WHAT IS THE B3 framework®?
The B3 framework® helps founders build brilliant businesses. It’s designed for technology and digital companies that are scaling.
Based on more than 25 years’ experience of working in technology and digital businesses, it’s a simple yet powerful tool for company building.
“One of the toughest parts of scaling is making sure you are focussing on the right issues and asking the right questions – the B3 framework® has proven invaluable in helping guide our thinking and give structure to our actions.”
Ronald Ashri, Chief Product and Technology Officer,
Opendialog.ai – post-seed tech growth business
UNDERSTANDING THE FRAMEWORK
The B3 framework® shows what must be in place to scale a technology business that’s sustainable, resilient and can perform consistently.
The framework provides flexibility for leaders to understand where their business needs to focus.
You can then develop your own implementation, while being confident you are creating a coherent and high performing business as it grows.
The B3 framework® doesn’t tell you specifically how to create each element in the framework, nor the tools, techniques or methods you must use.
The right blend of solutions is unique for each scaling business, its history and growth journey.
Too many scale-up leaders try to replicate ways of doing things that worked elsewhere. But often those solutions aren’t right for their business at that time. There’s no magic cookie cutter template for creating brilliant businesses.
The framework has four layers:
1. Fundamental basics
The DNA of any business – why it exists and how it wants to develop as an organisation.
2. Making a business
Taking the foundational aspirations and working out how they translate into a viable business.
3. Building the organisation
Putting in place the building blocks of a functioning organisation that brings people together for work.
4. Operating the business
The practical things you need to have and do to run a business day-to-day.
Effective scaling happens when a business has the right elements in place for each layer. If these are missing or inadequate, scaling is much harder and the business is less resilient.
THE FRAMEWORK
1. FUNDAMENTAL BASICS
The DNA of any business – why it exists and how it wants to develop as an organisation.
2. MAKING A BUSINESS
Taking the foundational aspirations and translating them into a viable business.
Strategy
How the business understands and intends to overcome the key challenges it faces.
Learn more3. BUILDING THE ORGANISATION
Putting in place the building blocks of a functioning organisation – enabling people to work together towards common goals.
Roles
Clear definitions of accountabilities and responsibilities for each role in the business.
Learn moreDecision making
How decisions are taken consistently using the best information, insight and data.
Learn more4. OPERATING THE BUSINESS
The practical things needed to run a scaling business day-to-day.
Performance
Performance expectations of individuals & teams that are set and reviewed regularly.
Learn moreCadence
Practices that keep the business moving forward coherently at an appropriate pace.
Learn moreSystems
The right portfolio of systems that enables people and the business to work effectively.
Learn moreQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Who is the framework for?
Anyone that cares about how to take a considered approach to building a company. It’s particularly useful for founders and leaders in scale-up businesses as it helps them build coherent and high performing organisations.
How do you use the framework?
It can be used proactively to identify what should be planned for and prioritised as a business grows – use it to build out a company improvement roadmap. Many companies use it to help plan out where investment might be needed after a funding round.
It can also be used reactively to help diagnose the root causes of scaling issues and address them properly. It helps you spot the connections between issues and what’s behind them.
How do I learn more about each element of the framework?
Check out the implementation guide and resources for resources, reading and guidance about each element. If you’d like more help with implementing a part of the framework in your business, I work with start-ups and scale-ups as a consultant COO.
Can I share or republish the framework?
Yes please! The B3 framework is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. That means you can copy and redistribute it, remix, transform, and build upon it for any purpose. If you do this you must give credit by linking back to this page and distribute your contributions under the same license as the original framework.
Why is it called B3?
The framework is designed for founders who want to build brilliant businesses. I love a bit of alliteration so B3 became an early working title and has just stuck.
