implementation strategy for business plan

Strategy Implementation: The 6 Step Process

What is Strategy Implementation?

Strategy implementation is the process used to ensure a strategic plan is executed. It involves translating the high-level goals and objectives outlined in a company's strategic plan into specific actions and initiatives that can be carried out by employees at all levels of the organization.

As a whopping 9 out of 10 organizations fail to implement their strategies, you can’t just create a strategic plan and leave it on the shelf—make sure you have a solid strategy implementation process in place to bring it to life.

In our six-step strategy implementation process, you will transform your static, inactive plan into a living, dynamic, and successful strategy implementation. Read our article on factors affecting strategy implementation to develop an even deeper understanding of strategic implementation.

6-Step Strategy Implementation Process

The implementation process should follow a strategic analysis and strategy formulation phase. After you’ve identified your business problem and strategy to tackle it, you should follow these key steps to put your strategy into action:

• Choose your strategy framework
• Build your plan
• Define projects and KPIs
• Establish your strategy rhythm
• Implement strategy reporting
• Link performance to strategy

Here is our 6-step process guide to strategy implementation to ensure your new strategy evolves from a plan to strategic implementation.

Step #1: Choose your strategy framework

Strategy is something that should be embedded in everything an organization does. 

It must be part of the DNA of both the organization and its people. But if you don't make an effort to call it out explicitly, you won't get the focus or traction you need.

Start with a simple framework that establishes a strategy lexicon everyone understands and can get behind. Whenever someone asks, "how are our strategic objectives going?", everyone must be on the same page regarding what it actually means.

For example, at Cascade , we use the following "strategy house" to define the different elements of our strategy:

We walk you through this approach in our How to Write a Strategic Plan Guide , where you’ll also find a free template you can download to jump-start the development of your strategy.

It gives you a clear way to talk about strategy implementation and avoids using unnecessary jargon.

We've deliberately chosen to include only a vision statement rather than the more popular “ vision and mission ” combo because we found that people struggle to understand the difference between those two.

If you need to add more depth to your strategy, consider using a strategic planning framework such as the Balanced Scorecard or McKinsey's Strategic Horizons . 

However, whichever strategic framework you choose, simplicity should remain your top priority. All of the frameworks in our guide pass this test with flying colors!

Step #2: Build your plan and set clear goals 

The next step of our strategy implementation process is where you start creating your roadmap to success.

Now that you've got your framework in place, you're ready to move on to the actual creation of your strategic plan. We've developed a comprehensive guide on how to write a strategic plan , so we won't go into details here.

But assuming you're using a framework similar to the one above, here's how we'd suggest approaching the creation of your implementation plan with your key stakeholders:

1. Bring together your management team: Gather the leaders of your organization (founders, CEO, directors, etc.) to agree on your vision. You might do this in one workshop but have them engaged with it regularly. Have them read this article to keep everyone on the same page. ‍

2. Define values: At the same workshop, write down the values that the organization holds. They’re crucial for your company’s culture, so go through this article to make the process smoother.

3. Align on strategic priorities : Finally (same workshop still), write down 3 or 4 Strategic Focus Areas the team thinks need to be addressed to reach the vision.

4. Co-create objectives with your teams: Take your basic framework back to your team(s) and have them independently input ideas for strategic goals and objectives under each Focus Area. You must involve them in the planning process and give them a voice. This will ensure buy-in and motivation to implement your business strategies.

💡 Tip : You might want to assign one Focus Area to each member of your leadership team and have them lead the charge for getting that Focus Area fleshed out. This is a great way to ensure buy-in to the final product of your strategic plan.

📚 Recommended read: The Right Way To Set Team Goals

5. Make a final check: Once you've fleshed out the strategic objectives, get back together as a group and ask yourself a series of hard questions:

• ‍ If we deliver each of these strategic objectives under a given Focus Area, will we have nailed that Focus Area?
• If we deliver all of our Focus Areas, will we reach our vision?
• Will our values help or hinder us along the way?

📚 Recommended read: How To Effectively Co-create Strategy At Your Organization (Summary and recording of the workshop with Illana Rosen, Director of Innovation and Strategy at Old Navy)

Step #3: Define KPIs and projects

Now it’s time to cover the bottom layer of our strategy house: projects and key performance indicators (KPIs). 

That's part of the strategy implementation process where top management should empower people throughout the organization to come up with their projects and KPIs to measure success. 

Step 3 of our process guide to strategy implementation is to define your KPIs and create effective projects . You need actionable steps (projects) and a way to measure progress toward your strategic objectives (KPIs).

KPIs are one of the oldest management tools around. And for a good reason—they work. They keep you and your team members honest about progress and focused on outcomes.

They need to become your beacons for implementing strategy. Here are a few tips when it comes to coming up with your own:

• Keep them simple: Don't try to come up with complex ratios that only a small group of people understand. Make them simple and relatable to everyone in the organization.
• Choose at least 1 KPI for each of your strategic objectives : In general, it’s best to have 1-3 KPIs per objective. Too many KPIs can lead to confusion and dilute focus. However, the exact number will depend on the complexity of the objective and available resources. If an objective is particularly complex, it may require more KPIs to adequately measure progress.
• Make it easy to measure them quickly: Large organizations have hundreds of metrics, with each unit and function tracking them in their own set of preferred tools and applications. Bring them under one roof so you can get real-time insights. 
• Don't make them all about the $$$: Sure, profit and revenue might be your end-game, but KPIs should be the drivers of those things—measuring the outcomes alone adds little value.

Here’s an example of focus areas, related strategic objectives, and assigned KPIs:

Focus area: Operational Excellence 

Strategic objective: Reduce waste in the manufacturing process by 15% within the next year

• Scrap rate : Measures the percentage of defective products or materials that are discarded during the manufacturing process. 
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) : Measures the overall efficiency of manufacturing equipment. 
• Cycle time : Measures the amount of time it takes to complete one unit of production.

One final point: You need to update the progress of your KPIs at least once per month, or you risk quickly losing focus on them. Spend the time now as part of your strategic planning process to figure out how to access the stats and data you need. 

Projects are the specific initiatives and actions that will help the organization achieve its strategic goals. Here are some steps to create effective projects in the strategy implementation process: 

• Make sure your projects are aligned with your overall business strategy . 
• Prioritize the projects that will have the most significant impact, and define specific project objectives that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).
• For each project, you should have a detailed project plan that includes timelines, milestones, and key stakeholders. 
• Assign teams with the right skills and knowledge to execute the project, monitor progress, and adjust as needed.
• Once the project is complete, hold a retrospective meeting. Evaluate the outcomes, identify successes and areas for improvement, and use this information to inform future projects.

📚 Recommended read: Free Implementation Plan Templates And Examples

Step #4: Deal with business-as-usual

Step 4 in our guide to strategy implementation is where you overcome business-as-usual.

The ironic thing about strategy implementation is that everyone acknowledges its importance, but it's often the first thing to be forgotten about when the going gets tough.

People get so caught up in the day-to-day that they don't have time to focus on the big-picture items that will keep the organization moving forward. This rapidly becomes a self-fulfilling cycle and is one of the most common reasons strategies fail .

Here are some tips to help you break the cycle:  

• Meet often to discuss progress: We'd suggest a minimum of quarterly reviews for higher-level objectives, but monthly would be a great place to start until things get bedded in.
• Determine the attendees: You'll need the leadership team at a minimum—but you also need to involve the rest of the organization. The more they engage with the overall strategy, the stronger the ownership they feel.
• Be conscious of time: Specify the end time and always respect it. Allocate the last 10 minutes (or as many as you need) to “next steps”. Reviewing progress without the next steps is meaningless. ‍
• Define the meeting structure beforehand: What metrics will you discuss? For how long? Which reports will be used? More on this in step #5 below.

Step #5: Implement consistent & simple strategy reports

Step 5 of our process guide to strategy implementation focuses on strategy reporting .

Once you've put your strategy into action, it's important to review and adapt it regularly to ensure it's still on track to meet your business goals. This is where strategy reports come in handy. 

Now that your meetings are in place, you'll want to choose a consistent way of reporting the progress of your strategy implementation . The main objectives of this report should be:

Consistency

Set up a regular schedule for reviewing your strategy reports. This could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly—whatever works best for your business. Everyone should know what to expect and what they need to update before the meeting(s).

The progress report should give an at-a-glance view of how the strategy is progressing. Identify the key metrics that are most important to your business, and focus on those when reviewing your reports and dashboards .

Accountability

Ensure that the report includes the names of the owner of each goal (accountability), as well as the names of the people getting things done (recognition).

Conclusions

Your next steps. Your action plan. What will be done to get to desired outcomes? The strategy report needs to include not only an overview of how the strategy looks now but how it's progressing over time. Try to include a comparison period or graphs/charts that show progress over time to ensure momentum is maintained.

Strategy reports will help you look for trends and patterns in your data. Are there areas where you're consistently exceeding expectations? Are there areas where you're consistently falling short? Use this information to make informed decisions about how to adapt your strategy.

And don't forget - adapting your strategy doesn't mean giving up on it entirely. It simply means making adjustments and tweaks to ensure you're staying on track and achieving your goals. Sometimes, a small tweak can make a big difference in your results, so don't be afraid to make changes as you go.

👉 How Cascade can help you: 

You should be able to create, customize, and share strategy reports with your team with ease. Even if you are not a professional business data analyst. That’s where Cascade comes in. 

With a user-friendly interface, you’ll be able to stay organized and focused on your strategic goals.

But you’ll be able to do more than just create progress reports; Cascade helps you do work that matters—accomplishing business outcomes. Imagine how you would use the extra 2 hours if you wouldn’t have to fill out the spreadsheets to analyze and report on progress.

Step #6: Link performance management with strategic management 

Linking performance reviews to strategy, the first five steps of our process guide to strategy implementation are the absolute basics to ensure that you have success implementing and executing your strategy .

But organizations that truly succeed are those who manage to weave strategy implementation into the fabric of their existence. An easy way to get started with this is to create a formal link between strategic management and performance reviews.

Nothing shows people how important strategy is more than when it impacts their reviews and potentially even their reward and remuneration. Here are a few ways to do it: 

• Build a strategic management system that has these performance review links built into its HR processes.

But even if you're doing performance reviews the old-fashioned way, you can still make a point of awarding specific credit to employees who embrace strategy execution in their role and can demonstrate how they've contributed.

• Encourage your managers to talk to people about strategy regularly. Consider creating a 1:1 template that managers can use which highlights how a person's goals contribute to the strategy.
• Expose your strategy to your people. Lack of communication is a common pitfall that prevents successful strategy execution. If you only present your strategy in PowerPoint, people won’t remember it. Help your people align with the plan by having them access it at will.

👉 How Cascade can help: 

You should see at a glance how connected your functional units are to your strategic goals, giving you the context you need to make informed decisions. 

With Cascade, you get a complete view of alignment within your organization and its teams.

You’ll be able to easily evaluate how the performance of each initiative and team contributes to the success of your strategy. This will help you identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions that drive your business forward.

Key Components To Support Successful Strategy Implementation

A well-written implementation plan is not enough to guarantee successful strategy execution . There are several key components crucial to support effective strategy implementation in an organization. Here’s why you should pay attention to:  

Strategic alignment 

Ensure that the strategy is aligned with the overall vision and mission of the organization, as well as the organization's core values. It’s essential to have clarity and unity across all levels of the organization.

Assign ownership of specific tasks and responsibilities to individuals or teams within the organization, and hold them accountable for achieving their objectives. This will promote ownership, commitment, and a sense of responsibility in your team.

Resource allocation

Ensure that the necessary resources, including financial, human, and technological resources, are allocated appropriately to support the implementation of the strategy. Without the right resources, your strategy is just a piece of paper.

📚 Recommended read: Resource Allocation: How To Do It Effectively (+ Templates)

Performance measurement

You should have a transparent performance measurement system in place to track progress. This way, you can easily identify any areas that are underperforming and take corrective action before it affects your overall objectives. Regularly monitor and report on these metrics to track your progress and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Organizational structure

Design your organizational structure to support the implementation of your strategy. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes to avoid confusion and maximize efficiency.

Effective systems, including processes, procedures, and tools, can help ensure that resources are allocated appropriately and that performance is monitored and evaluated effectively. Use the right systems to simplify your processes and streamline your workflow.

Remember, a well-written implementation plan is just the beginning. To guarantee successful strategy execution, pay attention to these key components. If you’re not sure if you have them covered, try McKinsey’s 7S Model to identify potential implementation constraints. 

Benefits of a well-executed strategy implementation 

Here are some of the key advantages of an effective strategy implementation process:

• Increased revenue: When everyone in the organization is working toward the same objectives, it becomes easier to identify and pursue new growth opportunities.
• Improved operational efficiency: When your team understands their roles and responsibilities and is working toward common goals, they're better able to collaborate and optimize their workflows. This means smoother sailing and less hiccups along the way.
• Better decision-making: With a solid strategy in place, leaders can use it as a guidepost when making important decisions, ensuring they stay aligned with the organization's overall goals and objectives. No more flailing around in the dark!
• Increased employee satisfaction: By involving employees in the strategy development process and regularly communicating progress updates, organizations can foster a sense of ownership and accountability among their teams. Happy employees = happy workplace.
• Enhanced reputation: When a business delivers on promises and consistently exceeds customer expectations, it establishes itself as a leader in its industry and builds a loyal customer base.
• Faster adaptability: By regularly reviewing and updating the strategy, organizations can stay ahead of the curve and be better positioned to pivot in response to new challenges or opportunities. Flexibility is key!

Strategy Implementation Best Practices And Final Tips 

Here are some final tips and best practices to help you implement your strategies like a pro: 

Be decisive and go all in

No action plan is perfect, so don’t get too attached to it. When you spot opportunities or mistakes in your reviewing meetings, act on them decisively. Change is not only natural but necessary to learn and adapt at light speed to the market’s conditions.

Guide decision-making with good strategies

Frame your strategy as choices. The company’s direction must be clear enough that it educates your people’s decisions when they reach crossroads. And they reach crossroads multiple times per day. 

Get rid of static tools

Refining your strategy faces massive friction without a dynamic tool. That means wasting time, losing peace of mind, and ultimately losing money. Cascade removes this friction from all the stages of your strategy refinement, from planning to reporting , and even aligning .

Leverage data analytics

Use data analytics to inform your strategy implementation decisions. Data analytics can help you to identify trends, opportunities, and potential roadblocks, and to make data-driven decisions that support your strategic goals.

If you are struggling to discover insights because your data and metrics are scattered across multiple business and project management tools, Cascade will make your life easier. 

By integrating your metrics into one centralized source of truth , you'll have access to all performance data in one place. This makes it simple to transform statistical information into actionable insights and compelling narratives with effective data storytelling. 

Cascade’s real-time dashboards are designed to help you monitor key sets of data or metrics in real time, giving you the visibility you need to stay on top of what's important.

And with customizable features, you can tailor your dashboard view to suit your needs, making it easy to share insights with your team and keep everyone aligned.

Follow these tips and best practices, and let Cascade help you bring your strategy implementation game to the next level.

📚 Recommended read: Best Strategy Software: 8 Possible Roads To Strategy Execution (2023)

Implement strategies with Cascade 🚀

Working your way through our 6-step process guide to strategy implementation isn't something you'll be able to do overnight. It will take a good few weeks and probably a few iterations. But don't let that be an excuse not to start.

We can tell you without question that when our customers follow the above process, their strategy implementation plan succeeds far more often than it fails. This is an integral component of effective strategic management and shouldn't be overlooked.

By incorporating Cascade into your strategy implementation process, you can simplify your approach and maximize your chances of success. With Cascade's real-time dashboards, centralized business data, and full visibility into performance, you can stay focused and mitigate risks to ensure long-term success.

So why not take the first step today and incorporate Cascade into your strategic management process?

Experience the power of Cascade for yourself by taking a tour of our platform or booking a 1:1 demo call with one of our in-house strategy experts.

Other Related Strategy Implementation Templates 

• Program Implementation Plan Template 
• IT Implementation Plan Template 
• Project Implementation Plan Template
• Digital Transformation Plan Template 
• Strategic Growth Plan Template 

Strategy Implementation FAQs

What is the difference between strategy implementation and strategy formulation.

Strategy formulation is the process of developing a strategic plan, while strategy implementation is the process of executing that plan by coordinating and communicating with different departments and individuals.

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Strategic Implementation: More Than Just Implementing Strategy

By Kate Eby | November 27, 2017 (updated December 4, 2021)

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Strategic implementation is a key ingredient of modern business: Once an organization creates a strategy to meet its goals, implementation is the next step for successful execution. Essentially, the implementation phase outlines how a company plans to achieve its goals. Business theories and frameworks help guide strategic formulation, implementation, and execution. This article explains strategic implementation and how it differs from other strategy tactics. You’ll learn about key steps and pitfalls, review some examples, and get expert insights.

What Is Strategic Implementation?

There are numerous definitions of strategic implementation on the web, including the following:

Business Dictionary : The activity performed according to a plan in order to achieve an overall goal. For example, strategic implementation within a business context might involve developing and then executing a new marketing plan to help increase sales of the company's products to consumers.

The Houston Chronicle : The process that puts plans and strategies into action to reach goals. A strategic plan is a written document that lays out the plans of the business to reach goals, but will sit forgotten without strategic implementation. The implementation makes the company’s plans happen.

OnStrategy : The process that turns strategies and plans into actions in order to accomplish strategic objectives and goals.

What these and other definitions have in common is that they discuss turning a theoretical plan (about an organization’s direction) into manageable tasks that team members can perform to achieve the stated goals.

Once an organization creates a strategy, it needs to be implemented, and then executed. Here are the high-level steps in strategic implementation (which we will discuss in detail later):

• Communicate
• Align initiatives with strategy
• Engage staff and outside stakeholders
• Allocate resources
• Make structural adjustments
• Create strategic evaluations

Strategy Implementation vs. Strategic Implementation

Whether or not a difference exists between strategy implementation and strategic implementation depends on who you ask.

Ray Mckenzie, Founder and Managing Director of Red Beach Advisors , says, “Strategy implementation is a larger umbrella, or a holistic view of what’s going to happen, and looks at products and pricing and how we function as business. Strategic implementation is a plan for implementation of a specific objective: For example, if I have a piece of software that I want installed in three months.” One scenario might be if you want to integrate CRM software into your organization, you’ll need to identify the steps to take to execute the integration.

Lloyd Baird is the Jon M. Huntsman Visiting Professor at Utah State University . Of the difference between the two phrases, he says, “It depends on what organization or company you are talking to.”

In this article, we’ll treat strategy implementation and strategic implementation as synonymous.

Getting Strategic

As organizations evolve, they often change from a reactive to proactive operational style. It’s at this point that an organization begins strategic planning, which leads to strategic implementation.

Formulation, Implementation, and Execution

Strategy formulation (also known as planning), implementation, and execution are intertwined, but each are distinct. Formulation is the creation of a framework that guides decisions. Implementation is preparation and putting elements of the strategy into place. Execution is the decisions made and activities performed throughout the company, with the objective of meeting goals outlined in the strategy.

For example, imagine you're the coach of a football team in a critical 4th-and-1 situation. In this case, the terms would function as follows:

• Formulation: You select a play from your playbook, with the objective of getting a first down.
• Implementation: The players position themselves on the field as outlined in the chosen play, and you place the best offensive linemen up front, and the sturdiest running back in the backfield.
• Execution: The ball is snapped, the linemen push their defensive counterparts back, and if all goes well, they open up enough ground so that when the running back gets the handoff, he can move it across the line of scrimmage for a first down.

Smartsheet offers many templates to assist with strategic formulation.

Thinking About Strategic Implementation

In his paper Strategy Implementation as Substance and Selling , author Donald C. Hambrick and Albert A. Cannella, Jr., state  “… implementation must be considered during the formulation process, not later, when it may be too late.” They continue, “The strategist will not be able to nail down every action step when the strategy is first created, nor … should this even be attempted. However, he or she must have the ability to look ahead at the major implementation obstacles and ask, ‘Is this strategy workable?’”

Corporate Strategy and Business Unit Strategy

Executives create the corporate strategy, which determines the company’s lines of business. It also addresses how business units can work together to increase efficiency. Business unit strategy is created by the leader of each unit, and revolves around how the corporate strategy is put into action. In other words, corporate strategy determines what happens, and business unit strategy determines how it happens.

To align corporate and business unit strategies, executives must encourage the development of business unit strategies that both contribute to corporate strategy objectives and respond to their competitive situation, whether geographical or functional.

In a 1984 paper titled Business Unit Strategy, Managerial Characteristics, and Business Unit Effectiveness at Strategy Implementation , authors Anil K. Gupta and V. Govindarajan explain, “The absolute performance of a business entity depends not just on the effectiveness of its internal organization in implementing the chosen strategy, but also on industry characteristics and the choice of strategy itself.”

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Why Is Implementation Important?

Executives formulate the strategy that business units will execute. However, implementation requires the participation of the entire organization, so implementation is as important — if not more so — than the strategy itself. For example, you can buy seeds and plant them in your garden with the goal of serving a home-grown salad every night at dinner, but that doesn’t ensure that you’ll reach your goal. If you plant at the wrong time of year, if the seeds are not viable in your climate, or if the soil is depleted, you’ll still be buying vegetables from the store for a long time to.

Because strategic implementation is the most important, it’s also the most difficult to achieve. A 1989 Booz Allen study found that 73 percent of managers thought that strategic implementation is more difficult than formulation, 72 percent think that it takes more time, and 82 percent say it’s the part of the process over which they have the least control. But there’s been progress. In a 2015 survey of reports titled Strategy implementation: What is the failure rate? , authors Carlos J.F. Cândido and Sérgio P. Santos conclude that the implementation failure rate has fallen from the between 70-90 percent in the mid 1980s to about 44 percent in the early 2010s.

There are many reasons that strategies can fail. A bad plan (e.g. one that has unrealistic goals), or poor execution (e.g. not adapting to changing conditions) can cause failure, but since implementation is the key aspect, there are more possible pitfalls, including the following:

• Stakeholders Don’t Buy-In: Those who are responsible for executing a strategy won’t want to do it if they don’t believe in it. Ray McKenzie says, “Not having completed buy-in from the team is first and foremost. If people don’t buy-in, it won’t get completed.”
• Resources Aren’t Aligned with Strategy: For example, if you want to sell red balloons, but fill your warehouse with blue ones, you won’t meet your goals.
• Incentives Aren’t Aligned with the Strategy: This happens when you reward people for completing tasks that don’t contribute toward the key performance indicators (KPIs) .
• You Don’t Plan to Adjust: Lloyd Baird says, “There’s an old military saying: Your battle plan is great until you contact the enemy, then everything changes. Things are changing so fast in organizations that if you don’t have a method to adapt, evaluate, and change, you’re going to fail. The people that are really good are the ones who are adapting along the way.”
• Continuing To Do Things that Used To Work: Rather than relying on old mechanisms for success, stay current with trends and tools.
• Internal Politics: Turf battles or personal disputes can prevent an organization from properly implementing a strategy.
• Accountability Void: When implementing a strategy, everybody involved must be made aware of their responsibilities, and the consequences of not meeting them.
• No Milestones: As Ray McKenzie explains, “A strategy only works for a period of time — you have to have an outline of those dates.”
• Lack of Empowerment: This happens when people and teams aren’t given the authority, resources, and tools to execute the strategy.
• Communication Breakdown: If the organization is not sharing the strategy, or is sharing it in the wrong ways, the team won’t understand it.

Challenges and Criticisms of Strategic Implementation

Like any business process, strategic implementation has its share of challenges and criticisms. However, if an organization is aware of the limitations of strategic implementation and the obstacles that may arise, they can overcome potential challenges.

Key Leadership Theories for Implementation Strategy

Leadership theories guide how executives think about the world and their organization’s place in it. A couple important, related theories are discussed below.

Tipping Point Theory

• What It Is: The nce a critical mass of people gets behind something, it spreads quickly. Malcolm Gladwell’s 2000 book, The Tipping Point, provides many examples of this theory in action, from the changes in the Bill Bratton-led NYPD in the 1990s that resulted in a dramatic drop in crime, to the way Hush Puppies shoes became popular again once key people in the fashion world started wearing them. The makeup of a critical mass will vary by organization: It could be a majority, or it could be a small group of influential people.
• How It Can Help with Strategic Implementation: While implementing a strategy, executives can identify what constitutes a critical mass in each business unit, and work to get those people invested in the strategy. Once those team members are on board, they’ll bring the rest of the team along.

Blue Ocean Theory

• What It Is: It sprang out of a marketing theory with the same name, which posits that companies should create opportunities in market areas where there isn’t much competition to provide greater growth opportunities. For example, Southwest Airlines became a major player by combining customer-focused service, low prices (partly achieved by flying from secondary airports and partly by using only a single aircraft), and flying to underserved areas. As a leadership theory, Blue Ocean tasks leaders with undertaking the activities that increase team performance, listening to feedback from all parts of their organization, and developing leaders at all levels.
• How It Can Help with Strategic Implementation: Having leaders at many levels focus on activities that increase team performance and listen to every level, the strategies they develop will be easier to implement. This method helps the leaders generate some built-in buy-in. By walking the leadership walk, others are more likely to follow along.

What Do You Mean by Strategic Evaluation?

Strategic evaluation is a type of business performance measurement (BPM) system. In a 2007 paper Towards A Definition of a Business Performance Measurement System , Monica Franco-Santos et al. describes it as, “...a set of metrics used to quantify both the efficiency and effectiveness of actions; or as the reporting process that gives feedback to employees on the outcome of actions.” Strategic evaluation (often written as strategic evaluation and control, when it’s used as part of a strategic management model) is a cyclical process that helps managers and executives determine whether programs, projects, and activities are helping an organization meet their strategy’s goals and objectives. In short, it can help an organization stay on and get back on track.

Strategic evaluation is performed during the execution phase, but you create the process during implementation. There’s always a need to get and analyze feedback to find out what is and isn’t working, identify ways to fix what’s not working, and record the lessons learned for future strategies. There are four high-level steps in the strategic evaluation process:

• Set benchmarks
• Compare results against benchmarks
• Analyze the differences
• Take corrective actions

There are a few different facets of strategic evaluation. Each facet is important and shouldn't be ignored, as using all four ensure that you’ll discover any possible root causes of a problem.

• Premise: Were the strategic goals realistic and achievable?
• Implementation: Was the process of implementing organizational changes based on the strategy performed properly?
• Strategic Surveillance: Are processes and tasks being performed as expected, and if so, are they getting the desired results?
• Special Alerts: While strategic evaluation should take the long view, and not focus too much on short-term fluctuations, it needs to evaluate how changing market conditions and competitors’ actions, as well as unexpected events, affect the strategy. Taking this view will highlight those surprises and changes — then you can implement contingency plans and bring in crisis management teams if required to change the strategy’s execution.

Strategic evaluations are a great way to learn. Ray McKenzie says, “Have a follow-up with the team to see what worked, or if you should do things differently next time around."

How Strategic Implementation Works in Different Organizations

With the rise of mass production in the 19th century, companies began to centralize key functions like sales and finance, which led to economies of scale. Later, as some firms became diversified and began to increase their market, they created business units that focused on product lines or geographical regions. The firms may have lost some of the previously gained economies of scale, but they were able to better react to market conditions.

Centralized organizations could use strategic implementation to make shared services more efficient. Diversified organizations could coordinate processes and goals between various regional offices or product-focused groups.

Later, companies started using the matrix organization to try to take advantage of both the economies of scale created by centralization, and the adaptability of the geographical or product-focused organizations. Matrix organizations are difficult to coordinate. Implementing a strategy can help everyone focus on the same goals.

In the 1990s, the business process reengineering (a version of this is know as Total Quality Management, or TQM ) drove the creation of organizations that were organized around processes. Again, implementing a strategy can help everyone focus on the same goals.

Going forward, virtual, networked, and “Velcro” organizations (a concept where the organization can be pulled apart and put back together in response to changes in the business environment, or as Lloyd Baird says, “a network of relationships”) will have the same issues that strong strategic implementation can help.

What Is Involved in the Implementation Process

After formulating and finalizing a strategy, it’s time to share it with the organization. Next, you may need to make changes to the organization in preparation for the execution phase. The steps to take are as follows:

Communicate: Everyone in the organization, and some outside, must learn about the strategy, how it affects them, and what changes they’ll need to make to support it. As you cascade the strategy throughout the organization, different groups will need to be made aware of the parts that are important to them. Sales and marketing teams will want to hear more about the sales goals, while IT will be more concerned about changes to the network and new required software. A vendor will need to know what changes they’ll need make to the materials they provide.

Engage Stakeholders: After communicating the goals, managers and staff (as well as any contractors or vendor affected) need to understand the importance of the strategic goals, their role in strategy execution, their responsibilities, and the impact of meeting or not meeting the goals or fulfilling their responsibilities. Using stakeholders throughout the organization to be champions of the coming changes will make the job easier.

Align Initiatives with Strategy: You’ll likely need to update processes, swap out tools, and make other changes to ensure company activities are contributing to the KPIs laid out in the strategy.

Allocate Resources: What needs to be bought or moved to prepare for execution? What funding needs to be allocated to strategic, operational, and capital expense budgets?

Make Structural Adjustments: Do you need to hire new people? Will there be a round of layoffs? Will you need to change any reporting structures? Are new vendors or contractors required? This is the hardest part of the implementation to perform.

Create a Strategic Evaluation: Implement repeatable processes that will check progress toward the goals, and provide data to executives and managers to determine what changes need to be made to the strategy or it’s execution to keep the organization on track to meeting the goals.

The Three Cs of Strategic Implementation

In a 2012 Forbes article , Scott Edinger composed a concise checklist of considerations. When preparing to implement, keep these in mind:

• Clarify: Avoid high-level statements that only resonate with the C-suite. Write your strategy in a way that connects with front-line employees and managers.
• Communicate: Spread the message in as many ways as you can. Connect the strategy to each group's’ core purpose.
• Cascade: Translate the strategy into actions through the organization. Managers at every level will be the ones who handle this.

5 Changes That Support Successful Implementation

Another lens to look through is, “What changes need to be made to implement the strategy?” You can divide the answer into five groups:

• People: Train or hire the right (and the right number of) individuals to implement plans. Ray Mckenzie advises, “Build a team of people who are key and can help you move your strategy forward.”
• Resources: Get funding and sufficient time to implement required changes.
• Organization: Restructure the company to support the strategic goals.
• Systems: Acquire the tools needed to perform the required processes.
• Culture: Work to create an environment that prioritizes the actions needed to reach the stated goals.

McKinsey 7S Framework

The McKinsey 7S framework is an organizational tool developed at the McKinsey & Company consulting firm in the 1980s, by Robert H. Waterman and Tom Peters. The framework can be used in many ways, including to determine how well an organization is prepared to change in order to implement a strategy.

Here are the 7Ss:

• Strategy: What needs to to be implemented
• Structure: The chain of command
• Systems: The tools used to perform tasks and complete processes
• Skills: What employees can do
• Style: How the leaders lead
• Staff: The employees
• Shared Values: The core values, expressed through the corporate culture

These can be divided into the hard Ss (Strategy, Structure, Systems), which are tangible, and the soft Ss (Skills, Style, Staff, Shared Values), which are intangible. In order to ensure smooth implementation, align each of these categories.

Examples of Successful and Unsuccessful Implementation Strategies

As previously mentioned, because strategy formulation, implementation, and execution are intertwined, it may difficult to know which phase is the cause of strategic failure. Here are some quick examples of success and failure where implementation is key.

Wal-Mart: The corporation became the retail giant they are by having low prices. They made lower margins by having high volume. In order to do that, they implemented a supply chain strategy that reduced operating costs. As they grew, their strategy was to use their size as a bargaining chip with suppliers to get even lower prices.  

J.C. Penney: Penney’s was a major retailer in the U.S. for many years, but when the landscape changed, they kept doing the same things. When the company finally brought in new leadership in 2011, they implemented a strategy that eliminated coupons that customers used and lowered their regular prices. They also changed their retail mix. When sales began to fall, they maintained their implemented strategy without adjusting. If they had taken advantage of the data from strategic evaluations and had responded appropriately, they might have been able to salvage the parts of their strategy that were working.

Apple: In the late 1990s, Apple was close to going out of business. They had many products that didn’t sell. When Steve Jobs returned, he implemented a strategy that reduced the number of products, and worked to develop new ones. This approach eventually led to the invention of the iPod. The iPod was not the first MP3 player, but it was the first to catch on because of its ease of use and storage capacity. This, in essence, was an application of the Blue Ocean theory: Apple found a market segment that wasn’t very competitive, and created a product that was better than what was available. For a long time, Apple was the dominant player in that market segment.

Google: While Google is successful in most ventures (search, email, maps), they have had some notable stumbles. One is Google Glass, the company’s wearable computer. While the idea was good, the device was very expensive, was not easy to use, there were concerns about privacy, and was an unattractive pair of glasses. Mostly, there was no real compelling reason to use it. Google Glass was a failed application of the Blue Ocean theory, and also another failure to adapt to data from strategic evaluations.

Strategic Implementation without Disruption

Strategic implementation can involve the restructuring of reporting relationships: adding, deleting, or updating processes, or even layoffs. This process can be painful for employees, and can cause problems when it’s time to execute strategy.

Restructuring can be expensive, and the new structure can create issues as troublesome as those you are trying to solve. Employes have to adapt to the new structure and may be dissatisfied. As a result, a lot of tacit institutional knowledge can be lost as people get shuffled around or worse, leave the company. Restructuring may also result in maintaining legacy systems until they can be phased out, which causes unnecessary expense. Additionally, some people won't be able to fully focus on the new strategy while they keep legacy systems running.

It's far less disruptive to choose an organizational design that’s flexible and can be adapted without major conflicts, and then formulate strategies that can be easily implemented.

Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton recommend the balanced scorecard framework, which they co-created in the 1990s. They believe that this framework will minimize the need to go through disruptive restructuring when new strategies change due to the following reasons:

• It focuses on the strategic agenda of the organization.
• It recommends monitoring a small number of data points.
• It looks at both financial and non-financial data.

The implementation of this framework is beyond the scope of this article, but you can read an explanation of its benefits via the Harvard Business Review .

Sometimes disruptive restructuring is necessary. If it can’t be avoided, here are some steps to make it more manageable:

• Break the strategy into smaller chunks, so the disruption is spread over a longer time frame.
• Communicate directly to affected employees. Explain why the changes are needed, and retrain them to adapt to the new structure.
• Use a version of the strategic evaluation process that focuses on the affected employees, have them report their on satisfaction levels, and adjust the strategy based on that feedback to lessen the impacts.

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When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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5 Keys to Successful Strategy Execution

• 17 Nov 2020

You’ve set organizational goals and formulated a strategic plan . Now, how do you ensure it gets done?

Strategy execution is the implementation of a strategic plan in an effort to reach business goals and objectives . It comprises the daily structures, systems, and operational goals that set your team up for success.

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Why Is Strategy Execution Difficult?

There are several factors that make successful execution of your business strategy challenging.

According to the Harvard Business School Online course Strategy Execution , some of the most common factors include:

• Poor communication of strategic objectives
• Lack of employee buy-in
• Ineffective risk management

All of these can cause the best strategic plans to fall flat in their execution. In fact, poor execution is more common than you may realize. According to research from Bridges Business Consultancy , 48 percent of organizations fail to reach at least half of their strategic targets, and just seven percent of business leaders believe their organizations are excellent at strategy implementation.

“If you’ve looked at the news lately, you’ve probably seen stories of businesses with great strategies that have failed ,” says Harvard Business School Professor Robert Simons, who teaches the online course Strategy Execution . “In each case, we find a business strategy that was well formulated but poorly executed.”

How can you equip yourself and your team to implement the plans you’ve crafted? Here are five keys to successful strategy execution you can use at your organization.

Keys to Successful Strategy Execution

1. commit to a strategic plan.

Before diving into execution, it’s important to ensure all decision-makers and stakeholders agree on the strategic plan.

Research in the Harvard Business Review shows that 71 percent of employees in companies with weak execution believe strategic decisions are second-guessed, as opposed to 45 percent of employees from companies with strong execution.

Committing to a strategic plan before beginning implementation ensures all decision-makers and their teams are aligned on the same goals. This creates a shared understanding of the larger strategic plan throughout the organization.

Strategies aren’t stagnant—they should evolve with new challenges and opportunities. Communication is critical to ensuring you and your colleagues start on the same page in the planning process and stay aligned as time goes on.

2. Align Jobs to Strategy

One barrier many companies face in effective strategy execution is that employees’ roles aren’t designed with strategy in mind.

This can occur when employees are hired before a strategy is formulated, or when roles are established to align with a former company strategy.

In Strategy Execution , Simons posits that jobs are optimized for high performance when they line up with an organizational strategy. He created the Job Design Optimization Tool (JDOT) that individuals can use to assess whether their organization's jobs are designed for successful strategy execution.

The JDOT assesses a job’s design based on four factors, or “spans”: control, accountability, influence, and support.

“Each span can be adjusted so that it’s narrow or wide or somewhere in between,” Simons writes in the Harvard Business Review . “I think of the adjustments as being made on sliders, like those found on music amplifiers. If you get the settings right, you can design a job in which a talented individual can successfully execute your company’s strategy. But if you get the settings wrong, it will be difficult for any employee to be effective.”

3. Communicate Clearly to Empower Employees

When it comes to strategy execution, the power of clear communication can’t be overlooked. Given that a staggering 95 percent of employees don’t understand or are unaware of their company’s strategy, communication is a skill worth improving.

Strategy execution depends on each member of your organization's daily tasks and decisions, so it’s vital to ensure everyone understands not only the company's broader strategic goals, but how their individual responsibilities make achieving them possible.

Data outlined in the Harvard Business Review shows that 61 percent of staff at strong-execution companies believe field and line employees are given the information necessary to understand the bottom-line impact of their work and decisions. In weak-execution organizations, just 28 percent believe this to be true.

To boost your organization’s performance and empower your employees, train managers to communicate the impact of their team's daily work, address the organization in an all-staff meeting, and foster a culture that celebrates milestones on the way to reaching large strategic goals.

4. Measure and Monitor Performance

Strategy execution relies on continually assessing progress toward goals. To effectively measure your organization’s performance metrics, determine numeric key performance indicators (KPIs) during the strategic planning stage . A numeric goal serves as a clear measure of success for you and your team to regularly track and monitor performance and assess if any changes need to be made based on that progress.

For instance, your company’s strategic goal could be to increase its customer retention rate by 30 percent by 2026. By keeping a record of the change in customer retention rate on a weekly or monthly basis, you can observe data trends over time.

If records show that your customer retention rate is decreasing month over month, it could signal that your strategic plan requires pivoting because it’s not driving the change you desire. If, however, your data shows steady month-over-month growth, you can use that trend to reasonably predict whether you’ll reach your goal of a 30 percent increase by 2026.

5. Balance Innovation and Control

While innovation is an essential driving force for company growth, don’t let it derail the execution of your strategy.

To leverage innovation and maintain control over your current strategy implementation, develop a process to evaluate challenges, barriers, and opportunities that arise. Who makes decisions that may pivot your strategy’s focus? What pieces of the strategy are non-negotiable? Answering questions like these upfront can allow for clarity during execution.

Also, remember that a stagnant organization has no room for growth. Encourage employees to brainstorm, experiment, and take calculated risks with strategic initiatives in mind.

Related: 23 Resources for Mobilizing Innovation in Your Organization

Building the Skills to Successfully Execute Strategy

Setting strategic goals, formulating a plan, and executing a strategy each require a different set of skills and come with their own challenges. Keeping in mind that even the best formulated strategy can be poorly executed, consider bolstering your execution skills before setting strategic goals and putting a plan in place. Developing these skills can have a lasting impact on your organization's future performance.

Are you interested in designing systems and structures to meet your organization’s strategic goals? Explore our eight-week Strategy Execution course and other online strategy courses to hone your strategic planning and execution skills. To find the right HBS Online Strategy course for you, download the free flowchart .

This post was updated on November 9, 2023. It was originally published on November 17, 2020.

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Strategy Implementation: The Complete Guide For Small Businesses

• Business Growth & Management , Templates & Guides

Strategy implementation is one of those concepts that all small business owners and managers  know they need to work on. The problem is that very few of those owners or managers understand how to get started — or how to proceed once they have.

That’s where the experts at Sling  can help. We’ve created this complete strategy implementation guide for small businesses so that you don’t have to recreate the wheel. Follow these eight easy steps to implement any strategy — large or small — and reach your goals sooner.

What Is Strategy Implementation?

On the face of it, strategy implementation is fairly simple: it’s the process that translates general strategies into actionable plans for reaching your goals. But underneath the straightforward definition lies a maze of different variables and methods that make strategy implementation difficult for a business  to achieve.

Strategy implementation is built on such essential elements as:

It also incorporates a big-picture view of your business as well as SWOT and environmental analyses and any relevant issues  and objectives. Needless to say, there’s a lot to consider when working to implement a new strategy.

We’ve simplified the process by reducing it to its basic components so that it’s easier to understand and, ultimately, execute.

8 Steps For Strategy Implementation

1) appoint a visible leader.

Every project needs a visible leader — strategy implementation is no different. For a small business, the leader will likely be the owner or manager. You can also delegate smaller strategy implementation projects to trusted employees who want to develop their skills and advance.

For large-scale strategy implementation, the leader should have access to a wide range of data, including but not limited to:

• Employee scheduling
• Existing business market

This gives the leader a complete picture of the business so he or she can make the most informed decisions possible.

For small-scale strategy implementation — like reorganizing the bar in a restaurant — less information is necessary. Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll assume strategy implementation on a grander scale (i.e., business-wide) so that you can get a feel for major organizational changes.

2) Create The Mission, Vision, And Values

Once you’ve appointed a leader, it’s time to create the mission, vision, and values of your strategy. The leader doesn’t have to do this all on their own. They can, of course, if the business is small enough. But even a mom-and-pop coffee shop can benefit from a diverse  range of input at this point.

Don’t be afraid to meet with employees or talk with other business owners about creating a mission, vision, and values  statement. That information will make the next few steps much easier.

3) Set Organizational Goals

Next, it’s time to set the organizational goals that pertain to this particular strategy implementation. Organizational goals are high-level objectives that apply to the business as a whole (e.g., market penetration, opening another location, new hiring practices).

These are usually items that a CEO, owner, or high-level manager  is responsible (and accountable) for. Keep in mind that organizational goals will sometimes overlap with departmental and employee goals. It all depends on the size and scope of your business and your strategy.

4) Set Departmental Goals

When you have a complete view of your organizational goals, break them into smaller sub-goals and delegate responsibilities to each department.

For example, if one of your organizational goals is to reduce and simplify the processes in your restaurant , you might translate that into streamlining activity behind the bar. It then becomes a departmental goal assigned to the head bartender.

He or she would come up with a plan to make that goal a reality, and then either execute the plan personally or delegate the responsibility to another employee or team of employees.

5) Compose A Strategic Plan

Once you’ve established the mission, vision, and values statement and set organizational and departmental goals, it’s time to compose your strategic plan . Start by creating a written document that details the steps and processes your business needs to reach the goals you’ve set.

Be as detailed as possible, but also be willing to go back and change the plan if you see that something isn’t working or if someone has a better idea.

6) Analyze And Allocate The Resources

After you’ve composed your strategic plan, use that information to analyze and allocate any and all resources necessary to get the job done. Don’t forget to take into account:

All of these resources can have a dramatic effect on the success of your strategy implementation.

7) Assemble A Team And Go To Work

With your plans set and your resources dedicated to the task at hand, it’s time to assemble your team  and go to work. Assign individual tasks and set deadlines to adhere to the timeline you’ve established in your strategic plan.

Once the project is underway, get everyone involved. While only a small team may be working on the actual implementation, success depends on getting everyone in your business engaged and working toward the same goal.

It’s also essential to hold employees accountable for their part of the plan so that they take ownership of their work and feel invested in the change. But don’t give individual employees too much power. If you do, you run the risk of them making changes that are contrary to your overall plan.

8) Take Advantage Of Performance Measurement Tools

Don’t let your strategy implementation continue too long without measuring its performance. That may involve an employee performance review , another SWOT analysis, a labor-cost  review, or something completely different. Again, it all depends on your goals and the strategy implementation itself.

The tools you choose to gauge strategy implementation performance will be dictated, in large part, by the smaller departmental goals you’ve established.

If, for example, you’re trying to simplify the clock-in/clock-out  procedure in your business, you would get a clearer picture of all the variables involved by incorporating a time-tracking suite of tools like Sling  to measure performance. That way, you would know for sure if the changes you’re making are helping or hindering the process as a whole.

Your Strategy Isn’t Set In Stone

No plan is perfect, so don’t consider it set in stone. Once you’ve finalized everything and turned your team loose to implement the strategy, it’s time to observe, assess, and make changes if necessary.

Look for pieces of the plan — or the strategy itself — that aren’t working and tweak them so that they do. Sometimes, all it takes is a slight change to get back on the road to success.

For more free resources to help you manage your business better, organize and schedule your team, and track and calculate labor costs, visit GetSling.com  today.

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Strategy, Implementation, and Execution: The Key to Business Success

• September 20, 2023
• Business Strategy & Innovation

Despite the increasing complexity and evolving nature of business, some may argue that the distinction between strategy, implementation, and execution is merely semantics. However, a closer examination reveals the crucial role that each of these elements plays in achieving business success.

Strategy provides direction and differentiation, while implementation aligns people and processes with the strategy. Finally, execution turns the implemented strategy into commercial success.

To drive innovation and stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape, business leaders must understand and effectively navigate the interconnectedness of strategy, implementation, and execution.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• Strategy involves making choices about the company’s capabilities, competitive advantage, target customers, value proposition, and how to win.
• Strategy should provide direction, align resources, and help differentiate organizations from competitors.
• Strategy implementation is the process of turning strategic choices into action, involving aligning people, processes, and systems, effective communication, leadership, monitoring progress, and making adjustments.
• Execution is the process of turning an implemented strategy into commercial success, and it depends on successful strategy implementation, clear communication, engagement and empowerment of employees, effective performance measurement, and continuous learning and adaptation.

The Importance of Strategy in Business Success

A well-defined strategy provides direction and aligns resources, playing a crucial role in the success of a business. In today’s dynamic and competitive business environment, innovation is key to staying ahead. Organizations that embrace innovation and incorporate it into their strategy are more likely to achieve long-term success.

Innovation allows businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors, create new opportunities, and meet the changing needs of customers. However, measuring the effectiveness of strategy implementation is essential to ensure that innovation is driving business success. By monitoring key performance indicators and regularly evaluating progress, organizations can assess the impact of their strategy and make necessary adjustments to achieve their goals.

Effective strategy implementation, combined with a focus on innovation, is vital for businesses to thrive and maintain a competitive edge.

Key Elements of a Successful Strategy Implementation

Effective communication ensures understanding and buy-in during the implementation of a successful strategy. To overcome implementation challenges and measure strategy effectiveness, business leaders should consider the following:

Embrace innovation: Encourage a culture of creativity and experimentation to adapt to the changing business landscape and stay ahead of competitors. This fosters a mindset of continuous improvement and agility.

Foster collaboration: Promote cross-functional collaboration and teamwork to break down silos and enhance coordination. This allows for effective implementation by leveraging diverse perspectives and expertise.

Provide clear guidance: Clearly communicate the strategy, objectives, and expectations to all stakeholders. This ensures alignment and clarity in roles and responsibilities, minimizing confusion and resistance to change.

Monitor and evaluate progress: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system. This enables the measurement of strategy effectiveness and the identification of areas for improvement.

The Role of Leadership in Strategy Execution

Leadership plays a crucial role in driving the successful execution of strategies. Effective leadership is essential for strategy implementation as it sets the tone, provides direction, and ensures alignment within an organization.

In order to achieve successful execution, leaders must demonstrate strong communication skills and effectiveness. Communication plays a vital role in strategy execution as it facilitates understanding, alignment, and buy-in among employees. Leaders must effectively communicate the strategy to all levels of the organization, ensuring clarity and comprehension.

They must also engage and empower employees, encouraging their involvement and commitment to the strategy. Additionally, leaders must provide clear performance measurement and feedback, driving accountability and continuous improvement.

Aligning People, Processes, and Systems With Strategy

To ensure the successful alignment of people, processes, and systems with the organization’s strategy, leaders must actively engage employees at all levels and foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. This requires managing change effectively and implementing performance measurement practices.

Embrace change: Leaders need to proactively manage change by communicating the rationale behind strategic decisions and involving employees in the process. This fosters a sense of ownership and commitment, making it easier for individuals and teams to align their efforts with the organization’s strategy.

Set clear performance metrics: Performance measurement is crucial for tracking progress and ensuring that activities are aligned with strategic goals. Leaders should establish clear and meaningful metrics that enable employees to monitor their performance and make data-driven decisions.

Provide regular feedback: Continuous performance feedback is essential for driving improvement and enhancing execution effectiveness. Leaders should provide timely and constructive feedback that reinforces positive behaviors and addresses areas for development.

Foster a learning culture: Innovation and continuous improvement thrive in organizations that value learning. Leaders should encourage experimentation, knowledge sharing, and the adoption of new ideas and technologies. This creates an environment where employees feel empowered to challenge the status quo and contribute to the organization’s strategic objectives.

Overcoming Challenges in Strategy Execution

Overcoming challenges in strategy execution requires a proactive and collaborative approach from leaders and employees, as well as a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation.

Effective implementation of a strategy involves turning strategic choices into reality and aligning people, processes, and systems with the strategy. However, there are obstacles that can hinder successful execution. Resistance to change and insufficient resources are common challenges that organizations face. In addition, ineffective performance measurement and feedback can impede progress.

To overcome these obstacles, leaders must foster a culture of accountability and ensure clear communication of the strategy. Engaging and empowering employees is also crucial for effective execution.

Continuous learning and adaptation are essential for improving strategy execution outcomes and driving innovation within the organization. By addressing these challenges head-on, businesses can increase their chances of successfully implementing their strategies and achieving their desired outcomes.

Effective Communication and Strategy Implementation

Effective communication plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the chosen strategy is successfully implemented. It is essential for organizations that desire innovation to prioritize effective communication during the strategy implementation process. Here are four reasons why effective communication is crucial for successful strategy implementation:

Clarity: Effective communication ensures that everyone involved understands the strategy, its objectives, and their role in its implementation. This clarity helps align efforts and minimizes confusion.

Buy-in: When communication is effective, it fosters buy-in from employees and stakeholders. They understand the rationale behind the strategy and are more likely to actively support and contribute to its implementation.

Alignment: Effective communication helps align all levels of the organization towards the strategic goals. It ensures that everyone is working towards the same vision and minimizes the risk of misalignment.

Feedback: Communication allows for feedback and open dialogue, enabling organizations to identify and address implementation challenges promptly. This feedback loop helps refine the strategy and adapt it as needed for better results.

Monitoring Progress and Making Adjustments in Execution

Monitoring progress and making adjustments are essential components of effectively executing a strategy. In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations face numerous execution challenges that require proactive and agile adjustment strategies.

By monitoring progress, businesses can identify areas of success and areas that need improvement. This allows them to make necessary adjustments to ensure that their strategy remains aligned with their goals and objectives.

However, executing these adjustments can be challenging, as it requires a deep understanding of the market, competitors, and internal capabilities. Additionally, organizations must be willing to embrace innovation and adapt to changing circumstances.

The Impact of Poor Execution on Business Success

Poor execution can undermine an organization’s ability to achieve its desired outcomes and hinder its potential for growth and competitiveness. When execution falls short, the consequences can be severe, impacting the overall success of the business. Here are four key consequences of ineffective execution:

Missed Opportunities: Poor execution can result in missed opportunities to capitalize on market trends and customer demands, leading to lost revenue and market share.

Declining Performance: Ineffective execution can lead to declining performance, as the organization fails to meet its targets and deliver on its promises. This can erode customer trust and loyalty.

Wasted Resources: Poor execution wastes valuable resources, including time, money, and talent. Inefficient processes and ineffective decision-making can drain resources without producing desired results.

Diminished Competitive Advantage: Ineffective execution hampers the organization’s ability to differentiate itself from competitors and maintain a competitive edge. This can weaken its position in the market and limit its growth potential.

To improve execution performance, organizations can implement strategies such as:

Clear Communication: Ensuring that the strategy is effectively communicated throughout the organization, promoting understanding and alignment.

Empowering Employees: Engaging and empowering employees by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and authority to execute the strategy effectively.

Performance Measurement and Feedback: Establishing robust performance measurement systems and providing regular feedback to drive accountability and continuous improvement.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation: Encouraging a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, where lessons are learned from both successes and failures, and adjustments are made to improve execution effectiveness.

The Connection Between Strategy, Implementation, and Execution

The impact of poor execution on business success highlights the importance of understanding the connection between strategy, implementation, and execution. Strategy provides the roadmap for achieving a specific goal, while implementation involves turning strategic choices into action. However, it is the execution that ultimately determines the success or failure of a strategy.

The relationship between strategy and implementation is crucial, as the effectiveness of the implementation directly affects the achievement of strategic goals. A well-defined strategy is essential, but without proper resource allocation and execution, it remains merely a plan on paper.

Resource allocation plays a vital role in strategy execution. It involves allocating limited resources, such as financial resources, human capital, and technology, to the areas that will have the greatest impact on achieving the strategic objectives. Effective resource allocation ensures optimal use of resources, maximizes efficiency, and minimizes wastage.

Innovation-driven organizations understand that successful strategy execution requires not only a well-defined strategy but also the proper allocation of resources to support its implementation. By aligning strategy, implementation, and resource allocation, companies can increase their chances of achieving business success and staying ahead in a competitive market.

Understanding the Semantics of Strategy, Implementation, and Execution

Understanding the nuances and distinctions between strategy, implementation, and execution is crucial for effective business leadership and achieving desired outcomes. In the fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, it is essential to have a clear understanding of these concepts to drive innovation and success.

Here are four key points to consider when exploring the semantics of strategy, implementation, and execution:

Thinking and Doing: Strategy involves thinking and making choices about where to compete and how to win. Implementation is the translation of strategy into action, aligning people, processes, and systems. Execution is the process of turning an implemented strategy into commercial success through decision-making and activities.

Interconnected Processes: Strategy, implementation, and execution are parallel processes that are interconnected. They should be approached holistically and not conflated, as each has its own distinct activities, tools, and people involved.

Clear Definitions: Meticulous word choice and understanding of these concepts are crucial to prevent confusion and ensure clarity in business operations. Ignoring or blurring the distinctions can lead to sloppy decision-making and hinder success.

Impact on Results: The choices made in strategy, implementation, and execution have a significant impact on a company’s results. By understanding the semantics and applying them effectively, business leaders can drive innovation, overcome challenges, and achieve desired outcomes.

The Significance of Clear Definitions in Business Operations

The previous subtopic emphasized the importance of understanding the semantics of strategy, implementation, and execution.

Now, shifting focus to the current subtopic, it explores the significance of clear definitions in business operations.

Clear definitions play a vital role in ensuring effective communication, alignment, and understanding within an organization. By having clear definitions of key terms and concepts related to strategy, implementation, and execution, businesses can avoid confusion and ambiguity.

This clarity enables leaders and employees to make well-informed decisions and take appropriate actions to drive business success. Clear definitions also help establish a common language and framework for discussing and evaluating business operations, facilitating innovation and collaboration.

In a rapidly changing business landscape, clear definitions provide a solid foundation for navigating complexities and seizing opportunities.

Driving Success Through Strategy, Implementation, and Execution

Clear definitions of terms and concepts related to strategy, implementation, and execution enable effective communication, alignment, and understanding within an organization.

When it comes to driving success through effective planning and executing the strategic vision, there are four key factors that evoke emotion in an audience:

Visionary Leadership: Inspirational leaders who can articulate a compelling vision and motivate others to work towards it create a sense of excitement and purpose.

Agile Adaptation: The ability to quickly adapt and respond to changing market conditions and customer needs demonstrates a commitment to innovation and staying ahead of the competition.

Collaborative Culture: Fostering a culture of collaboration, where ideas are encouraged and diverse perspectives are valued, promotes creativity and drives innovation.

Results-Oriented Execution: A focus on delivering tangible results and continuously improving performance instills confidence and generates a sense of achievement.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation in Strategy Execution

Continuous learning and adaptation play a crucial role in effectively executing a company’s strategic vision. In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, organizations must be agile and responsive to stay ahead of the competition.

By embracing continuous learning, companies can gather insights from both internal and external sources, enabling them to make informed decisions and adjust their strategies accordingly. This involves actively seeking feedback, analyzing market trends, and staying abreast of industry advancements.

Additionally, adaptive strategy execution allows organizations to be flexible and make necessary adjustments as circumstances evolve. This approach encourages experimentation, innovation, and the ability to pivot when needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can a well-defined strategy help organizations differentiate themselves from competitors.

A well-defined strategy allows organizations to differentiate themselves from competitors by identifying unique value propositions and target customers. This competitive advantage gives them an edge in the market and helps them stand out in the eyes of consumers.

What Are the Key Activities Involved in Turning an Implemented Strategy Into Commercial Success?

To achieve commercial success, key activities involve implementing the strategy, setting clear goals, establishing success metrics, aligning people and processes, and continuously monitoring and adapting. Success depends on effective execution of these commercialization activities.

How Can Business Leaders Overcome Resistance to Change During Strategy Execution?

Business leaders can overcome resistance to change during strategy execution by fostering open communication, providing clear rationale for the change, involving employees in the decision-making process, and offering training and support to help them adapt to new ways of working.

What Are Some Common Challenges That Hinder the Successful Execution of a Strategy?

Common challenges that hinder successful strategy execution include lack of alignment between strategy and execution, resistance to change, insufficient resources, ineffective performance measurement, and lack of accountability.

Why Is It Important for Business Leaders to Understand the Semantics and Distinctions Between Strategy, Implementation, and Execution?

Understanding the semantics and distinctions between strategy, implementation, and execution is important for business leaders to effectively align their goals, allocate resources, and drive results. It allows them to develop a clear vision, translate it into actionable plans, and ensure successful implementation and execution.

Strategy Implementation: Process, Models & Example

Strategy implementation is the process where strategies and methods are put into action to fulfill an organization’s objectives, goals, and mission. This step comes after the strategic planning and decision-making process.

What is a Business Strategy? What are examples of business strategy?

Strategy Implementation Models

There are many different models and frameworks that can be used to guide the process of strategy implementation. Here are a few of the most commonly used models:

• Balanced Scorecard:  Developed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton, this model uses a balanced set of financial and non-financial metrics to measure performance. It considers four perspectives: financial performance, customer knowledge, internal business processes, and learning and growth.
• McKinsey 7S Framework:  This model emphasizes the importance of coordinating seven key organizational elements for successful implementation: structure, strategy, systems, staff, style, skills, and shared values.
• Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model:  Although not a strategy-specific implementation model, John Kotter’s model is widely used in strategic change scenarios. The eight steps include creating a sense of urgency, forming a guiding coalition, creating a vision for change, communicating the vision, removing obstacles, creating short-term wins, building on the change, and anchoring the change in corporate culture.
• OKR (Objectives and Key Results):  This goal-setting framework helps organizations implement the strategy by defining objectives and tracking measurable results.
• OGSM (Objectives, Goals, Strategies, Measures):  This model provides a clear and visual structure to help organizations align their strategies with operational actions and expected outcomes.
• PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act):  This iterative four-step management method is used in businesses to control and continuously improve processes and products.
• Strategy Map:  A strategy map is a visual tool designed to communicate a strategic plan and achieve high-level business goals.

The best model for any given organization will depend on the nature of the organization, the specific strategies being implemented, and the context in which they operate.

Strategy Implementation Process

The strategy implementation process is a complex process that involves turning strategic plans into actions and then measuring the effectiveness of those actions in achieving the organization’s goals. Although it can vary based on specific models and business environments, a typical strategy implementation process may include the following steps:

• Developing an Implementation Plan:  The first step in the process is to develop a detailed plan for implementing the strategy. This plan should clearly outline the tasks that need to be accomplished, who is responsible for each task, when each task needs to be completed, and what resources are required.
• Resource Allocation:  Resources need to be efficiently allocated to support the strategy. This could involve financial resources, human resources, materials, or time. It’s also important to ensure that the organization can implement the strategy.
• Organizational Structure Adjustments:  Sometimes, the existing organizational structure may need to be modified or redesigned to support the strategic goals. This could involve changes in roles, responsibilities, reporting lines, etc.
• Strategy Communication:  It’s important to communicate the strategy across the organization. All employees should understand the strategy, their role in it, and how their work contributes to strategic objectives.
• Employee Training and Development:  Employees may need new skills or knowledge to carry out their roles under the new strategy. This might require training, mentoring, or hiring new staff.
• Performance Management:  Set clear performance standards and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor progress toward strategic objectives. Regularly review performance and provide feedback.
• Leadership and Management Support:  Leaders and managers should commit to the strategy, set a good example, and motivate their teams.
• Review and Adjust:  Strategy implementation is not a one-time activity. Regularly review progress and make necessary adjustments. This might involve changing aspects of the strategy, altering the implementation plan, or reallocating resources.

Strategy implementation can be challenging, but following a structured process can increase the chances of success. Remember that effective strategy implementation requires a long-term commitment and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Strategy Implementation Example

Let’s look at an example of a company implementing a new strategy. This example is hypothetical and simplified but gives a basic idea of the process.

Company ABC, a retail business, has decided to implement a new strategy of focusing more on e-commerce sales to adapt to the increasing trend of online shopping. Here’s how they could implement this strategy:

• Develop an Implementation Plan:  ABC creates a detailed plan with objectives such as developing a user-friendly online shopping platform, increasing the online product range, and implementing digital marketing campaigns.
• Resource Allocation:  ABC allocates funds for website development, digital marketing, and e-commerce logistics. They also allocate personnel resources, assigning teams to manage the new online shopping platform, customer service, and digital marketing.
• Organizational Structure Adjustments:  ABC modifies its organizational structure, establishing a new e-commerce department and hiring a Head of E-commerce.
• Strategy Communication:  ABC’s CEO communicates the new strategy to all employees through a town hall meeting. They explain the strategic shift, its reasons, and how it affects different parts of the organization.
• Employee Training and Development:  ABC arranges training programs for its customer service and sales teams to help them adapt to the new e-commerce environment. They also hire new staff with digital marketing and e-commerce experience.
• Performance Management:  ABC sets KPIs related to online sales volume, website traffic, and customer satisfaction rates. They introduce a performance dashboard to track these metrics.
• Leadership and Management Support:  ABC’s management team fully supports the new strategy. They lead by example, show enthusiasm and commitment, and regularly update staff on progress.
• Review and Adjust:  After the first quarter, ABC reviews the results. They see an increase in online sales, but customer feedback indicates some issues with the new online platform. ABC takes this feedback and makes necessary adjustments, enhancing the website’s user interface and fixing technical bugs.

This example demonstrates the importance of planning, resource allocation, organizational adjustments, communication, and ongoing review in the strategy implementation process. It’s also worth noting that even well-planned strategies may need adjustments based on feedback and performance results.

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How to Move from Strategy to Execution

• Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
• Darko Lovric

Three steps to put your plan into action.

Three out of every five companies rate their organization as weak on strategy execution. When you dig into the potential barriers to implementation, there is a general lack of understanding of the various factors at play, resulting in the inevitable managerial justifications — “poor leadership,” “inadequate talent,” “lack of process excellence,” etc. This article suggests three key steps to build the right execution system: 1) a good strategy, 2) the right organization, and 3) effective management. With these three ingredients in place, human ingenuity can be unleashed, and employees can collectively deliver on the company’s strategic goals.

Strategy in Greek ( strategia ) means the “art of the general,” and, since ancient times, implied the ability to achieve a complex battle goal. In the modern business world, common “battles” may include executing a digital transformation strategy, winning the war for talent, or disrupting yourself before others do so. Whichever it might be, the only valid strategy is one that can be executed. As Thomas Edison famously noted , “vision without implementation is just hallucination”.

• Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup, a professor of business psychology at University College London and at Columbia University, co-founder of  deepersignals.com , and an associate at Harvard’s Entrepreneurial Finance Lab. He is the author of  Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (and How to Fix It ) , upon which his  TEDx talk  was based. His latest book is I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique.   Find him at  www.drtomas.com . drtcp
• Darko Lovric is an organizational psychologist and founder at Studio Metis , an organization design firm for innovators and founders. He advises governments, corporations, NGOs and ventures on how to execute their strategies, and coaches entrepreneurs on how to best manage uncertainty and change. He teaches behavior change and collective intelligence and blogs at @thelastmanager.

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What Is an Implementation Plan? (Template & Example Included)

What Is Project Implementation?

Project implementation, or project execution, is the process of completing tasks to deliver a project successfully. These tasks are initially described in the project plan, a comprehensive document that covers all areas of project management. However, a secondary action plan, known as an implementation plan, should be created to help team members and project managers better execute and track the project .

What Is an Implementation Plan?

An implementation plan is a document that describes the necessary steps for the execution of a project. Implementation plans break down the project implementation process by defining the timeline, the teams and the resources that’ll be needed.

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Implementation Plan Template

Use this free Implementation Plan Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

Implementation Plan vs. Project Plan

A project plan is a comprehensive project management document that should describe everything about your project including the project schedule, project budget, scope management plan, risk management plan, stakeholder management plan and other important components. An implementation plan, on the other hand, is a simplified version of your project plan that includes only the information that’s needed by the team members who will actually participate in the project execution phase, such as their roles, responsibilities, daily tasks and deadlines.

Project management software like ProjectManager greatly simplifies the implementation planning process. Schedule and execute your implementation plan with our robust online Gantt charts. Assign work, link dependencies and track progress in real time with one chart. Plus, if your team wants to work with something other than a Gantt chart, our software offers four other project views for managing work: task lists, kanban boards, calendars and sheets. Try it for free today.

Key Steps In Project Implementation

Here are some of the key steps that you must oversee as a project manager during the project execution phase . Your project implementation plan should have the necessary components to help you achieve these steps.

1. Communicate Goals and Objectives

Once you’ve outlined the project goals and objectives, the next step is to ensure that the team understands them. For the project to succeed, there must be buy-in from the project team. A meeting is a good way to communicate this, though having project documents that they can refer to is also viable.

2. Define Team Roles and Responsibilities

The project manager will define the roles and responsibilities and communicate them to the project team . They should understand what they’re expected to do and who they can reach out to with questions about their work, all of which leads to a smooth-running project.

3. Establish the Success Criteria for Deliverables

The project deliverables need to meet quality standards, and to do this there must be a success criteria for handing off these deliverables. You want to have something in place to determine if the deliverable is what it’s supposed to be. The measurement is called a success criteria and it applies to any deliverable, whether it’s tangible or intangible.

4. Schedule Work on a Project Timeline

All projects require a schedule , which at its most basic is a start date and an end date for your project. In between those two points, you’ll have phases and tasks, which also have start and finish dates. To manage these deadlines, use a project timeline to visually map everything in one place.

5. Monitor Cost, Time and Performance

To make sure that you’re keeping to your schedule and budget, you need to keep a close eye on the project during the execution phase. Some of the things you should monitor are your costs, time and performance. Costs refer to your budget , time refers to your schedule and performance impacts both as well as quality. By keeping track of these metrics, you can make adjustments to stay on schedule and on budget.

6. Report to Project Stakeholders

While the project manager is monitoring the project, the stakeholders, who have a vested interest in the project, are also going to want to stay informed. To manage their expectations and show them that the project is hitting all its milestones, you’ll want to have project reports , such as project status reports. These can then be presented to the stakeholders regularly to keep them updated.

Free Implementation Plan Template

Many of the key components listed above are included in our implementation plan template . Use this Excel file to define your strategy, scope, resource plan, timeline and more. It’s the ideal way to begin your implementation process. Download your template today.

What Are the Key Components of an Implementation Plan?

There’s no standard one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creating your implementation plan. However, we’ve created an implementation plan outline for your projects. Here are its components.

• Project goals & objectives: The project goal is the ultimate goal of your project, while the objectives are the key milestones or achievements that must be completed to reach it.
• Success criteria: The project manager must reach an agreement with stakeholders to define the project success criteria.
• Project deliverables: Project deliverables are tangible or intangible outputs from project tasks.
• Scope statement: The scope statement briefly describes your project scope, which can be simply defined as the project work to be performed.
• Resource plan: Create a simple resource plan that outlines the human resources, equipment and materials needed for your project.
• Risk analysis: Use a risk assessment tool like a SWOT analysis or risk register. There are different tools with different levels of detail for your risk analysis.
• Implementation timeline: Any implementation plan needs a clear project timeline to be executed properly. You should use an advanced tool such as a Gantt chart to create one.
• Implementation plan milestones: You need to identify key milestones of your implementation plan so that you can easily keep track of its progress.
• Team roles & responsibilities: The implementation plan won’t execute itself. You’ll need to assign roles and responsibilities to your team members.
• Implementation plan metrics: You’ll need KPIs, OKRs or any other performance metrics you can use to control the progress of your implementation plan.

How to Write an Implementation Plan

Follow these steps to create an implementation plan for your project or business. You can also consider using project management software like ProjectManager to help you with the implementation process.

1. Review Your Project Plan

Start by identifying what you’ll need for the execution of your implementation plan:

• What teams need to be involved to achieve the strategic goals?
• How long will it take to make the strategic goals happen?
• What resources should be allocated ?

By interviewing stakeholders, key partners, customers and team members, you can determine the most crucial assignments needed and prioritize them accordingly. It’s also at this stage that you should list out all the goals you’re looking to achieve to cross-embed the strategic plan with the implementation plan. Everything must tie back to that strategic plan in order for your implementation plan to work.

2. Map Out Assumptions and Risks

This acts as an extension to the research and discovery phase, but it’s also important to point out assumptions and risks in your implementation plan. This can include anything that might affect the execution of the implementation plan, such as paid time off or holidays you didn’t factor into your timeline , budget constraints, losing personnel, market instability or even tools that require repair before your implementation can commence.

3. Identify Task Owners

Each activity in your implementation plan must include a primary task owner or champion to be the owner of it. For tasks to be properly assigned, this champion will need to do the delegating. This means that they ensure that all systems are working as per usual, keep track of their teams’ productivity and more. Project planning software is practically essential for this aspect.

4. Define Project Tasks

Next, you need to finalize all the little activities to round out your plan. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

• What are the steps or milestones that make up the plan?
• What are the activities needed to complete each step?
• Who needs to be involved in the plan?
• What are the stakeholder requirements?
• What resources should be allocated?
• Are there any milestones we need to list?
• What are the risks involved based on the assumptions we notated?
• Are there any dependencies for any of the tasks?

Once all activities are outlined, all resources are listed and all stakeholders have approved (but no actions have been taken just yet), you can consider your implementation plan complete and ready for execution.

Implementation Plan Example

Implementation plans are used by companies across industries on a daily basis. Here’s a simple project implementation plan example we’ve created using ProjectManager to help you better understand how implementation plans work. Let’s imagine a software development team is creating a new app.

• Project goal: Create a new app
• Project objectives: All the project deliverables that must be achieved to reach that ultimate goal.
• Success criteria: The development team needs to communicate with the project stakeholders and agree upon success criteria.
• Scope statement: Here’s where the development team will document all the work needed to develop the app. That work is broken down into tasks, which are known as user stories in product and software development. Here, the team must also note all the exceptions, which means everything that won’t be done.
• Resource plan: In this case, the resources are all the professionals involved in the software development process, as well as any equipment needed by the team.
• Risk analysis: Using a risk register, the product manager can list all the potential risks that might affect the app development process.
• Timeline, milestones and metrics: Here’s an image of an implementation plan timeline we created using ProjectManager’s Gantt chart view. The diamond symbols represent the implementation plan milestones.
• Team roles & responsibilities: Similarly, we used a kanban board to assign implementation plan tasks to team members according to their roles and responsibilities.

Benefits of an Implementation Plan for the Project Implementation Process

The implementation plan plays a large role in the success of your overall strategic plan. But more than that, communicating both your strategic plan and the implementation of it therein to your team members helps them feel as if they have a sense of ownership within the company’s long-term direction.

Increased Cooperation

An implementation plan that’s well communicated also helps to increase cooperation across all teams through all the steps of the implementation process. It’s easy to work in a silo—you know exactly what your daily process is and how to execute it. But reaching across the aisle and making sure your team is aligned on the project goals that you’re also trying to meet? That’s another story entirely. With an implementation plan in place, it helps to bridge the divide just a little easier.

Additionally, with an implementation plan that’s thoroughly researched and well-defined, you can ensure buy-in from stakeholders and key partners involved in the project. And no matter which milestone you’re at, you can continue to get that buy-in time and time again with proper documentation.

At the end of the day, the biggest benefit of an implementation plan is that it makes it that much easier for the company to meet its long-term goals. When everyone across all teams knows exactly what you want to accomplish and how to do it, it’s easy to make it happen.

Implementation Plan FAQ

There’s more to know about implementation plans. It’s a big subject and we’ve tried to be thorough as possible, but if you have any further questions, hopefully we’ve answered them below.

What Is the Difference Between an Action Plan and an Implementation Plan?

The main difference between an action plan and an implementation plan is that an action plan focuses exclusively on describing work packages and tasks, while the implementation plan is more holistic and addresses other variables that affect the implementation process such as risks, resources and team roles & responsibilities.

What Is an Implementation Plan in Business?

A business implementation plan is the set of steps that a company follows to execute its strategic plan and achieve all the business goals that are described there.

What Is an Implementation Plan in Project Management?

Implementation plans have many uses in project management. They’re a planning tool that allows project managers to control smaller projects within their project plan. For example, they might need an implementation plan to execute risk mitigation actions, change requests or produce specific deliverables.

How to Make an Implementation Plan With ProjectManager

Creating and managing an implementation plan is a huge responsibility and one that requires diligence, patience and great organizational skills.

When it comes to a project implementation plan, there are many ways to make one that’s best suited for your team. With ProjectManager , you get access to both agile and waterfall planning so you can plan in sprints for large or small projects, track issues and collaborate easily. Try kanban boards for managing backlogs or for making workflows in departments.

Switching up the activities after a milestone meeting with stakeholders? You can easily update your implementation plan with our software features. Add new tasks, set due dates, and track how far along your team is on their current activities.

Implementation plans are the backbone of an organization’s strategic overall plan. With ProjectManager, give your organization the project management software they need to gain insight into all resources needed, view activities on their lists and collaborate with ease. Sign up for our free 30-day trial today.

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Learn from the business planning experts, resources to help you get ahead, strategy & implementation, table of contents.

Welcome to the Strategy & Implementation section of Businessplan.com. This section is tailored to guide you through developing robust strategies for marketing, promotions, sales, and customer service – often collectively known as your go-to-market strategy. These elements are indispensable, whether you’re seeking bank/SBA lending for a new business or raising capital from investors for your startup.

Before getting into the specifics of Strategy & Implementation, it’s vital to understand its foundation in your business planning preparation. This foundation is laid in two key areas of our website:

• Pre-Planning Process and Business Model Development:  Located in the ‘ Get Started ‘ section, the Pre-Planning Process, especially the Business Model Development subsection, offers an in-depth approach to understanding and shaping your business model. This is particularly beneficial for startups operating as first-movers or fast-followers in new markets. By engaging deeply with your business model here, you lay the groundwork for a Strategy & Implementation plan that is both innovative and responsive to emerging market dynamics.
• Model-Based Planning® Worksheet:  For those in more traditional business models, such as dental offices, restaurants, or third-party logistics, our Model-Based Planning® Worksheets provide a tailored approach. This worksheet helps you align your specific business model or industry characteristics with practical, real-world strategies and examples. 

This section is crafted with a diverse audience in mind. Whether you are a business student, a banker evaluating business plans, a founder embarking on a new venture, or an entrepreneur scaling up, the insights here are designed to be accessible and applicable. Our aim is to provide clear, actionable guidance that resonates across the spectrum of business development stages and needs.

Understanding Strategy & Implementation

Strategy & Implementation in a business plan is more than just a section; it’s the practical factors involved in how your business will achieve its goals. It’s the details outlining your approaches to marketing, sales, promotions, and customer service. For startups and new businesses, this section is crucial. 

The Strategy & Implementation section demands pragmatic and critical thinking. As you chart out your strategies, it’s essential to keep in mind the practical aspects: Who will execute these plans? How will they align with your financial projections? For instance, if you plan to implement search engine optimization (SEO) as part of your marketing strategy, it’s not enough to merely state the intent. You need a concrete plan for answering key questions:

• Who will execute the SEO strategy? Will it be in-house employees, 1099 contractors, or an external agency?
• How does this choice impact your costs? Each option comes with different financial implications, which must be thoroughly researched and documented.
• What is the nature of the SEO work required? Is it a straightforward, one-time task or a complex, ongoing process?

These decisions directly influence other parts of your business plan , especially financial projections . A well-thought-out Strategy & Implementation section ensures that you have a realistic understanding of the resources needed, helping you raise adequate capital and avoid financial pitfalls in your formative years.

Relation to Business Model Canvas

The Business Model Canvas serves as the 30,000-foot view of your business, offering a broad scope of how various elements like Channels, Customer Relationships , and Value Propositions interlink. This broad view is essential for initial brainstorming and planning, but it’s in the Strategy & Implementation section where these concepts are dissected and transformed into detailed, actionable plans.

Taking the example of SEO, within the Business Model Canvas, SEO is simply identified as a key component in your Channels. It represents a broad strategy for reaching your Customer Segments . However, the Strategy & Implementation section is where this broad component is fine-tuned into part of your detailed Marketing Strategy. Here, for example, you’ll get into specifics:

• Target Terms and Rationale:  You’ll list specific SEO terms you intend to target, explaining the rationale behind choosing these terms.
• Analysis of Ranking Difficulty:  Assess and document the difficulty in ranking for these terms on the first page of Google, along with the time and effort required.
• Detailed Resource Planning:  Identify whether key resources for this task will come from in-house personnel, Key Partners like contractors or agencies, and note the associated costs.

Overall, the Stategy & Implementation section is about taking the broad components and ideas sketched out in your Business Model Canvas and drilling down into the nitty-gritty details. It’s about answering the ‘how’ in a more comprehensive manner: How exactly will you implement your SEO strategy? How will you allocate resources and manage costs? How will these efforts tie back to your overall business goals?

Part 1: Marketing Strategy

The Marketing Strategy is a crucial subsection of your business plan’s Strategy & Implementation section. It details how you will attract and retain customers. This strategy should align with and support the broader objectives outlined in your business model and other sections of your business plan.

Developing Your Marketing Strategy

• Integration with Market Analysis:  While the Market Analysis section of your business plan provides foundational insights, the Marketing Strategy section builds upon this information. It is common to uncover new insights during planning that necessitate additional research.
• Customer Segments:   Customer Segments are not just about demographics; it’s about understanding behaviors, preferences, and needs. Tailor your marketing efforts to resonate with these specific Customer Segments .
• Setting Specific Marketing Goals:  It’s crucial for new businesses and startups to set specific and measurable marketing goals that are attainable and relevant to their stage of business development. For example, if you are launching a new app for personalized fitness coaching, a specific marketing goal could be to acquire 500 active users within the first three months post-launch.
• Choice of Marketing Tactics:  Select tactics that align with your target audience and business goals. This could include a mix of digital marketing , content creation, social media, and traditional advertising . Each tactic should have a clear rationale and an expected outcome.
• Budget Allocation:  Detail how much of your overall budget will be allocated to each marketing activity. This should be in line with the financial projections of your business plan.
• Implementation Timeline and Responsibilities:  Outline a clear timeline for each marketing activity and identify responsibilities. This ensures your planning for the appropriate employees or partners to achieve the marketing tactic.

Aligning Marketing Strategy with Business Model

The marketing strategy should support your business’s Value Proposition and address the specific needs of your Customer Segments . For instance, if your Value Proposition is centered around sustainability, your marketing strategy should highlight this and target customers who prioritize environmental responsibility. 

Part 2: Promotional Plan

For startups and new businesses, a well-defined Promotional Plan within the Strategy & Implementation section of the business plan is vital. Unlike the broader marketing strategy, this section focuses on specific tactics for promoting individual products or services. It’s about designing targeted campaigns that effectively introduce and highlight your offerings, creating excitement, increasing the fear-of-missing-out, and driving sales.

Developing Targeted Promotional Tactics

• Setting Clear Promotional Goals:  Establish concrete goals for each promotional activity. For instance, if launching a new organic skincare line, a goal might be to achieve 200 pre-orders by the end of the first month.
• Choosing Focused Promotional Methods:  Select methods that align with your product and target audience. For a tech product, this could include targeted online ads on tech forums, collaborating with tech influencers for product reviews, and sponsored content in tech newsletters.
• Tailored Promotional Content:  Outline how you will develop content that speaks directly to the benefits and features of your product. For a service-based app, this might involve creating how-to videos, testimonial features, and infographics highlighting the app’s unique features.
• Detailed Planning and Budgeting:  Outline a detailed plan for each campaign, including specific steps, required resources, and precise budget allocations. For instance, allocate specific portions of your budget to social media advertising, content creation, and influencer partnerships, and detail the expected outcomes from each.

Aligning with the Overall Marketing Strategy

Each promotional campaign should be an extension of your overall marketing strategy. If your broader marketing goal is to position your brand as a budget-friendly option in a luxury market, your promotions should emphasize cost-effectiveness without compromising quality. This could involve highlighting price comparisons, customer savings, and value-for-money in your promotional content.

Part 3: Sales Strategy

In modern business planning, it’s crucial to acknowledge the integration of sales and marketing, often referred to as ‘Smarketing’. This concept highlights the synergy between the two departments, ensuring that sales efforts are closely coordinated with marketing strategies and promotional plans. Here we outline how to develop a sales strategy that not only stands on its own but also complements and reinforces your marketing efforts.

Developing a Comprehensive Sales Approach

• Establishing Sales Channels:  Identify and establish specific sales channels that are most effective for your product or service. This could include direct sales, working with distributors, or selling through online marketplaces. The choice of channels should align with your marketing strategy and target customer segments.
• Building and Structuring a Sales Team:  Outline the structure of your sales team. This includes defining roles, responsibilities, and the hierarchy within the team. Detail the process of recruiting, training, and retaining sales personnel. Discuss methods of sales training, development, and incentivization to ensure a motivated and effective sales force.
• Optimizing the Sales Process:  Describe how the sales process will be optimized. This may involve lead qualification strategies in coordination with the marketing department, streamlined proposal development, and efficient closing techniques. Emphasize the importance of a seamless handoff between marketing and sales, ensuring leads are nurtured and converted effectively.
• Implementing Sales Enablement Tools:  Detail the tools and resources that will be utilized to empower the sales team. This could include CRM systems for managing customer relationships, product catalogs for easy reference, and sales presentations tailored to different customer segments . Explain how these tools will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales process.
• Sales and Marketing Alignment:  Discuss how sales strategies will align with marketing initiatives. This could include shared goals, integrated communication channels, and collaborative planning sessions. Highlight how this alignment will lead to a more cohesive customer journey and improved sales outcomes.

Integrating Sales Strategy with Finances and Operation

In business planning, particularly for new businesses and startups, it’s not enough to merely outline a sales strategy. The real challenge lies in meticulously planning the personnel, partners, tools, and other resources required to effectively implement this strategy. This comprehensive planning includes:

• Budgeting for Sales Operations:  Develop a detailed budget for your sales operations. This should cover not only the obvious expenses like salaries and commissions but also often-overlooked costs like sales team training, hiring a dedicated sales manager, development of sales materials like catalogs, and investment in sales enablement tools.
• Integration into Financial Projections:  Integrate your sales budget into the broader financial projections of your business plan. This integration is crucial for presenting a realistic picture of your business’s financial future. It aids in understanding how sales efforts translate into revenue and how costs impact overall profitability.
• Risk Minimization through Diligent Planning:  By thoroughly planning and realistically estimating costs, you minimize the risk of financial surprises that could jeopardize your business. Detailed planning in the early stages helps in anticipating and allocating funds for various scenarios, reducing the likelihood of being caught off-guard by unforeseen expenses.
• Creating a Cohesive Operational Picture:  Detailed sales planning contributes to painting a clear picture of how all components of your company will work together. This clarity is beneficial not only for internal management but also for external stakeholders like investors and lenders. It demonstrates that you have a well-thought-out approach to entering the market and sustaining your business.

A comprehensive Sales Strategy should go beyond the mechanics of selling. It should be an integral part of your business’s financial and operational planning. This integration ensures that you are well-prepared for the realities of running a business, equipped to manage costs effectively, and poised for sustainable growth and success.

Part 4: Customer Service Plan

For new businesses and startups, an effective customer service plan is not just important, it’s fundamental. Research shows that it’s five to seven times more costly to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Moreover, word of mouth remains a powerful tool for customer acquisition, with a vast majority of shoppers relying on online reviews to make purchasing decisions. The efficiency of your customer service can make or break your business, as unhappy customers can significantly drain your resources and damage your reputation.

Developing a Customer Service Plan

• Understanding Customer Needs and Expectations:  Begin by thoroughly understanding what your customers expect from your service (see: Pre-Vision Interviews ). This understanding will form the foundation of your customer service strategy.
• Staffing for Customer Service:  Plan for a dedicated customer service team . This includes hiring skilled personnel, providing them with adequate training, and continually updating their skills as per market needs.
• Service Channels and Accessibility:  Choose appropriate channels for customer service, such as phone support, email, live chat, and social media. Ensure these channels are easily accessible to your customers and are manned by trained staff.
• Developing Service Policies:  Create clear service policies that are customer-centric. These policies should cover aspects like response times, issue resolution protocols, and return or refund policies.
• Feedback Mechanisms and Continuous Improvement:  Implement mechanisms for collecting customer feedback, such as surveys and feedback forms. Use this feedback for continuous improvement of your products and services.
• Budgeting for Customer Service:  Allocate a realistic budget for customer service operations. This includes costs related to staffing, training, technological investments, and any other resources needed for providing top-notch customer service.

Integrating Customer Service with Operations

Your customer service plan should not operate in isolation. It needs to be integrated with your overall business strategy, reflecting your brand values and contributing to customer loyalty and retention. This integration ensures that your customer service team is aligned with your sales and marketing efforts, providing a seamless and satisfying customer experience.

Part 5: Requirements for Other Audiences

When developing a business plan, especially the Strategy & Implementation section, it’s crucial to recognize that different audiences may have unique requirements. Beyond traditional bank / SBA lending or investor needs, your business might target audiences such as government agencies, which often have specific criteria for business operations. 

Incorporating Requirements into Your Business Plan

• Review Audience-Specific Requirements:  Begin by thoroughly reviewing the requirements set forth by your target audience. This could involve legal regulations for government contracts, industry standards for certifications, or specific operational guidelines.
• Creating Subsections in Strategy & Implementation:  Based on these requirements, create dedicated subsections within your Strategy & Implementation plan. For instance, if you’re targeting a government contract that emphasizes social equity, develop a detailed Social Equity Plan as part of your strategy.
• Financial Planning for Unique Requirements:  Recognize that meeting these specialized requirements might incur additional costs. Plan for these in your Financial Projections . This might include budgeting for specialized staff training, certification processes, or infrastructure upgrades to meet certain industry standards.

Further Resources

For a more comprehensive understanding of audience-specific requirements, visit the ‘ Understanding Audiences ‘ section of the Plan & Pitch on Businessplan.com. This section provides in-depth insights into different audience types and their expectations, offering valuable guidance for tailoring your business plan effectively.

Up Next: Pitch Deck & Finances

As you conclude the Strategy & Implementation section of your business plan, you’ve taken a significant step towards laying a solid foundation for your business’s success. 

The effort doesn’t stop here. If you’re planning to pitch your startup to investors, the next crucial step is to move on to the Pitch Deck & Finances , covering the essentials of developing an impactful pitch deck , understanding your burn rate , and planning your financial runway for different stages of investor funding, including pre-seed, seed , and series A rounds .

Proceed to Pitch Deck & Finances

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• Implementation plan

Implementation plan template

Taking your business goals from “not started” to “accomplished” can feel overwhelming. Luckily, an implementation plan template can break down your goal into manageable, achievable steps. Learn how to create one.

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Let’s say you want to renovate your bathroom. How would you go about it? You probably wouldn’t jump right in without a plan in place—that’s a recipe for flooded floors and an expensive repair. Instead, you’d likely think through all the actions you need to take to turn your old bathroom into an updated one before getting started.

Business goals are a lot like that. To achieve them, you need a detailed understanding of the steps that will take you from start to finish. Depending on your goal, planning out all the steps can feel like a big task. That’s where implementation plan templates come in.

What is an implementation plan?

You should create your project implementation plan during the planning phase , before kicking off your initiative (aka the project or plan of action designed to achieve your specific goal). To learn more about how to build out an implementation plan, read our article on creating an implementation plan .

What is an implementation plan template?

An implementation plan template is a reusable resource you can use as a starting point to identify what steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Digital implementation plan templates help you view and track every step you need to take to achieve your goal—and because they’re reusable, you can use them to map out a process for accomplishing similar goals down the line. And that means less work about work —always a win in our book.

How to use an implementation plan template

Once you’ve created your baseline implementation plan template, using it is easy. You can simply duplicate the template at the start of every initiative and then fill out the information needed to achieve that specific goal.

To get you started, let’s take a look at what to include in your basic implementation plan template.

What to include in an implementation plan template

Your baseline implementation plan template will serve as a roadmap for all your similar goals going forward. That reusability is key—so think about how to build out your baseline template in a way that will easily duplicate across initiatives. Typically, this means including repeatable steps or phases in your baseline template that can scale across initiatives. 

The easiest way to do this is by separating the template into phases (such as research, planning, and execution). Once you’ve identified the project phases, you can add in more detail that you’ll use to track progress across your specific goals. 

Here’s some basic information you can include in your implementation plan template:

The owner for each task or action item

The action’s start date and deadline

The duration of the action

Action status

Action priority

Action progress 

Then, once you’ve kicked off a specific initiative, you can duplicate the template and add in goal-specific information. Plus, you can add dependencies to any tasks that depend on each other for completion and set milestones to mark specific points along the goal’s timeline (such as when you complete a goal phase). With an implementation plan template, you’ll achieve your goals in no time. 

Integrated features

Custom fields . Custom fields are the best way to tag, sort, and filter work. Create unique custom fields for any information you need to track—from priority and status to email or phone number. Use custom fields to sort and schedule your to-dos so you know what to work on first. Plus, share custom fields across tasks and projects to ensure consistency across your organization. 

Timeline View . Timeline View is a Gantt-style project view that displays all of your tasks in a horizontal bar chart. Not only can you see each task’s start and end date, but you can also see dependencies between tasks. With Timeline View, you can easily track how the pieces of your plan fit together. Plus, when you can see all of your work in one place, it’s easy to identify and address dependency conflicts before they start, so you can hit all of your goals on schedule. 

Milestones . Milestones represent important project checkpoints. By setting milestones throughout your project, you can let your team members and project stakeholders know how you’re pacing towards your goal. Use milestones as a chance to celebrate the little wins on the path towards the big project goal. 

Dependencies . Mark a task as waiting on another task with task dependencies. Know when your work is blocking someone else’s work, so you can prioritize accordingly. Teams with collaborative workflows can easily see what tasks they’re waiting on from others, and know when to get started on their portion of work. When the first task is completed, the assignee will be notified that they can get started on their dependent task. Or, if the task your work is dependent on is rescheduled, Asana will notify you—letting you know if you need to adjust your dependent due date as well. 

Dropbox . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Dropbox file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane.

Google Workplace . Attach files directly to tasks in Asana with the Google Workplace file chooser, which is built into the Asana task pane. Easily attach any My Drive file with just a few clicks.

Zoom . Asana and Zoom are partnering up to help teams have more purposeful and focused meetings. The Zoom + Asana integration makes it easy to prepare for meetings, hold actionable conversations, and access information once the call is over. Meetings begin in Asana, where shared meeting agendas provide visibility and context about what will be discussed. During the meeting, team members can quickly create tasks within Zoom, so details and action items don’t get lost. And once the meeting is over, the Zoom + Asana integration pulls meeting transcripts and recordings into Asana, so all collaborators and stakeholders can review the meeting as needed.

Miro . Connect Miro and Asana to streamline workflows and see the full picture of every project, all in one place. Embed Miro boards into Asana project briefs, allowing team members to interact, view, comment, or edit directly from within Asana. Or, attach an existing or new Miro board to any Asana task, automatically inviting task collaborators to view, comment, or edit the board. 

Benefits of a digital implementation plan template 

Static implementation plan templates—like those created in Excel—are a helpful way to see your timeline and tasks at a high level, but they lack the functionality needed to really hit your goals. In contrast, digital implementation plan templates created in a project management tool let you track and manage everything—from communication to goal progress and any potential roadblocks—all in one place. 

Here are a few other benefits of using a digital implementation plan template: 

Increase goal success by breaking down your high-level goal into actionable, achievable steps at the start of the initiative. 

Track goal progress in different views, including Kanban boards and Gantt charts .

Easily monitor and manage every phase of your project.

See which team members are responsible for what and buy when. 

Quickly view any upcoming or overdue milestones, so you can adjust timelines and work accordingly. 

Monitor the progress and status of each action item or deliverable .

Easily collaborate and communicate with your project team as well as internal and external stakeholders. 

Why should you use an implementation plan template?

An implementation plan template can help you achieve your business goals by outlining every step you need to take to accomplish a given initiative. When created in a project management tool , a digital template also serves as a reusable baseline for similar initiatives, saving you time and helping you create a streamlined process for achieving goals. 

What should you include in your implementation plan template?

Since your template will serve as a guide for future goals, the baseline template should include any information you’ll want to duplicate and include for similar undertakings. This will likely include information such as goal phases; the status, duration, and priority of action items; and the progress and stage for each action item.

When should you create an implementation plan for your goal?

You should create an implementation plan at the beginning of your goal process, when you’re still defining your business goals, conducting your risk assessment , and assigning responsibilities. To learn more about how to create an implementation plan for a specific goal, check out our article on building an implementation plan from scratch.

What’s the difference between an implementation plan and a strategic plan?

Strategic plans and implementation plans go hand-in-hand. A strategic plan outlines at a high level what strategies you’re going to take to achieve a business goal. An implementation plan, on the other hand, is a step-by-step action plan that includes the exact actions you’ll take to accomplish the goal. Think of it this way: A strategic plan includes what you’re going to do and why (typically outlined by your company’s vision and mission statements). An implementation plan outlines how you’re going to accomplish those goals, as well as when you’re planning to move forward with the necessary steps and who will help you achieve them. 

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The Strategy of Business Plan with Implementation Summary

MAR.27, 2015

The business plan is written and ready for implementation. Now what? As a guide for action, the strategy and implementation summary in business plan sets out the strategies for business startup and continuity, and presents the operational financial plan. Planning and taking action are two very different activities. Once the entrepreneur begins implementing the business in the real world, challenges are sure to arise.

The strategy and implementation summary in the business plan section of the business plan identifies the path the business intends on using to establish and grow the business. It includes strategies identifying how the business will maintain a competitive edge, market the company, grow sales, develop a network of contacts and customers, and so on. Milestones are established that include the budget for implementation of each step. However, entrepreneurs commonly encounter difficulties, which is why so many new businesses fail within the first five years after startup.

Planning for the Difficulties

Common difficulties business owners face and possible solutions include the following:

• Problems with development of products described in the strategy and implementation summary in business plan (reorganize to better support product development) • Difficulty hiring and retaining skilled personnel (try using a human resources consulting company) • Marketing efforts fail to produce desired results (revise the marketing plan ) • Funding for strategy implementation proves to be inadequate (re-evaluate financial needs, revise strategies, and/or seek new investors) • Entrepreneur discovers he or she needs to strengthen management skills (take advantage of workshops and assistance offered by organizations like the Small Business Administration and the Chamber of Commerce) • New and unexpected competitors enter the market (revise product and service differentiation or marketing strategy) • Lack of a solid network (begin networking online through social media and offline through community business organizations)

These are just a few of the problems entrepreneurs may face when starting a new business. A quality strategy and implementation summary in business plan addresses strategy and implementation by outlining the strategic assumptions, supported by market analysis. If the analysis is thorough, the entrepreneur conducted a SWOT analysis and included contingency planning. An entrepreneur may experience difficulties, but those difficulties should not be a surprise.

Business Plan Revisions

The final business plan should never be final. It needs regular review and assessment in light of the results of actions taken and the difficulties experienced to achieve business startup, smooth operations, and growth.

The business environment is dynamic which is why OGS Capital has a cadre of business professionals with real-world experience. The consultants are experts in writing business plans , including strategy and implementation summaries. They are also ready to assist entrepreneurs who need business plan revisions as a result of difficulties encountered during startup and early stage operation. Submit the online contact form to begin discussing options.

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OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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Strategy Implementation Plan

In order to know how to properly implement a strategy either for your business or personal endeavor, you must have a plan first. In there, you are going to make an outline and provide specific details so you will be guided eventually. Every business owner or company manager creates a comprehensive strategic implementation plan that will help them for a better flow of execution of their policies and proposed activities.

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What is a Strategic Implementation Plan?

A Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) is a type of document that shows the list of activities, resources, roles and responsibilities and the budget with a corresponding execution plan . You can only consider a strategic plan “implemented” when you already met the requirements needed, and “executed” when you already took an action in connection to its purpose. In writing a strategic implementation plan, you must consider the questions who, what, where, when, why, and how.

What can you get from making SIP?

–   A strategic plan guides you in the direction of where your business must really go.

–   Allows you to provide full coordination of the activities and objectives.

–     Helps you to make decisions on how you are going to accomplish your goals in terms of resources and budget.

The Stages of Strategic Planning

Every implementation would require undergoing different phases before it will be executed to the public. Here are the following stages that you may follow when making a strategic plan.

• Analysis and evaluation – evaluation of the internal and external influences of an organization
• Strategy articulation – development of organizational plans
• Plan-based action – transformation of organizational plans into action
• Appraisal and refinement – evaluation of the performance

How to Implement a Strategic Plan?

• Determine the tactics used by your competitors and the demand of your consumers.
• Secure a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
• Determine the steps you need to implement in fulfilling your mission.
• Set specific goals.
• Use your objectives to set for the development of your plan.
• Write an organizational structure and your planned budget.
• Evaluate if your objectives are met.
• Determine the needs of your customers.
• Assess your competitors
• Think of what else you need in order to achieve your goals.

Do we need to follow the exact details of the strategic plan?

Yes, but you also have the option to make some improvements to make your strategic plan look better.

Do I need a strategic plan to go on with my business or is it okay if I do not have one?

Every business needs a strategic plan for it allows you to be guided on the right procedures to take.

Is there a need to assess the implementation of your strategic plan?

Yes. The assessment will tell you how effective your plan is and if it is being followed accordingly. This will also give you an idea of what can be the possible struggles that you will be facing in the future.

Strategic implementation plan is very crucial in making the flow of your business organized. So if you want to have a successful implementation of your policies and activities, provide yourself with a good strategic plan. It may take a lot of time and effort in forming the right structure of your plan, at least it would be able to bring you to your right destination. Make several revisions if you can to make a perfect outcome of your plan. 

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