Playing to Win

Turn analysis into deliberate strategic choices.

Playing to Win is a structured approach to strategy development based on five key questions. Developed by Roger Martin and AG Lafley, this framework helps teams make deliberate, practical choices about how to win - rather than simply planning or setting vague goals.

Type

Framework

Time

90 minutes

Group size

4-12 people

Best as

Strategic framework

In depth

A little more detail.

Playing to Win is centred around five interlinked questions that form a ‘strategy cascade’, a chain of choices that build on one another:

What is our winning aspiration?
What does winning look like for us?
Where will we play?
What markets, segments, customers or geographies will we focus on?
How will we win?
What’s our unique approach that will give us an edge?
What capabilities must be in place?
What do we need to be good at to deliver our strategy?
What systems and enablers support this?
What structures, tools, processes or culture will support execution?

This module works well when teams need to move from analysis to decision-making. It follows naturally after tools like SWOT, Strategy Radar or Scenario Planning.

It’s especially useful when:

A team is trying to refocus after a period of drift
There are too many competing priorities
Leadership wants a sharper answer to "what exactly are we trying to do?"

The Playing to Win framework is best tackled as a group conversation, ideally with a facilitator to challenge thinking, keep momentum, and ensure the team doesn’t settle for vague answers. It invites trade-offs, forces clarity, and lays the groundwork for action.

It can be used at the organisational level, or zoomed in to apply to a product, project or team. In every case, it moves the conversation from “what could we do?” to “what will we do, and why?”

Outcomes

What you'll leave with.

When to use it

Use Playing to Win when a team is ready to move from analysis to decision. The five linked questions, from winning aspiration through where to play and how to win, force the trade-offs that turn a pile of insight into a strategy the team can act on and defend.

Use it when

The team has done its analysis and now needs to make real choices.
There are too many competing priorities and leadership wants a sharper answer to what we are actually trying to do.
The organisation is refocusing after a period of drift.

Not the right tool when

The team has not yet mapped its context or position. Use SWOT or PESTLE first.
The group needs to pressure-test choices against an uncertain future. Use Scenario Planning.

Used in

Workshops that feature this tool.

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Use it with your team

This tool works best in a well-facilitated room.

Using this tool with a skilled facilitator means that discussions are focused, time is used efficiently, and the group moves toward consensus, making the session productive and impactful.

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