Are you stuck in translating your business plan, strategy, and tactics into reality? Try out the Blue Ocean Story (BOS) Canvas which is based on the problem solving cycle of "Problem-Plan-Build-Measure-Learn." The BOS Canvas is illustrated using the case of Cirque du Soleil.

1. (-­‐)
(+)
Blue
Ocean
Story
(BOS)
Canvas:
Translate
Great
Business
Stories,
Plans,
Strategies,
and
Tac>cs
into
Reality
Con$nuously
Maximize
Customer
Delight
and
Minimize
Customer
Pain
BLUE
OCEAN
Vision/Challenge:
Uncontested
Market
Space
Where
Compe4tors
Are
Irrelevant
Blue
Ocean
(“To
Be”
Industry:
Value
Factors)
Goals/Objec>ves
(Story
Proposi$on)
Strategy
(Canvas)
Value
Ac$vity
Tac>cs/4
Ac>ons
q Eliminate
q Reduce
q Increase
q Create
PAIN
(Cost)
DELIGHT
(Value:
Differen$a$on;
Revenue)
Red
Ocean
(“As
Is”
Industry:
Value
Factors/Strategy
Canvas)
Based
on
W.
Chan
Kim
and
Renee
Mauborgne’s
book,
“Blue
Ocean
Strategy”
Copyright
2013.
Dr.
Rod
King.
rodkuhnhking@gmail.com
&
hXp://businessmodels.ning.com
&
hXp://twiXer.com/RodKuhnKing
Commodi4za4on
Declining
Profit
(Margin)
Bloody
(Head-­‐to-­‐Head)
Compe44on
Cost-­‐or-­‐Differen4a4on
Trade-­‐off
(Trade-­‐off/
Value
Factors/
Customer
Experience)
Matured
Industry
(Top
Dog
that
“Sucks”)

2. (-­‐)
(+)
Blue
Ocean
Story
(BOS)
Canvas
for
Cirque
du
Soleil
Con$nuously
Maximize
Customer
Delight
and
Minimize
Customer
Pain
BLUE
OCEAN
Vision/Challenge:
Uncontested
Market
Space
Where
Compe4tors
Are
Irrelevant
Blue
Ocean
(“To
Be”
Industry:
Value
Factors)
“We
Reinvent
the
Circus”
Strategy
(Canvas)
Get
Unique
Ent.
Tac>cs/4
Ac>ons
q Eliminate
q Reduce
q Increase
q Create
PAIN
(Cost)
q Star
Performers
q Animal
Shows
q Aisle
Concessions;
Mul$ple
Show
Arenas
q Fun
and
Humor
q Thrill
and
Danger
DELIGHT
(Value:
Differen$a$on;
Revenue)
q Unique
Venue
q Theme
q Ar$s$c
Music
and
Dance
Red
Ocean
(“As
Is”
Industry:
Value
Factors/Strategy
Canvas)
Based
on
W.
Chan
Kim
and
Renee
Mauborgne’s
book,
“Blue
Ocean
Strategy”
Copyright
2013.
Dr.
Rod
King.
rodkuhnhking@gmail.com
&
hXp://businessmodels.ning.com
&
hXp://twiXer.com/RodKuhnKing
Smaller
Regional
Circuses
Ar>s>c,
Theatrical
Circus
New
(Blue
Ocean)
(Trade-­‐off/
Value
Factors/
Customer
Experience)
Commodi4za4on
Declining
Profit
(Margin)
Bloody
(Head-­‐to-­‐Head)
Compe44on
Cost-­‐or-­‐Differen4a4on
Trade-­‐off
Matured
Industry
(Top
Dog
that
“Sucks”)

3. STRATEGY
CANVAS
FOR
CIRQUE
DU
SOLEIL:
Minimum
Viable
Product
(MVP)
for
Ar2s2c,
Theatrical
Circus
Tac$cs,
(Validated)
Assump$ons,
and
Hypotheses
for
Crea$ng
a
Blue
Ocean
(Uncontested
Market
Space)
Source:
hXp://sixpathsconsul$ng.com/blue_ocean_strategy.htm
Copyright
2013.
Dr.
Rod
King.
rodkuhnhking@gmail.com
&
hXp://businessmodels.ning.com
&
hXp://twiXer.com/RodKuhnKing
VALUE
ACTIVITY
(Customer
Task
To
Be
Done):
Get
Unique
Entertainment
in
Circus

4. 5
STORY
QUESTIONS
EVERY
PROJECT
(BUSINESS)
PLAN
SHOULD
ANSWER
Copyright
2013.
Dr.
Rod
King.
rodkuhnhking@gmail.com
&
hXp://businessmodels.ning.com
&
hXp://twiXer.com/RodKuhnKing
PHASES
OF
UNIVERSAL
PROBLEM
SOLVING
(UPS)
CYCLE
5
STORY
(PLANNING)
QUESTIONS
1.
PROBLEM
Where
currently
are
we?
2.
PLAN
Where
must
we
go:
in
theory?
3.
BUILD
Where
must
we
go:
in
prac4ce?
4.
MEASURE
How
would
we
know
when
we
get
there?
5.
LEARN
What
life
lessons
would
we
learn
from
the
en>re
journey?

5. UNIVERSAL
STORY
MATRIX:
Template
For
Documen$ng
Mul$ple
Stories
Copyright
2013.
Dr.
Rod
King.
rodkuhnhking@gmail.com
&
hXp://businessmodels.ning.com
&
hXp://twiXer.com/RodKuhnKing
PROBLEM
SOLVING
PHASES
(STORY
QUESTIONS)
1.
PROBLEM
2.
PLAN
3.
BUILD
4.
MEASURE
5.
LEARN
Where
currently
are
we?
Red
Ocean
(Strategy
or
Value
Ac4vity)
Where
must
we
go:
in
theory?
Blue
Ocean
(Strategy
or
Value
Ac4vity)
Where
must
we
go:
in
prac4ce?
(Product/Service:
Prototype)
How
would
we
know
when
we
get
there?
(Value
Factors/
Strategy
Canvas)
What
life
lessons
would
we
learn
from
the
en$re
journey?
(Vision)

6. UNIVERSAL
STORY
MATRIX
For
Cirque
du
Soleil
Copyright
2013.
Dr.
Rod
King.
rodkuhnhking@gmail.com
&
hXp://businessmodels.ning.com
&
hXp://twiXer.com/RodKuhnKing
PROBLEM
SOLVING
PHASES
(STORY
QUESTIONS)
1.
PROBLEM
2.
PLAN
3.
BUILD
4.
MEASURE
5.
LEARN
Where
currently
are
we?
Red
Ocean
(Strategy
or
Value
Ac4vity)
Where
must
we
go:
in
theory?
Blue
Ocean
(Strategy
or
Value
Ac4vity)
Where
must
we
go:
in
prac4ce?
(Product/Service:
Prototype)
How
would
we
know
when
we
get
there?
(Value
Factors/
Strategy
Canvas)
What
life
lessons
would
we
learn
from
the
en$re
journey?
(Vision)
Ringling
Bros./
Barnum
&
Bailey
Small
Regional
Circuses
Cirque
du
Soleil