- Lack of alignment with the actual work of the organization. A strategic plan should not be, but often is, separate from the actual work of the organization. Strategic plan elements are not “add-ons,” but should outline what the organization has to do to achieve its goals/objectives in alignment with its mission/vision/values.
- Lack of involvement/communication with key constituents. Too often strategic plans are developed by small groups behind closed doors with little input from staff, customers/clients, and other key constituents. If you rely on others to achieve your plan’s goals (and who doesn’t?), you must involve all of those others in some way to ensure execution. We’ve actually worked with companies who would not share their strategic plan with their staff members out of concerns about somehow revealing “trade secrets” to competitors. The problem is, how do you expect your employees to help you achieve your goals/objectives if you don’t bring them in on the plan?
- Failure to “work the plan.” As we work with clients, one of the “best practices” we’ve implemented is identifying at the outset of the planning process how the plan will be implemented: how often will it be reviewed, how it will be tied into other organizational review processes (e.g. performance review, budgeting), etc.
A strategic plan should be a living document, not a document that sits on a shelf, computer drive, or in the cloud somewhere. It is not a static document. We generally recommend a monthly review comprised of the individuals who are ultimately charged with achieving the various plan strategies and monitoring metrics associated with those strategies. As results are reviewed, the group can and should make adjustments to the plan, which might include raising/lowering targets or adding/removing strategies/tactics. The environment (internal and external) is constantly changing–your plan should be changing too.
Strategic planning can work–and, it doesn’t have to take months and months of meetings. While an initial plan can take extra time because of the need, often, to gather internal and external inputs and, perhaps, to conduct primary research, subsequent cycles of planning can be easily streamlined.
Tags: achieving business results, goals and objectives, implementation, strategic plan, Strategic Planning, Strategy