Design as Strategy, Design as Execution

The earlier the invovement in the design process, the greater the likelihood of good design ...

"As more companies attempt to harness “design thinking” to create strategic advantage, a potential dichotomy may emerge within internal design departments.

Most corporations have organized their design group in the context of their product development process. What this amounts to is that the design department is part of the company’s “assembly line”. Product ideas come in; they’re scoped, designed, spec-ed, developed, and shipped. Most often the strategy work has happened before the design department gets involved.

I’m not advocating two design groups for every company that wants to benefit from “design thinking”. But recognizing the differences between strategic and production design processes is an important step to creating the right “place” (time, environment, roles, organization) for strategic design to flourish."   continued ...   (Via Functioning Form)