Quickfire By Design

• What is QbD?

  What is QbD?

  • "Quickfire", noun [kwik-fahy^uhr]: rapid ideation to action

    
    

    What is a Quickfire?

    Quickfire by Design is a design-thinking approach to solving (and identifying) vexing sustainability and strategy problems. Our meeting design and facilitation ensures an action-oriented strategy and brainstorming session that results in an immediate, tangible, implementable plan.

    We help you think big, stay pumped about the great work you do every day and create positive impact with your business. Our goal is to help push the world in a more just, sustainable direction, and we seek out businesses and organizations that want to do the same. 

    
    

    
    

    
    

• Who are we?

  Who are we?
  • Quickfire by Design is a core team of Sustainable Business Strategists:

    
    

    Amanda Ravenhill is skilled at solving for pattern to solve myriad of problems at once and create paradigm shifts. Her passion for global issues comes from the intersection of two forces: being a TCK (Third Culture Kid: her parents were anthropologists in Africa, where she was born), and her muse: Buckminster Fuller. She is a yogini, urban farmer, biker, and mapper who spends her summers in Maine running her own non-profit that teaches children to build traditional wooden boats.

    
    

    Specialties: graphic recording, biomimicry, comprehensive anticipatory design process, sustainable business models in emerging markets
    
    

    Ryan Kushner is a design thinker, strategist, and filmmaker with a passion for solving problems and designing solutions for a regenerative economy. Ryan uses his creative and fun-loving spirit to tackle difficult questions while inspiring others regarding a host of sustainability-focused issues. He is also a political activist, community organizer, urban bike rider, and marathon runner who is happiest strumming his guitar by a bonfire.
    
    Specialties: design thinking, facilitation, Cradle-to-Cradle, scenario planning, media design, purpose building
    
    Chelsea Souter is devoted to implementing business strategies that increase competitive advantage while creating positive societal benefits. Her empathetic nature, ability to build trust and creative spark allow her to uniquely assess a situation, and then brainstorm and innovate to implement solutions that create value. She enjoys random fun facts, is inspired by travel, guided by her values and loves sitting by the water with the sun on her face.
    
    Specialties: systems thinking, storytelling, ecosystem services, cultivating thrivability, impact investing, fundraising
    

    
    

    Kate Drane is a proven community builder experienced in developing viable strategy and marketing plans. As a GRI-certified practitioner, she can provide a valuable framework for implementing CSR Initiatives. Kate is a master networker, introducing and connecting those who need to know each other. She's board game enthusiast whose morning alarm is her pet rabbit Bunners.
    
    Specialties: GRI reporting, community building, market analysis, partnerships, social media strategy
    

    
    Invited guests

    Our collaborative approach allows us to invite an amazing rotation of specialists, thinkers, graphic recorders, etc., dependent on your needs.
    

    
    

    The Quickfire By Design Story

    Quickfire by Design was born in 2009 while the founders were pursuing their MBAs in Sustainable Business from the Presidio Graduate School. What started off as a school club has become a passion for helping non-profits, social entrepreneurs and start-ups chart a clearer path to a better future. 
• Our clients

  Our clients

  • Selected Past Clients Include:

    • Google - we designed a highly productive conversation with Google's Healthy Materials Team in the Real Estate and Workplace Services division around acknowledging past success, surfacing pain points, designing a system for better internal controls, and catalyzing industry change.
    • Business Council on Climate Change - Designed and facilitated an unconference that brought together sustainability leaders from the largest companies in San Francisco to define areas of focus for reaching the city of San Francisco's Climate Strategy Goals while meeting business needs. Participants included: Facebook, Autodesk, Starbucks, Genentech, BlueShield, Google, Method, Hilton and more.
      
    • Bay2Rio+20 - Seed organization building a coalition and planning activities around the Rio+20 conference 
    • The Biomimicry Institute - promotes the use of nature as an innovation and design tool, connecting scientists with manufacturers 
    • XSProject - sustainable apparel manufacturer that uses trash from Indonesian dumps to create beautiful products
    • LoudSauce - socially-oriented crowd-funded media buying start-up
    • Wowhaus - design firm and creators of large scale public art
    • SpyGlass Biosecurity - creators of pioneering in-ocean environmental monitoring systems 
    • The Hub, SF - co-working space, specializing in socially beneficial businesses
    • MakeSense - French social entrepreneur network
    • Urban Releaf - urban forestry/environmental non-profit
• Our process

  Our process
  • Quickfire is an ultra time-efficient way for you to tackle pressing issues sustainability and strategy issues. Every engagement is customized based on your organizations individualized needs. You will work with a panel of experts, composed of our core team along with hand-selected experts who are chosen based on your specific problem statement.
    
    PREP:  The Quickfire team does an investigation into you, your industry, competitors and collaborators. Someone from the team will briefly meet with you to determine the Problem Statement for the session.
    
    For example, previous questioned addressed by the Quickfire team have been: 

    • How can we clarify our message and radically expand the user base for our technology?

    • How can we find suppliers and partners that will further our mission?

    • How can we scale operations to manage growth? 

    • What are some sustainability 'quick-wins' that further allow me to show the value of being 'green'?

    • How can I make sure that I'm spending my time on the most high-value activities?

    • How can I think in terms of strategies and tactics? 

    • What is a process I can adopt that will ensure I keep to my strategic priorities? 

    
    HOUR 1:  The Quickfire team (core team and invited experts) discusses initial thoughts and brainstorms possible directions for the Problem Statement with the client (you!!).
    
    HOURS 2-3:  We conduct a facilitated brainstorm with the team in the room, using (and teaching you) a proven set of visual and strategy tools. We go broad, then narrow to a focused and actionable set of steps. You walk out the door with:
    
    + Meeting capture, including a visual recording of the meeting
    + An implementation timeline
    + Tools for process and tracking progress
    + Resources for making your business case, further research, etc.
    
    FOLLOW-UP:  We are happy to help you think through the conclusions of the session. If you want continued support from Quickfire we can structure that as well.
    
    WHAT TOOLS DO WE USE?  Design Thinking, Shared Value, Visual Thinking, Strategy Canvas, 2x2 Matrix, SWOT Analysis, Empathy Interview, Story Share and Capture, Space Saturation, Character Profiles, Biomimicry
    
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