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3 Horizon Research Canvas
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The 3 Horizon Research Canvas is a structured tool to explore, assess, and contextualize emerging trends within the 3-Horizon Model.
how does the method work?
The 3 Horizon Research Canvas adapts the 3 Horizon Model which was developed by McKinsey. This framework was based on observations on how companies sustain growth by balancing their efforts and investments along different time horizons. Thereby, the focus is not to decide between the horizons, so a focus on either the present or the future, but rather managing the different efforts and opportunities. Adapting this to trend research, there are three horizons that can be distinguished by
- Horizon 1: A trend that fosters short-term optimization and efficiency of core business which can immediately be implemented in the next 0–12 months
- Horizon 2: A trend that offers medium-term growth through adjacent innovations which needs some development but will be commercially ready in 1–3 years
- Horizon 3: A trend that needs a long-term transformation and has disruptive potential and a rather uncertain and long-term impact horizon of 3+ years
The 3 Horizon Research Canvas gives you the structure to discover the different trends that are relevant for you along the different horizons in order to manage your trends in a balanced way. As each horizon comes with different topics to research, each horizon has a dedicated canvas that structures the research process through a series of time-guided reflection questions. These help users assess a trend’s relevance, business impact, and implementation maturity.
Step by Step Guide
Horizon Classification: Before starting with a canvas, you assess whether the trend belongs to Horizon 1, 2, or 3. This classification is based on factors like current maturity, time-to-impact, and strategic relevance.
Guided Exploration (per Horizon): Based on the classification in the horizons, you proceed to the respective canvas of the matching horizon and fill in insights directly into the canvas. The side column allows for additional thoughts, open questions, or follow-ups. Each horizon has a unique set of questions and time suggestions.
method canvas
Use canvas
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pdf file
