What next?

Prime the Pump by Karen Kames

So, you’ve met as an organization and have developed a strategic plan, what next? Every year, several organisations undertake strategic planning exercises, but then do nothing but talk throughout the year. However, good strategic planning does not end when a strategy is created, but with the successful implementation of the plans.

Your strategic plan should have addressed the what and why of activities. Now is time to turn your attention to the who, where, when, and how – implementation. In an article “Strategic Implementation”, Erica Olsen shared her thoughts on how to get support for your complete implementation plan and avoid implementation pitfalls. She stressed that companies can gain competitive advantage through implementation if done effectively.

We’ll look first at Olsen thoughts on some of the most common reasons strategic plans fail:

● Lack of ownership: The most common reason a plan fails is lack of ownership. If people don’t have a stake and responsibility in the plan, it will be business as usual for all but a frustrated few.

● Lack of communication: The plan doesn’t get communicated to employees, and they don’t understand how they contribute.

● Getting mired in the day-to-day: Owners and managers, consumed by daily operating problems, lose sight of long-term goals.

● Out of the ordinary: The plan is treated as something separate and removed from the management process.

● A meaningless plan: The vision, mission, and value statements are viewed as fluff and not supported by actions or don’t have employee buy-in.

● Not considering implementation: Implementation isn’t discussed in the strategic planning process. The planning document is seen as an end in itself.

● No progress report: There’s no method to track progress, and the plan only measures what’s easy, not what’s important. No one feels any forward momentum.

● No accountability: Accountability and high visibility help drive change. This means that each measure, objective, data source, and initiative must have an owner.

Joint us next week to find out how to cover all of your bases. In the meantime, make strategy a talking point at every meeting our check-in sessions.

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