Why Map Your Strategy?
Strategy maps are a visual framework that focuses alignment between your corporate strategy (or non-profit outcomes & objectives).and desired results.
Strategy maps put into focus the often confusing alignment between your corporate strategy (or non-profit outcomes & objectives) and daily actions.
Value Proposition
Return On Investment (ROI): Strategic Planning Maps add value by clarifying, converging and connecting business objectives and goals across an organization from the 'Top-Down' and 'Bottom- Up'. This allows everyone in the organization to see how what they do helps deliver the desired outcome to the business and customers alike. Strategy Maps are essential in the information age when intangible assets - customer relationships, employee skills, the ability to innovate, are competitive advantages. These assets have value beyond the context of a strategy, but the value is often lost, misused or not appreciated.
Speed: Think about how the traditional Strategic Planning process goes, research shows that it takes six to twelve months to complete. Until the plan is finished, the organization may come to feel as though it's 'on hold'. Often when completed the input is limited to Executives in a vacuum of off-site meetings and presentations.
Strategic Planning Maps can be in place within hours or days as opposed to weeks or months which is essential when time constraints are paramount. They are more effective at communicating the plan to the organization with clarity and speed.
Expertise: Strategic Planning Maps streamline and improve how you communicate with your team and as a team. Strategy Maps allows an organization to tap into the knowledge, expertise and insight of the entire business and obtain quick feedback on Strategies, Tactics, Tasks, Gaps and Gap Closure plans maximizing the likelihood of success.
Objectivity: Strategic Planning Maps help level the playing field enabling the capture of information across all stakeholders. Strategy Maps provides the ability to facilitate a discussion that focuses on the map rather than people around the table, leveling the playing field by allowing everyone to have their say. Often illiciting more honest and open input.
Synergy: Strategic Planning Maps puts many minds together to get better results than any individual could produce alone. By including each employee's (or group member's) experience, knowledge, and skills our organizations not only develop better solutions; they learn and grow individually and as an organization.
Engagement: Strategic Planning Maps creates engagement within organizations, departments, divisions, functions and individuals. It is a simple way to get everyone that needs to be involved around the table regardless of where they are located. It allows an organization to value and put into context of all of its members.
Duration
By The Day - A few hours or the full day is time enough to capture the framework of your strategic plan. To take your first steps in the right direction for your business.
What's the use of running if you are not on the right road - German proverb
Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation - Max Euwe
By The Week - A week maybe sufficient time to let your key personnel and management team to add their insight, feedback and risk assessment to the strategic map development.</p>
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. - Sun Tzu quotes (Chinese General and Author, b.500 BC)
Quarterly Review - A quarterly review to ensure that everyone in your organization understands the strategic plan, sees how they contribute to its success and allows them to provide their own insight, experience and feedback to the strategic map creation.
Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there. - John Kotter
A Strategic Planning Map is ideal for any organization wishing to clarify its mission and strategic vision throughout its business or group:
- Allows all ideas & input to be caught and captured on the fly.
- Communicate strategy throughout the organization.
- Align unit and individual goals with the strategy.
- Link strategic objectives to actionable long-term targets.
