# Your Strategy Needs a Strategy

> Interactive business strategy learning tool based on a Harvard Business Press book. (iPhone/iPad app by The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/your-strategy-needs-a-strategy/id951248714 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [The Boston Consulting Group, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/436835088)
- Category: Business, Games, Strategy
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.50/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 20 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.0 · 58 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-03-12
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/your-strategy-needs-a-strategy/id951248714/reviews.md

## What is Your Strategy Needs a Strategy?

Your Strategy Needs a Strategy is a hands on  learning tool for business executives, students, and curious strategists of any kind to experience strategic environments and understand how to choose and execute the right approach to strategy. Using the simplest of businesses - selling lemonade, players must adapt their strategic approach to the various business environments of New York City's five boroughs. Based on the insights of the book Your Strategy Needs a Strategy (Harvard Business Press 2015), this app brings to life the different strategic approaches necessary to survive and thrive in today's dynamic and diverse business environments. 

Key features:
-  5 different boroughs representing 5 fundamental strategic environments: classical, adaptive, visionary, shaping, renewal.
-  In total, 15 levels of gameplay against an increasingly challenging and strategically adept, computer opponent named after BCG's founder Bruce D. Henderson
-  A Sandbox level where you can choose your prefered environment and level of difficulty
-  In-game tips and post-game debriefs connect the gameplay to both theory and strategy in the real world
-  Interactive Learn More section that provides background on the strategic concepts underlying each environment and approach to strategy
-  Sample content from the book Your Strategy Needs a Strategy (Harvard Business Press 2015)
-  Direct links to further materials and videos, such as a TED talk (http://www.ted.com/watch/ted-institute/ted-bcg/martin-reeves-your-strategy-needs-a-strategy)
- Extended seminar version of game available as part of BCG's broader strategy offering. Please reach out to the BCG Henderson Institute at bhi@bcg.com for more information.

## Key features

- 5 strategic environments based on NYC boroughs
- 15 levels of gameplay
- Sandbox mode for custom play
- In-game tips and post-game debriefs
- Interactive Learn More section
- Sample content from the book

## Recent user reviews (10 of 20)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/your-strategy-needs-a-strategy/id951248714/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Awful

*2019-05-11, version 2.8*

It’s a hustle to get people to buy his book and the gameplay is montonous and uncreative.

### 3/5 — Not loading each scenario

*2018-05-20*

Fails to load into each scenario. Otherwise a very slick and informative app, with links to great BCG resources on this strategy framework.

### 1/5 — Not works !! Only stay in loading !!

*2018-04-02, version 2.4.1*

I can’t ply

### 4/5 — Feedback

*2018-02-16, version 2.4.1*

Thoughtful game. But I’ve trouble loading Jamaica Bay(sandbox).

### 1/5 — Terrible - sorry

*2018-02-12, version 2.4.1*

Nowhere near the white paper. The game’s mechanics contradict the basics that it tries to teach. Strategy requires thinking based on insights. The heat map moves at random without trend or market signals. Having 1 min. to do better than competition gives no time for thinking. No data gathering gives no insights. All you end-up doing is poking at random, hoping the yield will be better. The foundation of games is simulation of real life mechanics. Besides graphics, the rest is unrealistic. Very disappointing and it doesn’t reflect BCG’s prestigious image and quality of papers. The HBR paper referring to this game as a step forward to instate games as management tools got it terribly wrong and discredit its author. It gives the wrong image of what management games are about and how powerful they are. Sometimes “doing nothing” can be better than “getting it wrong”. Needs to be revisited completely and more seriously.

### 3/5 — Maybe it's OK

*2016-12-28, version 2.1.0*

It might be OK but with my lack of color vision it's impossible to see the coding for crowd density.  Glad it was free.

### 3/5 — Interesting, but bugged and very random

*2016-07-26, version 2.0.0*

Interesting concept of serious game, but:
- surprisingly enough for a strategy game, luck is a key driver for success,
- and in the last level (manhattan) there seems to be a bug: investing generally cuts your income :-)

### 5/5 — Lessons for strategists

*2016-07-06, version 1.5.8*

This is not your ordinary (military) strategy game. It's intended for business leaders who want to get better at strategic responses in changing environments. A great game, make sure you read the book to understand it's depth.

### 2/5 — Poorly designed

*2016-06-14, version 1.5.8*

The concept of this game is interesting but the design is really bad.

### 5/5 — Love this

*2016-03-06, version 1.5.3*

Great app! Fun to play.

## Frequently asked questions about Your Strategy Needs a Strategy

### What is Your Strategy Needs a Strategy about?

Your Strategy Needs a Strategy is a hands-on learning tool designed for business professionals and students to explore and understand different strategic approaches. It uses a simplified business model of selling lemonade across various simulated environments to illustrate strategic concepts.

### What are the different strategic environments in Your Strategy Needs a Strategy?

The app features five distinct strategic environments, each represented by a New York City borough: classical, adaptive, visionary, shaping, and renewal. These environments are designed to teach users how to adapt their strategy to different market conditions.

### How does Your Strategy Needs a Strategy connect gameplay to real-world strategy?

The app provides in-game tips and post-game debriefs that explicitly link the gameplay mechanics and outcomes to established business strategy theories. It also includes an interactive 'Learn More' section for deeper understanding.

### Is Your Strategy Needs a Strategy available on multiple devices?

Yes, Your Strategy Needs a Strategy is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, making it accessible for users on the go.

### How often is Your Strategy Needs a Strategy updated?

The app was last updated on January 30, 2019, with version 2.8. While it has not seen recent updates, the core content remains relevant for learning strategic principles.

### What is the age rating for Your Strategy Needs a Strategy?

Your Strategy Needs a Strategy has an age rating of 4+, indicating it is suitable for a wide audience including younger learners interested in business concepts.

### Does Your Strategy Needs a Strategy have ads?

No, Your Strategy Needs a Strategy does not contain advertisements. As a free application, it provides an uninterrupted learning experience.

### Can I play Your Strategy Needs a Strategy offline?

The description does not specify offline play capabilities. However, as a learning and simulation tool, it is likely designed to be played with an internet connection for potential updates or linked resources.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.8 — 2019-01-30

- small improvements

### 2.7 — 2018-08-08

- small improvements

### 2.6 — 2018-07-27

- Minor performance enhancements

### 2.4.2 — 2018-05-26

- bugfix for iOS 11.3

### 2.4.1 — 2017-09-08

Team selection feature, minor bug fixes

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*
