Every business leader would like to create a sound strategy and will have it well implemented. Accomplishing this, however, remains an elusive goal for most organisations.
Here are 10 ½ Top Tips that you should consider in searching for excellence in implementation.
Is your business ready to take on the challenge of creating, planning and implementing a strategy?
You can determine your readiness by answering several questions.
Think of this is as a readiness audit.
Examples of questions you may ask?
Before introducing a new initiative recognise potential individual, team and organisational barriers to success.
These blockages to getting things done may be hard (e.g. financial investment) or soft (e.g. culture).
Effective communication is a key success factor in change programmes or new intiative launches. Smart organisaations engage their employees at the earliest opportunity in creating a roadmap and designing an implementation plan. Information is shared openly between individuals and business units responsible for implementation.
Everyone in the organisation must understand how he or she fits in with the delivery of the big goals. Corporate business plans should cascade down into individual work plans.
Accountability is transparent so people feel responsible to colleagues and nothing is concealed. There are few rewards for delivery and consequences of failure to fulfil promises.
Procter and Gamble (and Blue Peter) are masters at this. The idea is to translate corporate strategy onto a plan for action that is motivating and easily understood.
Remember the Blue Peter charity gauge? It was very straightforward but focused a nation’s energy to collect stamps and tin cans.
Implementation is accelerated by organisations whose leaders get involved. It is noticeable how Boots the Chemist executive team is far more visible in stores under Richard Bakers leadership. During this period, performance has improved and market share has been clawed back from supermarkets.
Budgets and business planning typically centre on strategy.
Smart organisations, it is suggested, give equal measure on how this strategy is going to be implemented. Such thinking requires more than a project plan. An implementation plan must, for example, build in:
Most organisations will plan a number of projects, initiatives or programmes at the start of the financial year.
However fewer will have a handle after 6 months of what the reality is. Perhaps some projects have been binned and others initiated by Maverick business units with their own agenda.
A thorough understanding of your firm’s business model is necessary for formulating and implementing strategy.
What is the driving force?
It might be volume, revenue, profit, market share or innovation. Consider the return on investment, i.e. the relationship between profits and the investment required to generate them.
Finally, decide how to find the required investment.
The challenges that all firms face is to coordinate the activities of functional units to achieve common goals and keep them from operating as independent or competing ‘silos’.
A cross functional team will help facilitate smooth implementation.
Bernard has undertaken a number of key client reviews for us and has done an excellent job. His work is of an extremely high quality and he has provided us with knowledgable and solutions-focussed feedback. His focus on client care and keeping in touch with relevant information is very much appreciated and it is extremely enjoyable to work with him.
Elaine Magnani, Director Of Business Development & Marketing, Ward Hadaway Solicitors, Law Firm
We needed to train our lawyers on the art of bringing in new business. Size 10½ Boots designed and delivered a high impact training programme, supplemented by one-to-one coaching for senior managers. The result was to create an energized marketing culture which has had a positive impact on the bottom line just when we needed it.
Mark Johnson, Managing Director, TPP Law

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