University of Hertfordshire · 6CTA2021 Fashion Business Major Project · Bootcamp 3 · Thu 22 Oct

Opportunity and partner

Afternoon workshop, 13:30 to 16:00. Paper, your Direction Map, your evidence and a pen. No software. By 16:00: this sheet complete and your Direction Map (areas 7 and 8) updated.

Name

Project area

Partner for the swap

Step 01 · Reopen your problem 13:35 · 15 min

Copy your Bootcamp 1 exit statement. Underline the four parts. Mark each E (evidence, with source and date) or A (assumption). Add any evidence from Corinne’s sustainability session.

Part	What I wrote	E or A	Source and date, or what is missing
In this situation
these people
struggle to achieve this outcome
because of this barrier

Step 02 · Insight and three How Might We questions 13:50 · 20 min

InsightWhy does the barrier persist? If untested, write “hypothesis”.

“How might we help [people] [achieve outcome] in [situation]?” Your neighbour vetoes any HMW that is too broad, too narrow, or already contains a product.

HMW 1

HMW 2

HMW 3

Step 03 · Score and choose 14:10 · 20 min

Score each HMW 0, 1, 2, 3 or U, and write the source and date in the cell. 0 = evidence against; 1 = weak or indirect; 2 = direct, with gaps; 3 = repeated direct evidence, including behaviour; U = unknown, not zero. Never total a column with a U in it. A high total cannot cancel a fatal delivery problem.

Criterion	HMW 1	HMW 2	HMW 3
Need and urgency
Frequency
Existing alternatives
Reachable demand
Delivery capability
Payer and economics

“We will investigate opportunity ______________ because ______________ evidence supports it; our most important uncertainty is ______________, and we will test it by ______________.”

Rejected directionWhich HMW, and why

Bottom-up estimate (optional)Reachable people × times a year × price = £

Step 04 · Partner match 14:40 · 25 min

Box 2 before box 4. A famous name is not a capability. Your named organisation is a candidate, not an agreed partner.

01 Our opportunity

02 What we lackCapability, data, technology, customers, credibility, materials, operations

03 Partner sector

04 Named organisation (unapproached)

05 What they getWhy would they say yes?

06 Deal typePilot, co-development, licence, equity, sourcing or service contract, joint venture

07 Biggest riskWho owns the customer, data and IP? Who pays if uptake is low? What survives if the pilot ends?

Step 05 · Scenario swap 15:05 · 20 min

Scenario numbers drawn

Our biggest dependency

How we will reduce it

Step 06 · One-minute pitch 15:25 · 25 min

In this situation, these people struggle to achieve this outcome because of this barrier. Our evidence is ___. The opportunity we will investigate is ___. It beats the alternatives because ___. We lack ___, which a partner in ___ could provide; the named organisation is a candidate, not an agreed partner. Our biggest assumption is ___. Our next test will decide ___.

Peer feedbackWhat was evidence? What was assumed? What will the next test decide?

Step 07 · Exit ticket 15:50 · 10 min

Copy into your Direction Map, areas 7 (possibilities) and 8 (unknowns and next research).

Chosen direction

Rejected direction, and why

Partner capability

Next research action

Theories you can cite

Theory	The question it answers	Core reference (Harvard)
Jobs to be Done	What progress is the customer trying to make, and why do current options fail?	Christensen, C.M., Hall, T., Dillon, K. and Duncan, D.S. (2016) ‘Know your customers’ jobs to be done’, Harvard Business Review, 94(9), pp. 54 to 62.
Value Proposition Design	Does the offer hit the most important jobs, pains and gains?	Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G. and Smith, A. (2014) Value proposition design: How to create products and services customers want. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Open innovation	Which knowledge or technology must come from outside, and how?	Chesbrough, H.W. (2003) Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Resource-based view	What does each partner actually bring, and what is still missing?	Barney, J. (1991) ‘Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage’, Journal of Management, 17(1), pp. 99 to 120. doi:10.1177/014920639101700108
Relational view	Why do partnerships create advantage, and what makes them work?	Dyer, J.H. and Singh, H. (1998) ‘The relational view: Cooperative strategy and sources of interorganizational competitive advantage’, Academy of Management Review, 23(4), pp. 660 to 679.

Recommended pairs: Jobs to be Done + open innovation; Value Proposition Design + resource-based view.

Next: Cambridge retail research trip, Thu 10 Dec. Pitch and final submission: 15 January 2027, via Canvas by 23:00. Research cut-off 21 Oct 2026.