...

Hire consultants

?

!

...

Apply

Figure 1. System map inspired by Manzini et al. (2004) showing a diachronic representation

of Mentor+. The system map illustrates the different modules that Mentor+ consists of.

12

Touch pointsIn this chapter I will describe the different touch points of Mentor+. These are the tangible evidence of the service and thereby defi nes the way the service will be experienced by the user. The description of the touch points in this chapter is the base for understanding the service blue prints in the following chapter.

The service system is basically designed as a series of interactions between an entrepreneur and a consultant. The goal of these interactions is to help the entrepreneur defi ne and eventually reach a target that can help answer some central questions for the startup, which can eventually lead to a clearer scope and a validated concept for the startup. The interactions primarily take place at Symbion and are supported by Symbions existing services. From beginning to end the interactions are also supported by an IT system, that keeps track of the progress towards reaching the target, based on registrations from all interactions and a continuously updated project calendar. The primary touch point of the IT system is a web page, but it also has a series of analogue touch points in the form of printed templates. When fi led out, the printed templates are routinely updated in the system by a human actor, whom I call Coordinator.

13Problem areas

Sing up (web page) In order to use any of the features on the web page, the user must create a user account, which makes it possible for the system to collect information about all interactions and link them to specifi c users.

Application form (web page) The web page contains an application module, which allows Consultants and Entrepreneurs to apply to the program. The application module lets the applicant write or upload an application for the program. Before being able to send the application, the applicant has to sign up with the system, which allows the system to collect all information about all participants from start to end.

Offi ce space in shared offi ce Symbion's primary business is renting out offi ce spaces and they offer private offi ces as well as offi ce spaces in a shared offi ce. Participants in Mentor+ will automatically be assigned a space I the shared offi ce, which will enable the routines around manually updating the analogue touch points in the system and at the same time encourage networking with other entrepreneurs.

Script for Consultant (web page) For key interactions the consultant will be equipped with a script that can support the interaction with the entrepreneur. The scripts are designed as a guide for the consultant and does not specify specifi c phrases to use. It is entirely up to the consultant how much he wants to use the script, as the intention is to improve the interaction , not to limit it. In some cases the scripts can also include tools and templates that can be used to improve the quality of the interaction. An example of a script can be seen on page 41.

Script for Consultant (print) The scripts and templates are designed so that they can easily be printed on A4 format. In cases where the script includes templates it will take up more than one page.

Project calendar (web page) Many functions are centered around the project calendar. Target, milestones and specifi c tasks are all entered in the project calendar. The entrepreneur must routinely update his progress by checking boxes that represent tasks and milestones. This makes it possible to follow the progress of the entrepreneur closely and notify the consultant if he should check up on the entrepreneur. The calendar can either be viewed as a Gant diagram or as a hierarchical structure of milestones and tasks. Examples are ilustrated in Figures 18-19.

Project calendar (print) As some may prefer to put the calendar on the wall, the project calendar can also be printed. It is designed so that it can be printed in A4 format, and depending on the settings one paper can show a day, a week, a month or a year. Once a week the coordinator checks in with every participating startup. If they use a printed calendar he registers the updates in the system. (see scenario “Register progress off line”)

Meeting room Symbion offers meeting rooms in varying sizes for all their tenants. Mentor+ uses Symbions existing booking system for booking the meeting rooms.

Phone It is assumed that all participants has their own phone. This both includes entrepreneurs and consultants.

E-mail It is assumed that all participants has their own e-mail. This both includes entrepreneurs and consultants.

On line meeting (web page) The web page has a module for on line meeting, which allows the users to transmit audio, video and text, share their screen etc. This is a standard on line meeting module. The on line meeting module also contains a 'drop box' which allows users to instantly share fi les with each other but drag'n'drop.

Coordinator The coordinator is employed by Symbion to coordinate Mentor+. He will be the offi cial person the participants can go to whenever they feel the need to do so. He will also be facing the participants in some designed situations, such as the application interview, welcome meeting and weekly check up.

Consultant The consultant is both a participant in the program and a touch point for the entrepreneur. He is an experienced entrepreneur himself, who is paid by Symbion to take on the role of consultant, when helping the entrepreneur defi ning and reaching a target.

@

14

Overview and executionIn this chapter I will describe the overall structure of the service system Mentor+, and start to describe the individual steps through the service system in more detail.

The cycle of Mentor+ can be divided into three phases: Prelude, Execution and Conclusion.

Prelude In the prelude phase the Entrepreneur and the Consultant get knowledge about Mentor+, they apply to the program. After being accepted the entrepreneur goes to an informal meeting with the coordinator, where he is also given a tour around Symbion by the consultant. This gives the entrepreneur and the consultant an opportunity to meet each other before starting the mentoring. This phase ends with a meeting between the entrepreneur and the consultant where they negotiate the target for the following six months and subdivide it into milestones and specifi c tasks.

Execution The execution phase is when the actual mentoring is taking place. The entrepreneur works on reaching the target he has defi ned in collaboration with the consultant, who assists the entrepreneur during this phase as the need arises. This can either happen on the entrepreneur's initiative or on the consultant's initiative, who are notifi ed by a project calendar if he needs to interact.

Conclusion In the conclusion phase, the process towards reaching the target, as well as the outcome is evaluated by the consultant and the entrepreneur at a meeting. The goal of this meeting is to help the entrepreneur make an informed decision about his company in relation

to the target that was set in the beginning. After fi nishing the Mentor+ program the entrepreneur is invited to rent an offi ce at Symbion and fi nally both consultant and entrepreneur are asked to evaluate and rate each other via the web page

Through all three phases, all interactions are recorded in an online IT system, which is particularly present in the execution phase, where a project calendar helps keeping track of the process. The It system both helps keeping track of the entrepreneurs' progress and when they need mentoring, but it also allows Symbion to evaluate the program and make continuous improvements.

On the following double page is a high level blueprint that describes all the main steps through the service: who does what and which touch points are present at each step. On the following pages are a series of use cases, inspired by Nicola Morelli's use cases for service design with a graphical representation of the use case on top of a service blueprint (Nicola Morelli, 2009). Each use case describes a step in the high level service blueprint in more detail.

15Problem areas

Prelude Execution Conclusion

Figure 2. A high level overview

of the phases in Mentor+. This

diagram forms the base of a high

level service blueprint in Figure

3. on the following page.

16

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Support

processes

On line

Physical

objects

Personal

interaction

Location

Time

Line of

visibility

Ch

an

ne

ls

Prelude

Send

application

Hear about

Mentor+

Hear about

Mentor+

Go to

Symbion

Register

progress

Show Entrepre-

neur around

Take Entrepre-

neur to office

Define target

together

Register target

in system

Keep script up

to date

Save and process

Entrepreneur’s

registration

Send

application

Go to interview

Go to interview

Make match

Assign office

spaceAccept or reject

applicant

Evaluate applica-

tion and interviewCoordinate mar-

keting efforts

Application system

Database

Match algorithm

Office hotel

Database Database Database

Project calendarEvaluate scriptsFirst contact

Find out

about service

Setup

Neg

otiation

Register p

rogress

Tour

Application formWeb page Script Calendar Calendar

InterviewPresentation Get statusWelcome

At Symbion At Symbion At Symbion At Symbion

Office space

Meeting

Script Calendar

AnywhereAt SymbionAnywhere Anywhere Anywhere

2-25 days

2 hours up to 1 week

4 hours

High level service blueprint

17Problem areas

Execution Conclusion

Discuss options

togetherContact Entre-

preneur and

offer assistance

Request assistance

from Consultant

Accept or decline

assistance

Rate ConsultantAfter finishing

Mentor+ Entrepre-

neur is offered to

rent an office at

symbion

Save rating in

system

Make update in

system

Assist entrepreneur

Schedule meeting

Notify consultant

to check up on

entrepreneur

Show similar prbo-

lems from internal

database

Evaluate if Entre-

preneur should be

offered to start

over

Evaluate

process and

outcome

Register evalua-

tion in system

Decide to continue

or pivot

Database Database Database Database Database

Project calendar

Request assistance

Get assistance

Offer assistance

Feedback

Rate

New

office

Web pageScriptCalendar

Presentation

At Symbion

Office space

Meeting

Script

Phone@

E-mail Calendar

Meeting Meeting

Script

At Symbion At Symbion

Script

Meeting

Phone@

E-mail@

E-mailMeeting

Anywhere Anywhere Anywhere Anywhere

up to 2 hours 1-3 hours

1-3 hours

1 hour

15 minutesup to 2 days

Figure 3. A high level service blueprint inspired by Løvile et al. (2013) showing a synchronic representation of Mentor+. The service blueprint builds on the

diagram in Figure 2. at the previous page and shows the actions of each actor as well as touch point channels for each service experience through the service

journey. Service experience titles in bold indicates that the episode has a corresponding use case on one of the following pages (Figures 4-13).

18

User

acti

on

s

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

Consultant

Touch point

1. Entrepreneur visits

webpage of Mentor+

and reads about how

to apply

2. Entrepreneur

follows link to appli-

cation page

2. Provide applica-

tion webpage

3. Entrepreneur creates

user account

3. Provide sign up

procedure

3. Create user account

in system

How to apply Apply

1.a.1 Entrepreneur calls

Mentor+ to hear about

how to apply

1.a.2 Entrepreneur is

told to apply via

application web page

1.a.2 Provide informa-

tion service on phone

line

1.

1.a.1 1.a.2

2. 3.

Sign Up

Web page Web pageApplication formPhone Phone

2-30 minutes 2 minutes 5-10 minutes1 minute

Use Case Name: First contactGoal: Entrepreneur knows whether or not he/she is enrolled in programBrief description: Entrepreneur applies for partici-pation in programPrecondition: Entrepreneur knows about the ser-viceEntrepreneur is interested in participating in pro-gramPost condition: Entrepreneur is either enrolled in the program or rejectedTrigger: Entrepreneur decides to apply for enroll-ment in program

Figure 4. Service design use

case inspired by Nicola (2009)

detailing the service experience

“First contact”.

Service design use cases

19Problem areas

4. Entrepreneur

provides a description

of the startup

Sign Up

5. Entrepreneur

submits the applica-

tion

5. Ask user to con-

firm application

before sending

5. Save application in

system and send to

coordinator

7. Entrepreneur is

invited to interview

7. Invite Entrepreneur

to interview

9. Entrepreneur is

approved for the

program

Commit application

9.a.1. Entrepreneur is

not approved for the

program

9. Invite Entrepreneur

to into meeting

9.a.1. Notify Entrepre-

neur that he is not

acepted

7.a.1. Entrepreneur’s

application is rejected

7.a.1. Notify Entrepre-

neur that application

is rejected

6. Application is evalu-

ated by coordinator

6. Entrepreneur waits

for answer on the

application

4. 5. 7. 6.

7.a.1.

9.

8. Interview is evalu-

ated by coordinator

8. Entrepreneur waits

for answer on the

interview

8.

Description of startup

Write a description of your

startup here...

9.a.1.

Web pageApplication form Application form Interview@

E-mail

10-60 minutes 1-20 days 1-5 days60 minutes1 minute 1 minute

20

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Touch point

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

1. Entrepreneur meets

coordinator at Sym-

bion

1. Introduce Entrepre-

neur to the Mentor+

program

1. Meeting is booked

and Entrepreneur and

Consultant are

matched by coordina-

tor

3. Meeting is booked

4. Consultant shows

Entrepreneur around

the building and

answers questions

about the program etc.

3. Coordinator entro-

duces Entrepreneur to

Consultant, who has

been assigned to him.

3. Entrepreneur meets

consultant

3. Entrepreneur gets

tour around Symbion

3. Consultant meets

entrepreneur

2. Coordinator briefly

introduces the differ-

ent services included

in the Mentor+ pro-

gram

2. Entrepreneur hears

about services avail-

able in Mentor+

1. 2. 3. 4.

TourTourWelcome Welcome Welcome

30 minutes 10 minutes 30 minutes

Use Case Name: SetupGoal: Entrepreneur is setup at Symbion and ready to start Mentor+Brief description: Entrepreneur is introduced to services at Symbion, shown around and given an offi ce spacePrecondition: Entrepreneur is enrolled in program and has been matched with Consultant by Coor-dinatorPostcondition: Entrepreneur is ready to start the Mentor+ programTrigger: Entrepreneur is invited to intro meeting by Coordinator




“Setup”.

21Problem areas

3. Assign office space

to Entrepreneur

5. Consultant shows

Entrepreneur his ofice

space in the shared

office

3. Entrepreneur gets

his office space in

shared office

6. Entrepreneur finds

all relevant knowl-

edge on web page

6. Web page with all

relevant information

about program

6. Keep web page up

to date, based on

users profile

5. 6.

Tour Web pageOffice space

20 minutes 20 minutes

22

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Touch point

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

1. Entrepreneur attends

meeting with Consultant

1. Consultant books a

meeting room at Sym-

bion

1. Provide system for

booking meeting rooms

2. Entrepreneur

answers clarifying

questions about the

startup

2. Consultant asks

clarifying questions

based on info from

Entrepreneur’s applica-

tion

2. Provide script for

Consultant

2. Evaluate script and

keep up to date

3. /3.a.1 Evaluate script

and keep up to date

3.a.1 Make print service

available to Consultant

3. /3.a.1 Via discussion

guided by Consultant

the most critical prob-

lem areas are identified

3. Provide guiding

questions on screen

3. Consultant is guided

by questions on screen

4. /4.a.1.They agree on

a target that relates to

the Entrepreneur’s

major problem areas

?

?

?

... ...

3.a.1. Consultant is

guided by questions on

print

3.a.1. Provide guiding

questions on print

4. Provide form on

screen

4. Automatically save

content entered in

form on screen

4.a.1. Provide form on

print

...

?

!

...

4.a.1. Consultant writes

target in a prited form

4. Consultant enters

target in a form on

screen

!

...

1. 2. 3. 4.

3.a.1. 4.a.1.

Calendar CalendarMeeting Meeting Meeting Calendar CalendarMeeting


Use Case Name: NegotiationGoal: Entrepreneur has a relevant target and a plan for how to reach itBrief description: A meeting between Entre-preneur and Consultant to identify the startup's problem areas and make a plan for reaching the fi rst targetPrecondition: Entrepreneur has been trhough the scenario “Setup”Postcondition: Target, milestones and tasks are entered in the systemTrigger: Entrepreneur receives invitation from Consultant




“Negotiation”.

23Problem areas

5./5.a.1. Together they

plan how to reach the

target and set mile-

stones

6. Together they go

through the whole plan

on the screen, before

finishing the meeting

6./6.a.1. Consultant

makes sure that they

both agree on the plan

thay have made

together

5. Provide form on

screen

5. Automatically save

content entered in

form on screen

6.a.2. Automatically

save content entered

in form on screen


print

6. Provide form on

screen


screen


print


print

5.a.1. Consultant writes

milestones in a prited form


milestones in a form on

screen

?

...

...

6.a.1. Together they go

through the whole plan

at the paper

6.a.2. After meeting,

Consultant enter plan

into webpage

5.

5.a.1.

6.

6.a.1. 6.a.2.

Calendar CalendarMeeting Calendar CalendarCalendarMeeting


24

Touch pointU

ser

acti

on

s

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

2. Entrepreneur

updates printed

calendar

3. Every Friday the

Coordinator comes by

and checks that the

plan is up to date and

registers it in the

system

1. Entrepreneur views

printed version of

project calendar

1. Provide facilities to

print calendar

3.a.1. If plan is not

updated, Coordinator

asks Entrepreneur for

a status and makes an

updat in the system

3.a.1. Coordinator

updates calendar as in

use case “Register

progress on line”

3.a.1. Give coordinator

status for calendar

1. 2. 3.

3.a.1.

Get statusCalendar Calendar Calendar

2 minutes 2-20 minutes up to 1 week

Use Case Name: Register progress off lineGoal: Entrepreneur's process of reaching his/her target is registered in the systemBrief description: Entrepreneur updates progress on a printed calender, which is updated in the system by CoordinatorPrecondition: The scenario “Negotiation” has been completedPostcondition: Entrepreneur's current progress is registered in SystemTrigger: Coordinator checks in to update progress in the system




“Register progress” using off line

touch points.

25Problem areas

Use Case Name: Register progress on lineGoal: Entrepreneur's process of reaching his/her target is registered in the systemBrief description: Entrepreneur updates progress in project calender on web pagePrecondition: The scenario “Negotiation” has been completedPostcondition: Entrepreneur's current progress is registered in SystemTrigger: Entrepreneur receives notifi cation to up-date progress via web page

Touch point

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

2. Entrepreneur views

progress on project

calendar

2. Show project calen-

dar

2. Automatically keep

calendar up to date

3. Entrepreneur

updates progress to

current status, by

checking check boxes

3. Show check boxes

for current tasks in

calendar

4. System automati-

cally saves the

changes

Progress Progress Progress

Week 34

Saving...

1. Entrepreneur enters

web page

1. Show web page

that is personalized to

Entrepreneur

Task task task

Task task task

Task task task

Task task task

Task task task

Week 34

Task task task

Task task task

Task task task

Task task task

Task task task

1. 2. 3. 4.

Calendar Calendar Calendar Calendar

2 minutes 2-20 minutes 2-20 minutes




“Register progress” using on line

touch points.

26




“Offer assistance”.

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Touch point

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

1. Consultant is notified

that Entrepreneur is off

schedule or has not

registered his progress

2. Consultant contacts

Entrepreneur and

offers his assistance

3. Entrepreneur

accepts assistance

from Consultant

3.a.1. Entrepreneur

declines assistance

from consultant

3.a.1. Web form for

accepting or declining

assistance

3.a.1. Register

response to offered

assistance

3.a.2. Entrepreneur

answers for what

reason he declines

assistance

3.a.2. Consultant asks

Entrepreneur for what

reason he declines

assistance

3.a.2. Suggest possi-

ble reasons for declin-

ing offer on web form

3.a.2. Register

Entrepreneur’s answer

2. 3.

Meeting PhonePhoneCalendar Calendar

1.

1. Notification in

project calendar

1. Register progress

registration by Entre-

preneur

@E-mail Meeting Phone Calendar

@E-mail Meeting Phone Calendar

@E-mail

@E-mail

3.a.1. 3.a.2.

2. Web form for

offering assistance on

web page

2-30 minutes 2-30 minutes

!

?

...

Use Case Name: Offer assistanceGoal: Entrepreneur is secured assistance when neededBrief description: Consultant is notifi ed of Entre-preneur being of schedule and offers assistancePrecondition: The scenario “Negotiation” has been completedPostcondition: Entrepreneur's current progress is registered in System Trigger: Entrepreneur did not register progress or he registered a progress that is not according to schedule

27Problem areas

4. Consultant books a

meeting

3.a.3. Consultant

determines if there is

reason to worry about

the Entrepreneur’s

progress

3.a.3.a.1. Consultant

makes note in system

3.a.3.a.1. Web form for

noting Entrepreneur’s

answer

3.a.3.a.1. Save note by

Consultant3.a.3.b.2 Coordinator

is notified of Entrepre-

neur being off sched-

ule

3.a.3.b.1. Consultant

leaves the Entrepre-

neur be

# Use case: Get assistance

Calendar Calendar CalendarCalendar

3.a.3.

3.a.3.a.1.

3.a.3.b.1.

3.a.3.b.2

4.

4. Suggest possible

dates for a meeting

4. Find free dates in

the calenders of

Entrepreneur and

Consultant

2-30 minutes 2-30 minutes 5 minutes

...

28

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Touch point

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

Request for assistance

1.

1.a.1.

1.b.1.

1.a.1. Entrepreneur

goes to see Consult-

ant in his office and

explains issue

2. System sends a

request for assistance

to Consultant, includ-

ing Entrepreneur's

description

1. Entrepreneur writes

a brief description of

the issue on web page

1. Web form for

requesting assistance

on web page

1. Save description

entered by Entrepre-

neur

1.b.1. Entrepreneur calls

Consultant and

explains issue

1.a.2./1.b.2. Consultant

does his best to help

solve the issue

1.a.2./1.b.2. Entrepre-

neur explains issue to

Consultant

1.a.2.1. Problem cannot

be solved imidiately.

Consultant books a

meeting

1.a.2.1. Suggest possi-

ble dates for a meet-

ing

1.a.2.1. Find free dates

in the calenders of

Entrepreneur and

Consultant

#

1.a.2./1.b.2.

1.a.2.1.

Use case: Get assistance

2.

Meeting Phone Meeting PhoneCalendar Calendar

2-30 minutes 2-30 minutes 5 minutes

Use Case Name: Request assistanceGoal: Consultant assists Entrepreneur or arranges a meeting for assistanceBrief description: Entrepreneur requests assis-tance from Consultant who does his best to helpPrecondition: The scenario “Negotiation” has been completedPostcondition: Entrepreneur is either invited to a meeting by Consultant, who will provide assis-tance or he has recieved immidiate assistance from ConsultantTrigger: Entrepreneur has a need for assistance




“Request assistance”.

29Problem areas

3. After reading Entre-

preneur's description

and viewing progress

status, Consultant

contacts Entrepreneur

3. Show Entrepre-

neur's description of

issue and progress

status

3. Check that

Entrepreneur’s calen-

dar is up to date

Request for assistance

Respond

Thank you for

your request, how

about a web

meweting

tomorrow?Use case: Get assistance

3.

CalendarCalendar

up to 2 days

30

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Touch point

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

1.a.1 Consultant does

his best to help Entre-

preneur via on-line

platform

1.a.1 Provide script for

Consultant + web

conference platform

1.a.1 Entrepreneur

explains issue

!

...

1. At a meeting, Con-

sultant assists Entre-

preneur solving issue


Consultant + meeting

room

1. Keep script up to

date

1. At a meeting Entre-

preneur explains issue

1.b.1. They are not able

to solve problem

together and Consutant

arranges a panel

meeting

1.b.2. At the panel

meeting, Entrepreneur

presents issue

1.b.2. Several Consult-

ants gives feedback

on Entrepreneur’s

issue

1.b.2. Provide meeting

room

#

1.

1.b.1. 1.b.2.

1.a.1

Meeting MeetingCalendarMeetingWeb page Script ScriptScript Script

1-2 hours 1-2 hours 5 minutes 2 hours




“Get assistance”.

Use Case Name: Get assistanceGoal: Entrepreneur gets assistance that enables him to proceed his progressBrief description: Entrepreneur gets assistance from Consultant who helps solve the issuePrecondition: The scenario “Negotiation” has been completedPostcondition: Entrepreneur is able to continue executing the plan in a qualifi ed manner and in-teractions are entered in the system by ConsultantTrigger: Consultant has arranged meeting for as-sistance

31Problem areas

2. Consultant registers

interaction in System,

with a brief summary

of the conversation

Progress

Summary

At on-line meeting

tday, we agreed

to proceed as

previously

planned, except

from ...

2.

Progress

Summary

At on-line meeting

tday, we agreed

to proceed as

previously

planned, except

from ...

3.

Calendar

3. Notify user that

registration has been

saved

3. System automati-

cally saves registration

Calendar

5-30 minutes

32

Touch point

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

1. Consultant makes

appointment with

Entrepreneur to evalu-

ate process

1. Web form for book-

ing meetings

1. Book meeting room

1. Entrepreneur

receives invitation to

evaluation meeting

2. Entrepreneur

attends meeting

2. Consultant leads

meeting

3. Entrepreneur

answers and discusses

questions about the

process

3. Consultant asks and

discusses questions

about the process


Consultant


date


Consultant


date


the answers they

agree on for each

question into System

Progress

Question 5:

Was target

reached on time??

?

...!

1. 2. 3. 4.

CalendarCalendar Meeting Meeting Script ScriptPhone@

E-mail

1-2 hours 5-30 minutes

Use Case Name: FeedbackGoal: Entrepreneur is able to make a qualifi ed deci-sion about how to proceed with his startup in relation to the target that was set in the scenario “Negotiation”Brief description: Entrepreneur and Consultant evalu-ates process and outcome togetherPrecondition: Entrepreneur has participated in Men-tor+ for 6 monthsPostcondition: Entrepreneur leaves Mentor+ and evaluation is saved in the system by ConsultantTrigger: After 6 months Mentor+ ends and the project calendar on the web page notifi es Consultant to ar-range meeting




“Feedback”.

33Problem areas

5. Notify user that

rating has been

saved

5. System automati-

cally saves evaluation

Progress

Question 5:

Target was

reached on time,

but we had two

more meetings

than originally

planned ...

Saving...

5.

Calendar

34

Touch point

User

acti

on

s

Consultant

Entrepreneur

Back

office

Front office

Time

Line of

visibility

Pri

ma

ry

pa

th

Alt

. p

ath

1A

lt. p

ath

2

4. Entrepreneur rates

Consultant on differ-

ent criteria

4. The web page

requests Entrepre-

neur to rate Consult-

ant on different

criteria

1. The web page

requests Entrepreneur to

answer some questions

about Consultant and

their collaboration

1. Entrepreneur receives

notification to rate

Consultant

2. Entrepreneur

answers questions

3. The web page

provides the option

to add a customized

note to the rating

3. Entrepreneur adds

note

!Questions about consultant Questions about consultantons about co

Notes

Mr. consultant is a

stand up guy, who

has been very

helpful for

reaching my first

target!

Questions about consultantons about coRate

Please rate your

consultant by

clicking on the

stars below:

1. 2. 3. 4.

Web page Web page Web pageCalendarPhone@

E-mail


Use Case Name: RateGoal: Ratings are registered in SystemBrief description: Entrepreneur and Consultant rates each otherPrecondition: Entrepreneur has left Mentor+ after completing the scenario “Feedback”Postcondition: Rating of Consultant is saved in SystemTrigger: Entrepreneur and Consultant are notifi ed to rate each other via web page




“Rate”.

35Problem areas

5. Rating is automati-

cally saved by

system

5. Notify user that

rating has been

saved

Saving...

Mr. Consutant

5.

Web page

36

Ownership, services and business modelIn this chapter I will describe the context of Mentor+. I will describe who owns the service and what other services are offered along with it.

Mentor+ is designed as a program offered by Symbion and builds upon the facilities they already offer. Symbion is a private company, which is owned by the Symbion Foundation and a number of private investors (“Om symbion”, n.d.). They have a vision of being the Center for Entrepreneurship in Denmark (“Hvem er Symbion?”, n.d.), or as their vice president Brian List puts it, they want to be to entrepreneurs what Team Denmark is for athletes. This includes teaching talents to become better at what they do, train them and fi nance them (Brian List, personal communication 27/6 2014). This leads me to conclude that Symbion will be the right host for a program such as Mentor+. Their primary offer today is to rent out offi ce spaces, but it is clear that want to be more than that, e.g. by putting huge emphasis on building network around their tenants (“Hvem er Symbion?”, n.d.; Brian List, personal communication 27/6 2014). Symbion offers three different models for renting an offi ce: Private offi ce, shared offi ce space and virtual offi ce. When enrolled in Mentor+, the entrepreneur will automatically be assigned a shared offi ce space, which includes a series of services and facilities which are described in the diagram on the opposite page.

Mentor+ is designed so that the participating startups are rewarded for using the offi ce space they are assigned at Symbion, as this both gives physical proximity to Consultant, Coordinator and other startups. This enables a spontaneous

dialogue, which can solve many issues before they grow into real problems. Working from the offi ce space at Symbion also allows the startups to use a printed project calendar and almost completely omit the using the web page. However the startups are also free to work from other locations, either momentarily or permanently, as both consulting and updating the project calendar are supported on line via the web page.

37Problem areas

Entrepreneur

Sh

are

d b

rea

kfa

st

ea

ch

Mo

nd

ay

Se

min

ar 1s

t Frid

ay e

ach

mo

nth

Accele

race c

om

pact

Sum

mer netw

orking d

ay

Christmas lunch

Shared office space

Common area

Meeting ro

oms

Cafe

teria

Hand

ym

an

Bo

okin

g o

f m

eeti

ng

ro

om

s

Food

(cafe

teria

)Te

lephone se

rvice

Free coffee

Heat

Electricity

Print

Inte

rnet

Cle

anin

g

Additional service facilities

Inclu

ded

serv

ice

facilitie

s

Events

Physi

cal sp

aces

Figure 14. Services available to participants of Mentor+,

divided into four groups and rated using background

color. Dark blue is essential to the execution of

Mentor+, medium blue is creating a satisfying

experience with Mentor+ and light blue is all the small

things that makes the service experience delighting.

38

Consultants will primarily be hired from existing tenants at Symbion, who have a certain amount of experience. Exactly how much experience they need to have is decided by the coordinator from case to case, as other factors such as the demand for their specifi c expertise or background, the number of available consultants etc. also will affect this decision. If necessary consultants can also be hired from Symbion's extend network, but tenants at Symbion are preferred as this enables a physical proximity to the participating startups.

As Symbion has a great network (Brian List, personal communication 27/6 2014), participants for Mentor+ will primary be reached via word of mouth and the web page, but as the target group are university graduates with no or little work experience presentations will also be held at the universities, e.g. in relation to startup events or career seminars.

Symbions expenses related to Mentor+ are approximately 40.000 DKK for a one person startup and additional 18.000 DKK for each employee/offi ce space. The fee for participating will be 50.000 DKK for each startup, assuming that most participating startups will have 1-3 employees. A fee at this size is affordable for most people, while at the same time forcing the participants to commit to the program. Any expenses that are not covered by the fee will be covered by the income from regular tenants at Symbion. According to Brian List they actually plan to make a program for young talents at Symbion, which will be fi nanced by the income from their regular tenants, which justifi es this strategy (Brian List, personal communication 27/6 2014). If the participants are not able to pay 50.000 DKK up front, they will be offered a loan on 100.000 DKK, where half of it covers participation

and the other half will be for the startup to use. This approach is also used in Accelerace, which is a high profi led startup program owned by Symbion for businesses who have already proved their worth (Brian List, personal communication 27/6 2014).

ExpensesOffi ce rent: 2000/month for 6 months

18.000 DKK

Consultant: approximately 20 hrs/600 DKK

12.000 DKK

Coordinator: approximately 10hrs/600 DKK

6.000 DKK

IT System: approximately 4.000 DKK

4.000 DKK

Total: 40.000 DKK

39Problem areas

Key Partners

Business Model Canvas

Key Activities

Key Resources

Value Propositions Customer Relations

Channels

Revenue StreamsCost Structure

Customer Segments

- University

graduate/student

- No/little working

experience

- Knowledge based

company (innovative

or consultancy)

- 1-6

employees/partners

- Less than two years

in business

- Must have proof of

concept, e.g. paying

customers

- Word of mouth

- Web page

- Presentations at

universities

- Personal contact via

Coordinator and Con-

sultants

- Web interface

-Validate scope of

startup

- Mentoring

- Office space incl.

facilities

- Network building

- Project calendar

- Mentoring

- Office space incl.

facilities

- Project calendar

- Register all interac-

tions

- Coordinator

- Project calendar

- Scripts and tools

- Salary for Coordinator

- Salary for Consultants

- Expenses for office spaces

- IT development and maintenance

- High risk loans

- Participation fee

- Office rent from regular tenants

- Consultants

(experienced entrepre-

neurs who rent offices

at symbion)

- IT developers (to

develop and maintain

web page incl. project

calendar etc.)

- Tenants

Figure 15. Business Model Canvas

inspired by Osterwalder and

Pigneur (2010) illustrating the

business plan of Mentor+.

40

Detailing and examplesIn this chapter I will detail the the use case of getting assistance further. I will present a script for the Consultant to follow as well as some tools to use during the meeting.

When the Consultant has judged that a meeting is necessary in order to solve the Entrepreneur's problem, he should follow the script presented on the opposite page. After registering in the project calendar that a meeting has to be planned, the script will automatically show up on the screen. From the web page showing the script there will be links to the tools offered for the meeting, which can either be printed or used on line. These include a template for a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to evaluate different options and a project calendar which can be viewed and printed in different formats. In this chapter the project calendar is illustrated as a Gantt chart with weekly view and a hierarchical structure for planning tasks and milestones, but it should also be available in other formats, e.g. daily and monthly views as well as an agenda for the day or week. These are considered normal functionalities, why only selected views are presented in this report. All the examples in this chapter represent the printed versions of the tools, which is considered suffi cient at this stage, as the design is very conceptual and the on line versions of the tools will look rather similar, with the biggest difference being that the digital version does not have to follow the A4 format and the text fi elds will be dynamic.

Option: Write name of option here...

Strenghts

Rate risk from 1-10

Weaknesses

Rate consequense from 1-10

Opportunities Threats

Risk factor: Consequense factor:

Figure 16. Template for SWOT

analysis and risk analysis,

developed for Mentor+ to

support conversation when

discussing different options. This

template is a sketch that should

be developed for both print and

screen use.

41Problem areas

Script for Consultant for use case “Get assistance” (Figure 11.)Precondition:

Consultant has talked to entrepreneur about issue and has concluded that a meeting is necessary.

Goal:

Solve issue in order to allow entrepreneur to continue the planned progress.

Script:

1. Consultant books meeting room.

2. Consultant prepares for meeting by reading Entrepreneur’s progress on the web page.

3. Depending on the problem Consultant does some additional research on the problem prior to the meeting. This may include getting some more information from Entrepreneur, talking to other consultants etc.

4. Consultant and Entrepreneur meet in the meeting room.

5. The meeting begins with Consultant summing up the problem and Entrepreneur either confi rms or adds to it.

6. Consultant encourages Entrepreneur to list the possible options.

7. Consultant then adds more options if possible.

8. Together they discuss the different options. 3-5 Relevant options are evaluated with a SWOT model and rated on risk and consequence (risk analysis).

9. They agree on one option to follow. If a desirable option can not bee found, the meeting is stopped and a panel discussion is arranged by Consultant.

10. Together they detail the chosen option, by fi lling out goals, sub goals and executable tasks as when the original target is set. Consultant takes responsibility for entering the information into the system.

11. The meeting ends.

Support to Consultant

Booking system for meeting room

Access to Entrepreneur’s project

calendar

1

2

6-7

8

10

Blank paper or whiteboard

Template for SWOT analysis

Template with hierarchical struc-

ture of tasks and milestones

Figure 17. Checklist for Consultant

as part of the detailing of use

case “Get assistance”

42

Figure 18. Example of filled

out template for arranging

goal, milestones and tasks in a

hierarchical structure, developed

for Mentor+. This template is a

sketch that should be developed

for both print and screen use. It

is part of the project calendar,

which can be viewed/edited in

this format or as a Gantt chart as

illustrated in Figure 19.

43Problem areas

Week 34 Week 35 Week 36 Week 37 Week 38 Week 39 Week 40 Week 41

Overall target: Printed:Get 3 new customers 05/09/2014

Describe products

Write text

Make pictures

Put together

Distribute

Product one

Product two

Product one

Product two

Put on web

Make flyers

Figure 19. Example of filled out

template for viewing/editing

project calendar as a Gantt

chart, developed for Mentor+.

This template is a sketch that

should be developed for both

print and screen use. It is part of

the project calendar, which can

be viewed/edited in this format

or as a hierarchical structure as

illustrated in Figure 18.

44

PerspectivesIn this chapter I will discuss the future perspectives and potentials of Mentor+. I will discuss the scalability of Mentor+ from a business perspective, trying to categorize is as I suggest startups are categorized in this project. I will also discuss the implementation of Mentor+ as if it was a business concept and consider how it can be implemented over time.

Scalability of Mentor+

In this project I suggest that startups can be categorized as either consultants or innovative/growth oriented. Mentor+ is an example of a concept that has elements of both, but as it is a package that consists of much more than consulting I would argument that it is closer to being an innovative product than a consulting service. According to Michael Bak (personal communication, June 25 2014), the breaking point is if selling more products require an equal scaling of the expenses. Based on this parameter I would rate the scalability factor of Mentor+ as medium to low. The project calendar is the most scalable part, and it is an option that it is sold or leased separate form the Mentor+ program, either to former participants, to tenants at Symbion or to everybody interested. This could create some extra revenue to fi nance the development of the system as it is the part of Mentor+ that is most different from Symbion's current offers and thereby also has the highest development cost and risk.

As Symbion pays the Consultants and the Coordinator, this part is not really scalable, measured with Michael Bak's parameter (personal communication, June 25 2014). One way to

make Mentor+ more scalable would be to sell the concept to other service providers once it has been tested and the effects have been documented at Symbion.

Implementation of Mentor+

Before implementing Mentor+ at full scale I think it would make sense to implement a test version of the concept, that omits the most risky parts (i.e. the project calendar). This is what Rise (2011) describes as a minimum viable product, which is also the core of the Mentor+ program. To help the Entrepreneurs evaluate a version of their product or service that is viable enough to get proper feedback on central issues, while keeping expenses and thereby also risk at a minimum. In the case of Mentor+ this could be done by implementing the program with only the analogue calendar, as they already have access to the other resources needed for the program. They have potential Consultants in the form of current tenants, thy already have offi ce spaces and the Coordinator could be one of the consultants from Accelerace, which they have already planned to use in the program they are launching for young talents in September (Brian List, personal communication, June 27 2014). Without knowing the details of the program Symbion is launching fro young talents in September, I think that with slight modifi cations to either Mentor+ or to their program it can become a minimum viable product for Mentor+, which could then be implemented at full scale later once the concept is tested.

45Problem areas

47References

Books and journals

Fremtidens erhvervsservice og iværksætterpolitik - en guide til fl ere vækstvirksomheder (2007). No. 4. Denmark: Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen and REG LAB.

Løvlie, L., Polaine, A., Reason, B. (2013). Service Design: From Insight to Implementation. New York: Rosenfeld Media. ISBN 1-933820-33-0.

Manzini, E., & Collina, L. (Eds.). (2004). Solution oriented partnership: how to design industrialised sustainable solutions. Cranfi eld University.

Morelli, N. (2009a). Beyond the Experience. In Search of an Operative Paradigm for the Industrialisation of Services. Paper presented at the ServDes 09, AHO,

Oslo.

Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today’s entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. Random House LLC.

Web pages

Hvem er Symbion? (n.d.) Retrieved August 23, 2014, from http://symbion.dk/

Om Symbion (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2014, from http://symbion.dk/om-symbion/

References

2014-08-19 design report - aalborg...

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