• Develop a strategic design project concept for, and in collaboration with the client organization, based on (but not necessarily in direct accordance with) the challenge given by the client.
• Execute the project through an appropriate and argued application of design process models (e.g., emphasizing iteration, complexity, and framing, in dynamic environments) and entrepreneurship techniques such as Business Model Canvas, in order to support the development of the strategic design concept.
• Develop and apply a plan for engagement, involvement and communication with relevant actors, such as stakeholders and users, in relation to your work on the project proposal.
• Clearly and effectively communicate the strategic design concept and the design process preceding it.
• Manage the development of the project, with special emphasis on managing stakeholder relations; cross-functional team management, time management and effective communication skills.
• Reflect on your work as team, including your role as consultants to the client.
• Provide a comprehensive analysis of the client organization in relation to those of its challenges that are relevant to your work and propose theoretically argued changes to the organization, in alignment with the project.

Through a semester-long company case, the students work in cross-disciplinary teams (groups) in studio workshops, applying theoretical models and their derived tools to the case. This semester emphasizes research-based learning in interaction with real-life stakeholders, providing the groups with a strategic design challenge that the group aim to solve.

Teaching will focus on the student's role as process consultants and on developing the project through relevant techniques and models (e.g., business model innovation, practice theories, prototyping techniques). Workshops will cover both discussion of theoretical topics and practical design activity. Alongside the workshops, the groups develop a strategic plan and/or process outline, using the theory package provided.

A central aim is to provide the students with tools for communication with the client organization: Tools to engage the client in an exploration about the content and scope of the strategic design challenge and tools to present results and receive relevant feedback from client representatives.

Feedback and formative evaluation is given to the groups as supervision and sessions with external participants throughout the project process. Groups receive supervision on the projects from different angles: From the business/organizational side, from the practice-oriented side and from the artistic, design-related side.

During the project process, the students achieve a reflected approach to strategic design and the high complexity of a project process.

• New theory

• Development of research questions
• Data collection
• Analysis
• Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
• Peer review including Peer-to-peer
• Students conduct independent research-like activities under supervision

This course will tentatively be organized around the following topics:

• Strategic design as concept
• Design thinking
• Process consultation and organizational development
• Practice theories
• Business model innovation