MASTERING A ONE-PAGE STRATEGIC PLAN
“One-Page Strategic Plan: How to Complete”
To become and remain competitive, your organization needs three things:
- a framework that identifies and supports your corporate strategy
- a common language in which to express that strategy
- a well-developed habit of using thiS framework and language to continually evaluate your strategic progress
The One-Page Strategic Plan forces you to select what 1call your Top 5 and Top 1 of 5 priorities. And as you fill in the document, think of it as a giant crossword puzzle, where figuratively speaking, seven across needs to align with three down
List the five biggest opportunities and threats facing the organization over whatever time period the planning session is considering
These five to eight statements broadly define the shoulds and shouldn'ts that govern your company's underlying decisions. Think of them as the Ten Commandments or your constitution, the foundation upon which the rest of the vision is built.
Why is this company doing what it's doing? What's the higher purpose for why we're in the business we're in? Why do I have such passion for what we're doing?
Wal-Mart: "To give ordinary folks the chance to buy the same things as rich people."
Quarterly, you should take a look at your core values and your purpose statement. BHAG: Big Hairy Audacious Goal - a 10 to 20year, lofty goal, similar to Kennedy's legendary goal to put a man on the moon.
The Target level describes where you want the firm to be in 3 to 5 years.
your measurable Brand Promise. FedEx's 10 a.m. delivery promise or Sprint's "pin drop" clarity.
define five or six Key Thrusts/Capabilities necessary for you to dominate your defined Sandbox, fulfill your Brand Promise, and meet your quantifiable Targets. What are the five or six big things you need to do to reach your three to five-year targets?
BeSides quantifying your goals for the year at the top of the column, list your five or six Key Initiatives for the year, similar in strategic importance to, and aligned with, the Key Thrusts/Capabilities. Think of these initiatives as your corporate New Year's resolutions, and plan to revise them each time you close the books on your fiscal year
the designation of one or two Critical Numbers - ideally, one from the balance sheet and one from the income statement. They should represent key
Here's where you break down your annual goals into the quarterly action steps that lead to achieving your yearly goals. Think of them as a series of five or six simultaneous 13-week missions that provide priorities to your entire organization as you drive to achieve the quarterly missions
Decide where to post a scoreboard that will keep everyone apprised of your progress toward achieving the measurable target of the theme.
For most companies, they're the eqUivalent of running a mini-marathon. They take lots of preparation beforehand, and they burn up lots of time and managerial energy-that is, if you're doing them right. So, plan ahead!
Nothing ever gets done in any organization until it shows up on somebody's weekly To Do list -and I do mean weekly! QUit thinking in monthly increments and drive all measurements, deadlines, and deliverables down to weekly increments. It may be painful in the doing, but it needs to be done.
This is the who level, where your company identifies specifically which person is accountable for which particular activity on your plan.
The point isn't finding the exact words, or using them perfectly. It's having something on a single sheet of paper that says it all for your company, no matter how imperfectly, and being able to use it daily to help your company reach its potential.