Find the right business for your question

A practical guide for employees who need to understand or connect work across businesses.

Northstar Group is a fictional example of a three-business organization: Workshop repairs equipment, Supply sources replacement parts, and Learning teaches maintenance planning.

Three businesses, distinct roles

Their names are typographic examples; each card describes a different contribution to the group.

NORTHSTAR WORKSHOP

Repairs equipment and helps teams understand repair options for equipment they use.

NORTHSTAR SUPPLY

Sources replacement parts to support equipment repair and continued use.

NORTHSTAR LEARNING

Teaches maintenance-planning approaches so teams can organize knowledge and plan future work.

Where each business fits

A quick comparison for routing a question; service details are illustrative.

Where each business fits
Business Contribution Useful when
Northstar Workshop Equipment repair A branch wants to understand repair options.
Northstar Supply Replacement-part sourcing A repair discussion identifies a part to source.
Northstar Learning Maintenance-planning education A team wants to build its maintenance-planning knowledge.

Worked example: extending equipment life

A coordination example, not a repair or safety procedure.

A branch wants to explore whether a piece of equipment can remain useful for longer. It describes the equipment, the issue it has observed, and the outcome it hopes to achieve.

  1. Start with Northstar Workshop to discuss repair options based on the branch's description.
  2. Bring in Northstar Supply if a part is identified to explore sourcing options for that part.
  3. Involve Northstar Learning when planning knowledge would help the branch organize and share maintenance-planning approaches.

The businesses have different roles: Workshop concerns repair, Supply concerns parts, and Learning concerns education. The relevant business owner can clarify whether a specific service or handoff applies.

Choose a cross-business help route

Business service lead
Start with the lead for the business whose service best matches your question.
Department: Northstar Workshop, Northstar Supply, or Northstar Learning
Portfolio coordination role
Ask for routing help when your question spans businesses or you are unsure where it belongs.
Department: Cross-business coordination

Make the first conversation useful

When you approach a business service lead or portfolio coordination role, include the branch or team affected, the equipment or service involved, the outcome you are seeking, what you have already learned, and which businesses you think may be relevant.

In this fictional example, Corporate Communications and the business owners share responsibility for keeping the directory accurate. Revisit the information when a business service, relationship, or cross-business contact route changes.