1. YES useful priority Sponsored Measurable Actionable
SDM Planning Motions
Services Enablement
Executive Review
Program Review
9/18/2018 8:09 AM
Changes to Assessing Customer Priorities
Support Initiation
What is a Useful Priority?
Sponsored
Measurable
Actionable
Account Planning
Is it owned and incented?
Can success be defined?
Do we have something to offer?
Assessment & Discovery
YES
<SCRIPT>
Let’s move on to assessing customer priorities. For this, we need to define what a “useful priority” is. We can do this by looking at the three components that define a “useful priority”.
The first, and most important of these is {1*} “is there a sponsor?”. Without a sponsor, any effort is destined for failure. A sponsor is not just a person who comes up with an idea and asks for assistance. A sponsor is someone who owns and drives the priority and is generally accountable for its outcome. Sometimes this means a sponsor is incented to ensure the priority is accomplished.
The next component is {2*} “is it measurable?” Success is sometimes hard to define because of unknowns. Measuring things quantitively by percentage, dollar amount or speed is one way to assign a success measure, but not necessarily the only way. Sometimes success is simply measured with a binary “yes or no”. For example, we don’t have a capability today, but we need it, so the priority would be “develop a capability that accomplishes XYZ”.
The last component is {3*} “is it actionable?”. If we don’t have a way to help the customer, then this is not a useful priority for us and the customer. However, this doesn’t mean it goes away – we may explore other ways to address the customer’s priority, for example through a partner.
{4*} If the answer to all three of these is “yes”, then {5*} it is a useful priority.
</SCRIPT>
Creating a Plan
useful priority
© 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

2. Sources of Customer Priorities
SDM Planning Motions
Services Enablement
Executive Review
Program Review
9/18/2018 8:09 AM
Changes to Assessing Customer Priorities
Support Initiation
Sources of Customer Priorities
Account Planning
One Microsoft view
Account Planning
Formal discussion & confirmation
Executive & Program Reviews
Always be asking…
Ad-hoc
Assessment & Discovery
<SCRIPT>
There are 3 primary stages where we can discover customers priorities.
The first is during Account Planning. We ensure that the Sales & Delivery team is in sync with customer strategic priorities.
The second comes from the Executive and Program reviews, where we link customer priorities and ensure we have the right priority connections and drivers.
Finally, and just as important, are priorities that we discover from ad-hoc conversations or situations. When you’re speaking to customers about issues they’re experiencing, services they’d like to get, or risks they’ve identified, we should always ask the questions “How does this activity support priorities?”, “Who would be the potential sponsor for this?”, “Can we measure success?” and “How can Microsoft help?”
</SCRIPT>
Creating a Plan
© 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

3. Tracking Customer Priorities
SDM Planning Motions
Services Enablement
Executive Review
Program Review
9/18/2018 8:09 AM
Changes to Assessing Customer Priorities
Support Initiation
Tracking Customer Priorities
Account Planning
Assessment & Discovery
<SCRIPT>
We need to capture priorities. While this process may change later, for now we track all priorities in Unicorn. Simply focus on the Title, Description and Success fields and put a Status reason. Again, this process may change, but we don’t want to loose the valuable conversations you may be having now with your customers, and the priorities you are discovering.
</SCRIPT>
Creating a Plan
© 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

4. SDM Planning Motions
Services Enablement
Executive Review
Program Review
9/18/2018 8:09 AM
Level 3 Support Technology Advisor in Discovery
Support Initiation
Customer-designated trusted technical advisor for cloud, who increases customer adoption and consumption by assessing risk, health and performing gap analysis. Also, the STA knows the customer environment, supports cloud growth, and maximizes customer’s return on their Microsoft investments.
Account Planning
Assessment & Discovery
<SCRIPT>
Finally, a role that brings significant value for both the discovery of priorities and throughout the support lifecycle for Level 3 customers the Support Technology Advisor, or STA. Let’s start out with a definition of what the Support Technology Advisor does and is. {1*} The STA is a customer-designated trusted technical advisor for cloud, who focuses on 1 primary cloud workload of the customer’s choice. The STA increases customer adoption and consumption by assessing risk and health, and performing gap analysis. Also, the STA knows the customer environment, supports cloud growth, is concentrated on the productivity and security infrastructure domain, and maximizes customers’ return on their Microsoft investments.
</SCRIPT>
Creating a Plan
© 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

5. Level 3 Support Technology Advisor (STA)
SDM Planning Motions
Services Enablement
Executive Review
Program Review
9/18/2018 8:09 AM
Level 3 Support Technology Advisor (STA)
Support Initiation
Designated to customer, trusted advisor
1 primary cloud workload only
Cloud Consumption/Adoption
Maximizing customer’s Microsoft cloud investments
Productivity & security infrastructure
Delivered by DSE with specific soft skills
Business outcome
Simplify capacity & resource planning
Cost effective
Account Planning
Assessment & Discovery
<SCRIPT>
The STA is not a new role but rather a function, and is delivered by a DSE with specific soft skills, trained to have business outcome conversations. This simplifies capacity and resource planning, is cost effective and is aligned with the DOMAIN model.
Ultimately, the STA provides the customers with personalized support to maximize their business outcomes.
</SCRIPT>
Creating a Plan
© 2014 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.