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October, 2006
October, 2006

T
The meeting room walls he meeting room walls . . . The 14 participants hail from throughout HP, but all are

are plastered with large
are plastered with large involved in information management. They’ve gathered here for VISUAL THINKING
a one-day workshop to literally draw a picture of how a global
posters on which a
posters on which a enterprise should manage information fl ows. 147
Dave Gray, founder and chairman of consultancy XPLANE,

group of 14 people are is facilitating the meeting. XPLANE uses visual thinking tools DESIGN
group of 14 people are
to help clients clarify problems involving everything from
assiduously sketching corporate strategy to operational implementations. Together
assiduously sketching
with an XPLANE artist, Dave helps the 14 HP specialists gain
drawings and pasting
drawings and pasting a better understanding of the big picture of information sharing
in a global enterprise. The group uses the posted sketches
Post-it™ notes. Though to discuss information sharing, to identify relationships
Post-it™ notes. Though
between elements, to fi ll in missing pieces, and to develop a
the scene almost has the joint understanding of multiple issues.
the scene almost has the
With a knowing smile, Dave talks about a common miscon-

atmosphere of an art
atmosphere of an art ception: that one shouldn’t draw something until one under-
stands it. On the contrary, he explains, sketches—however
class, it’s taking place
class, it’s taking place rudimentary or amateurish—help people better describe, discuss,
and understand issues, particularly those of a complex nature.
at the headquarters of
at the headquarters of For the 14 Hewlett-Packard collaborators, XPLANE’s visualization
approach has worked beautifully. They gathered as 14 specialists
Hewlett-Packard, the with deeply individual understandings, but parted with a simple
Hewlett-Packard, the
one-page image of how a global enterprise should manage infor-
technology products mation. XPLANE’s client roster, which reads like a who’s who of
technology products
the world’s most successful companies, testifi es to the growing
and services giant . . .
and services giant . . . number of organizations that understand the value of this type of
visual thinking.

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