15 diagrams mbas should know

15 DIAGRAMS YOU SHOULD KNOW

BEFORE LEAVING BUSINESS SCHOOL

janice fraser.

janice@luxr.coFor Presidio GSB, Sept 2010

WITH DIAGRAMS YOU CAN

COMPARE THINGS

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

compares subjects on one dimension of data...like market share

THE PIE CHART

Source: Flurry(c)2010 janice@twotopLABS.com

...or lines of business.(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

SCATTER PLOT

Source:: services.alphaworks.ibm.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

Compares items on two dimensions of data. Good for demonstrating messiness.

source: thisisindexed.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

also good for making fun of artists.

TWO X TWOmy favorite

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

it’s the King of market positioning.

source: Dave McClure, 500hats.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

...and competitive analysis

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

source: unknown...if it’s you email me and I’ll give attribution.

COMPARISON CHARTmany items, many variables

source: Watt Bike(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

...good for product comparisons

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.comsource: unknown...if it’s you email me and I’ll give attribution.

EXAMINE THE RELATEDNESS OF THINGS

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

VENN DIAGRAMthe classic.

source: laughingsquid.com

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

PROTIP You want to be here

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

CYCLE DIAGRAMsource: unknown...if it’s you email me and I’ll give attribution. (c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

shows how components connect to make a workable system.

source: Eric Reiss, The Lean Startup(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

THE VALUE PYRAMIDPyramid symbol can either represent quantity

(top = small, bottom = large)source: Dave McClure, 500Hats.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

...or the pyramid can represent ideas like “foundation” and “pinnacle”

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

MIND MAPShelp you figure things out

source: unknown...if it’s you, send email and I’ll give attribution(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

...and can communicate a lot of information, loosely structured, in a dense format that’s easy to digest.

source: XMind(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

PUT THINGS IN ORDER

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

PROCESS DIAGRAM(This is a process diagram for defining the strategy of a startup.)

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

value chain

“critical point of failure”

“this is our opportunity”

source: Unknown...if it’s you, send email and I’ll give attribution(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

ROOT CAUSE MAP

Like a process diagram, but instead

of sequence, arrows point away

from causes.

Last one is it.

source: http://www.clarkeching.com/aggressive_schedule_crt-thumb.jpg(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

source: http://www.clarkeching.com/aggressive_schedule_crt-thumb.jpg(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

COUNT THINGS

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

POWER CURVE(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

Power curve of men who would date an 18-year-old woman, mapped by age

source: blog.okcupid.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

Power curve of contributions to UGC websites, by effort required.

source: Ross Mayfield, Chairman, Social Text(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

THE BELL CURVEcan help you describe identify outliers

source: edgehopper.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

and regular liars.

source: blog.okcupid.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

HISTOGRAMis a bar chart for counting things.

source: Flickr, Phil Gyford(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

GENERIC BAR CHARTScan be very revealing.

“ROI” of User Experience Projects

source: nngroup.com/reports(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

UP-AND-TO-THE-RIGHT

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

For showing audience growth.

source: “Glam Media $200M Private Placement”(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

For showing revenue growth.

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.comsource: unknown...if it’s you email me and I’ll give attribution.

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.comsource: unknown...if it’s you email me and I’ll give attribution.

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.comsource: unknown...if it’s you email me and I’ll give attribution.

for poking holes in business models.

(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

source: thisisindexed.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

“I’m gonna cut myself with this Lexus key.”

Cause or effect?

source: thisisindexed.com(c)2010, janice@twotopLABS.com

THANKSY’ALL