Is Your Strategic Plan Getting a Bad Rap? Consider the Execution
Posted by on February 26, 2010Have you noticed that strategy often gets the blame for corporate failure? How many times have you gone into a planning session to address the ill-fated strategy from the previous year? If your strategic plan fails to deliver its intended results, perhaps it’s time to look more closely at the operational execution that was used to put the strategy in motion. Perhaps it wasn’t the strategy, but the execution that is to blame.
In fact, in most cases, it’s NOT the quality of the strategic plan that determines an organization’s success – it’s the execution!
What we have here is a failure to execute.
Strategic planning is given high importance among executives in top organizations. And rightfully so. A well-defined strategy determines how an organization will achieve its objectives and succeed in its marketplace. Yet all the planning in the world is meaningless without the follow up step: execution.
Operational planning defines how a strategy will be executed deep within the organization. An effective operational plan brings high level strategy down to a tactical level so that individuals within the organization know what they’re doing, why, and how.
Why do organizations fail to execute? There are many reasons why organizations fail to execute properly. The most common reasons are:
- Poor prioritization – Organizations can only take on so many “top priorities.” Failure to prioritize can lead to poor focus and dispersed energy that leaves much undone.
- Lack of detail planning to support plan goal achievement – It’s a simple truth that people work better when complex jobs are broken down into simple parts and pieces that can be more easily understood and accomplished. This is the role of detailed planning and one that cannot be overlooked.
- Poor communication and coordination – Individuals should understand what is to be done, when, and how their part fits into the overall scheme of the organization. Without this communication, execution suffers.
- Strategy and culture misalignment – Operational plans will always be affected by the structure, values, and ethics that are instilled in the culture of the organization. Without proper consideration of culture, plans can quickly go astray.
- Accountability missing from plan goals – A successful plan must consider the people that are involved in its execution and how individuals will be held accountable for their tasks.
- Poor planning governance – Objective oversight of the plan and all of its interrelated parts is crucial to success. Proper governance serves to both operate the plan in the here-and-now and provide historical measures for future planning decisions.
- Ill-defined strategic goals – Goals should be clearly defined so that there is no confusion as to what the goals truly are.
Our challenge to you is this: Next time you are tempted to point the finger at strategy – remember to also consider the execution. With both parts in place, your organization will be poised for success.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to read the full articles related to this topic, follow the links below:
Strategy Execution: Why We Fail At Strategic Implementation
Mapping Out Strategic Execution: Part 2 of "Why We Fail At Strategic Implementation"
For permission to use or reprint any portions of this copyrighted article, contact Method Frameworks at articles@methodframeworks.com.
About the Author:
Joe Evans is the President and CEO of Method Frameworks. Joe is a published author, frequent speaker and recognized expert in corporate strategic planning. To contact Method Frameworks about scheduling Mr. Evans about an upcoming speaking engagement, visit www.methodframeworks.com/business-speaker or email requests to media_relations@methodframeworks.com.
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