Strategic Planning Done Right: Tips to Develop Strategies and Deliver Results

How often has your organization spent months coming up with a business strategy, and paid a fortune to outside consultants for help, only to see the grand plans fizzle out over time? In most cases, attempts are made to retrofit activities performed throughout the year back to the strategy to feign adherence, until such time as it is completely abandoned. A couple of years pass and the process repeats. It’s classic fodder for the Dilbert comic strip. How does one over come this all too common occurrence? Below are some tips on how to approach a strategy and execute it successfully.

Developing Strategies and Goals

Keep it Simple and Make It Quick - If it takes 6 months to come up with a strategy, there’s a problem. Either it is not a priority, or you are getting too carried away. Set a goal to have the planning completed in one month. After all, this is serious business right? It’s crucial to the success of your organization, so timely completion is very important. The strategy should not be complicated. It should be easily understood by all stakeholders.

Make It a Priority - In order to complete this type of activity quickly, upper management must make it a priority to design and implement the plans. There can be no excuses for not completing it. Being “busy” is not an excuse. There must be full preparation and participation in meetings. Realistic deadlines are set and honored. Those who don’t play along must be held accountable.

Look to the Inside - Resist the urge to call on the consultants. Your people don’t have time, right? Problem is, it will take as much of their time to meet with the consultants as it would to come up with the plan on their own. You also want the expert opinion. In most cases, though, your personnel know what needs to be done. They just need the opportunity to put their ideas forward. This gives them a vested interest in succeeding, and does not allow the outside consulting firm to be made the scapegoat. All too often consultants tell you what you already know anyway, or they set you up with the trendy strategy of the day. If you’ve really lost your way, outside consultants might be the answer. In most cases, though, the money is better spent on implementation of the plan.

Walk the Talk – If a strategic initiative is contradictory, you’ll need to eliminate it. For example, if one of your tasks to grow your business is to establish an employee referral program, you need to make sure that the workers like their jobs. If they don’t, they won’t be very willing to recommend the organization to others. Spend time addressing the morale problem prior to executing the referral program.

Communicate Early and Often – Explain to all stakeholders the reason for re-setting strategy. Be honest. Nothing turns employees off more than hidden agendas: “Oh, a new strategy. How many people will be laid off this time?” Explain the importance. Lay out the expectations with time frames, etc. Explain why it is important for everyone to participate and let them know what their roles will be. Follow up frequently with updates.

Set Realistic Goals – Set realistic and measurable goals for each strategy. Again, don’t get carried away.

Developing Initiatives/Tactics and Delivering

Ask the Employees - Once the strategy is set, let the employees help with the initiatives and the actions that support them. This gives them a sense of ownership. They are the closest to the ground so they know what will make the clients happy; make themselves more productive, etc.

Again, Keep it Simple – One of the main reasons implementation fails is that the plans are unrealistic. There are so many things to get done. Many efforts start, but none complete. To avoid this, pick just one initiative. How do you choose? Don’t pick one that is most easily measured, or that is easiest to achieve. Rather, pick the one that will have the most positive impact on the organization. If a project will take months to complete, break it into measurable phases that take no longer than one month to finish.

Put a Plan in Place and Execute with a Vengeance – Put a plan in place for the one initiative and complete it by the stated due date come hell or high water. Once completed, pick one or two more and repeat. This process of taking little bites builds up a sense of accomplishment and success, and gradually major progress is made toward the achievement of the strategy.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – Review the plan in team meetings. Send out e-mail updates. This indicates the importance of the projects and highlights progress and success.

Stay involved Big Shots - Upper management must remain involved. They can’t bail out after the strategy is set. They must be actively engaged throughout.

It’s a lot of effort to come up with a good strategy. It’s an even larger effort to implement a plan to achieve it. By following the above suggestions, you will be well on your way toward achieving a successful strategic program.