The first thing that design should be able to do is to clearly articulate the value it is offering. And if the intention for design is to become strategic, then it is important to be able to articulate the strategic value of design.

How to achieve the strategic level of design? Important is to know how to quantify the contribution of design. And at the same time, it is important to know, how the design will become the essential strategic resource to achieve the overall mission of the organisation. When a design is taken seriously in the business process it is important to remember that establishing and maintaining mutually valuable relationships and being ready for design counseling to everyone in the organization is of critical importance. And last but not least to work with business people and not for business, if the design is to be a strategic partner is important to remember too (Phillips, 2002).

We assume now that design has been successful in convincing the organization of the importance of its strategic nature. In this case, it should be pretty straightforward to establish a clear and practical link between the strategic intent of a business and its day-to-day activities (Turner, 2000, p. 47), as presented in the Figure above.

Sources:
Phillips, Peter. 2002. Lessons from the Trenches: Insights from Design Management Seminars. Design Management Journal: 13/3, p. 53-57.
Turner, Raymond. 2000. Design and Business: Who Calls the Shots?. Design Management Journal: 11/4, p. 42-47.