business plan implementation and execution

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

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.

From Strategy to Execution: How to Create a Sustainable, Repeatable Implementation Plan

By Kate Eby | December 14, 2017

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In this article, you’ll learn the fundamental elements of a strategic implementation process, and how you can create a comprehensive implementation plan. We’ve also included free, downloadable implementation plan templates to get you started. 

Included on this page, you’ll find the components of an implementation plan , how to write an implementation plan , and tools for successful implementation planning .

What Is an Implementation Strategy?

An implementation strategy is based on a strategic plan , which defines the strategy used to accomplish certain goals or make decisions. Organizations can make strategic plans to guide organizational direction, a particular department’s efforts, or any project or initiative.

Implementation strategy is the process of defining how to bring the strategic plan to life. To execute the objectives outlined in the strategic plan, you must define how you will implement each aspect, from funding and personnel to organization and deliverables. Therefore, without an implementation strategy, it can be difficult to identify how you will achieve each of your stated goals and objectives. 

Ray McKenzie is the Founder and Managing Director of Red Beach Advisors . He breaks down the differences between strategy, implementation, and execution: “Implementation planning is the act of developing a tactical plan to complete a strategic initiative. Strategy is the overarching plan to move the organization, department, or project forward. Implementation is the act of putting the strategy into place utilizing resources within an organization or department. Execution is completing the tasks as part of the implementation plan to complete the strategic initiative through resources of the organized team.”

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What Is the Strategic Implementation Process?

The strategic implementation process refers to the concrete steps that you take to turn your strategic plan into action. The implementation tactics you use and steps you take will depend on the specific undertaking, organization, and goals.

A strategic implementation plan (SIP) is the document that you use to define your implementation strategy. Typically, it outlines the resources, assumptions, short- and long-term outcomes, roles and responsibilities, and budget. (Later on, we’ll show you how to create one.) An SIP is often integrated with an execution plan , but the two are distinct. 

The SIP outlines the activities and decisions necessary to turn the strategic goals into reality, and the execution plan is a schedule of concrete actions and activities to achieve goals and drive success. You can consider your strategy “implemented” once you determine that you have the requisite resources to meet your strategic needs, but you haven’t “executed” until you’ve actually taken action and achieved objectives. You can read more about the differences between strategy, implementation, and execution in this article by the Harvard Business Review . 

The strategic implementation process is often compared to the following activities:

Jennifer Hancock is the author of several books and Founder of Humanist Learning Systems , an organization that provides online personal and professional development training in humanistic business management, along with science-based harassment training. She describes the difference between organizational and implementation planning: “Organizational planning is the structure of the organization: What work needs to be done? How does it relate to the other work that needs to be done? Who is responsible for getting it done? How are the parts of the organization going to work together to accomplish shared objectives? Implementation planning has to do with specific projects and processes. For instance, an organization may have an HR department — that is, organizational planning. Implementation is when the HR department rolls out a new set of benefits or a new health care plan.”

‌ Download Organizational Change Management Plan

• Strategic Management Process: This is the ongoing effort to manage an organization, including both the decisions and actions that flow from the organizational strategy. Continuous strategic management can inform organizational planning by providing a strategy that outlines the organization’s goals. 
• Change Management: Change management is how you prepare and manage organizational planning, from the high-level processes and culture down to individual roles. Effective change management involves strategy and careful monitoring so that you can plan for change rather than react to it. 

Download Change Management Process Template

• Differentiated Planning: This is a reordering method that you can use to identify which resources you need based on the frequency with which you typically use them. Separate the items on your reorder list into three categories: routine, regular, and rare. This will give you a rough idea of the different demand levels for each resource, so you don’t have to spend time considering whether or not to restock. Because identifying and accumulating resources is an important component of implementation planning, it’s useful to understand differentiated planning. 

Why Implementation Is Important

Implementation planning largely determines project success because without it, your strategic goals remain unactionable. Therefore, implementation is the necessary step that transforms your strategic plans into action to achieve your goals. 

There are many examples where implementation planning heightens project success. In fact, the Harvard Business Review reported that companies with an implementation and execution plan saw 70 percent greater returns. 

McKenzie says that implementation planning is critical to project success. “This is the stage which allows the planned strategy to be executed,” he says. “The primary benefits to implementation and implementation planning are the abilities to outline the tasks needed to complete the project, identify the personnel and resources needed, and document the timeline for project completion to ensure you’re meeting the strategic goals.”

Hancock agrees. “If you don’t implement your plan — you don’t get anything done,” she says. “So, implementation is crucial. [Even] if you have the best plan in the world, it’s totally irrelevant if you don’t put the plan into action,” she adds.

Fiona Adler writes about entrepreneurship at DoTheThings.com and is the Founder of Actioned.com , a productivity tool for individuals and teams. With an MBA, multiple business successes, and a family living in a foreign country, she enjoys pushing the envelope to get the most out of life and loves helping others do the same. Adler explains that implementation is often more crucial than the strategy itself. She says, “In my opinion, implementation is far more important than strategic planning. After all, it doesn't matter if you have the best plan in the world. All that really matters is what you end up doing!”

The practice of implementation planning is also important in some of today’s organizational shifts. Most notably, implementation plays a part in the current shift from reactionary to strategic companies — in other words, organizations that plan for change and adaptation rather than react to it. Additionally, implementation supports the movement toward employee-oriented organizations, which it does by valuing communication, encouraging mutually-supported goals, and emphasizing accountability. Implementation planning is necessarily a human (and team) endeavor and making it a part of your daily processes helps ensure collaboration, trust, and transparency among project team members all the way up to C-suite management. 

What Is the Implementation Plan of a Project?

Implementation plans are commonly used for discrete projects, technology deployment within a company, and inventory planning. You can also create an implementation plan for personal use if it will help you organize and take actionable steps toward your goal(s).

A project implementation plan is the plan that you create to successfully move your project plan into action. This document identifies your goals and objectives (both short and long-term), lists the project tasks, defines roles and responsibilities, outlines the budget and necessary resources, and lists any assumptions. A project implementation plan sometimes includes a rough schedule, but teams usually set the hard timeline in the execution plan. 

In the following sections, we’ll delve deeper into each component of an implementation plan and show you how to write your own. 

Components of an Implementation Plan

The following are the key components of and questions that drive a successful implementation plan:

• Define Goals/Objectives: What do you want to accomplish? The scope of these goals will depend on the size of your undertaking.
• Schedule Milestones: While task deadlines and project timelines will be formally set in the execution plan, it’s a good idea to outline your schedule in the implementation phase.
• Allocate Resources: One of the core purposes of an implementation plan is to ensure that you have adequate resources (time, money, and personnel) to successfully execute. So, gather all the data and information you need to determine whether or not you have sufficient resources, and decide how you will procure what’s missing.
• Designate Team Member Responsibilities: Assign roles. This doesn’t necessarily mean you must define who will execute each individual task, but you should create a general team plan with overall roles that each team member will play. 
• Define Metrics for Success: How will you determine whether or not you are successful? What data (whether quantitative or qualitative) will you use to measure your results, and how will you accrue the necessary data?
• Define How You Will Adapt: Make a plan for how you will adapt, if necessary, to changes in your plan. Be sure to consider factors outside your control that could significantly alter the schedule or success of your project, and create emergent strategies ahead of time, so you don’t get derailed down the road — doing so helps build a culture of flexibility, agility, and fast action. 
• Evaluate Success: In addition to defining your metrics for success, decide how often you will evaluate your progress (e.g., quarterly reviews). 

In the following section, we’ll break down each element of a successful implementation plan to show you how to write one yourself. 

How to Write an Implementation Plan

Implementation plans are split into sections. Each section should be detailed, combining the information from your strategic plan and incorporating the necessary research and data to make your objectives actionable. Here’s how to write each component in an implementation plan:

• Introduction: The introduction of your implementation plan explains the purpose, vision, and mission statement of your project or initiative. You should identify the high-level risk areas, include any assumptions, and describe how you will identify the value stream in your proposed work. 
• Management Overview: In this section, you describe how implementation will be managed. This includes who is managing it, the underlying roles and responsibilities, and key points of contact. You should identify the strategy director, who is the person that develops and steers the strategy (this may or not be the same person who is leading implementation). 
• Major Tasks: This is where you list and describe the specific tasks, actions, and targets in implementation. You should also note the status of any tasks that are already in progress. 
• Implementation Schedule: You do not need to create a detailed, inflexible task schedule in your implementation plan — we’ll talk later on about how to create a schedule in the execution plan. At this stage, it’s appropriate to simply list the task order and predicted phase durations to roughly outline and allot for all the many moving pieces. 
• Security and Privacy: Discuss the privacy features and considerations of the software tools, processes, or information that you may use in implementation. Address security issues and how to handle sensitive information (personal data, medical history, financials, etc.). 
• Implementation Support/Resources List: Describe the various tools, activities, and departments that you require to support successful implementation. These might include hardware or software tools, facilities, and additional external human resources or services.
• Documentation: In this section, you must attach any other documentation that supports your implementation plan. This could include your strategic plan, confirmation of adequate materials and resources, and a history of past successful projects. 
• Monitoring Performance: Define the metrics by which you will measure success. How and when will you review your progress? 
• Acceptance Criteria: How will you define implementation “completion?” This differs from performance monitoring because rather than defining metrics for milestones and appropriate implementation, here, you describe how you will know when you have buy-in from management on your implementation plan. 
• Glossary: Define any key terms used in your implementation plan. 
• References: Indicate where you received your information, or list people who support your plan.
• Project Approval: If you need management’s approval before moving into execution, this section provides space for official signoff. 

To make it easy, you can also use a template to write your implementation plan. This will ensure that you don’t overlook any steps or sections and also provide a professional layout that you can use to deliver to management, clients, or other stakeholders. Download the template for free, and edit the fields to fit the needs of your specific project  — for example, for enterprise resource planning (ERP) . 

‌ Download Project Implementation Plan Template - Word

Software deployment is another common category of initiative that merits an implementation plan. Use the following template to create a software and systems implementation plan. 

‌ Download Software Systems Implementation Plan Template - Word

Implementation Planning Best Practices

Although you should include all the detailed aspects listed above in your implementation plan, simply having all these components will not ensure success. Instead, you should focus on the process of implementation and foster the following behaviors within your team:

• Create a Designated Implementation Team: An implementation team is the team responsible for ensuring successful implementation of a particular initiative. While it’s possible to move through implementation without creating a specific, organized body to oversee the processes, doing so heightens your chances of success. 
• Create a Shared Vision among All Team Members: Establish “why” you are making strategic changes so that team members have both a greater understanding of the root cause and a deeper connection to their work. Ensure individual compliance, so people don’t feel like their voices went unheard. Adler emphasizes, “Involve the people who will actually be implementing the change during the planning phase. Ideally, the idea will even come from them. This inclusion greatly increases the buy-in and commitment that the team has to actually getting the project implemented.”
• Choose a Strong Team Leader: The team leader should coach and educate team members along the way and seek out guidance from past implementation plan leaders to improve upon existing implementation processes within the organization. Adler explains that there can be multiple team leaders with slightly different responsibilities: “Each initiative needs a team. The team includes a ’champion,’ someone who is ultimately responsible for getting the thing done. They should also have a ’management sponsor,’ someone that can help the team get through any blocks they might have,” she says.
• Define Actionable Goals: Stay specific, define current issues, and identify root causes. Methods for defining current problems include brainstorming, surveys, and new member information forms. You can also use the note card method: Ask each team member to answer three questions anonymously ( What is the single biggest issue facing our team?, What will be the most important issue in five years?, What is the best way for our team to be involved in these issues? ), separate the cards into piles with similar answers, and count which answers are the most common within the group. Use the highest ranking similar answers to stimulate discussion of how to proceed. 
• Create an Action-Oriented Plan: Regardless of the size or predicted duration of your goals, create a plan focused on incremental action (rather than on continual planning). Small steps add up, so stay positive and focus on the future. That said, Hancock reiterates that your plan must be realistic: “Make sure your plan is reality-based,” she says. “You need to know what problem you really should be solving so that you don’t end up solving proxy problems (problems you think are your problem but really aren’t — an example of this is praying for rain when your real problem is that you need water on your field). You need to know what is really going to impact your problem so that you don’t pray for rain, which doesn’t affect anything. And, finally, you need to know what you really need to do to get the work done. What resources do you need? Do you have the resources you need? Can you get the resources you need? If not, your plan won’t work” she continues.
• Value Communication: The team leader should not only value others’ input, but also make active participation an expectation. Open, honest communication keeps processes transparent and helps generate new ideas. 
• Continually Monitor Incremental Success: Perform analysis and hold regular progress meetings to analyze your development. Closely monitoring your progress enables you to make adjustments before crisis hits and allows you to adapt before processes or expectations become solidified. Additionally, treating incremental milestones as successes helps foster a culture where employees feel valued for their contributions. Adler explains, “Building a culture where employees expect that projects will be successfully implemented is important. Celebrate successes and reference previous projects frequently.”
• Involve the Correct People at the Correct Times: This includes defining when and why it is appropriate to involve upper management. As McKenzie says, “Include the critical stakeholders that are part of the project. The beginning of planning should only include the decision makers and not every team member that is part of the project. Outline the critical tasks that are needed first. Once the tasks are outlined, dictate the personnel who will be responsible for the tasks. Once you identify the personnel, then bring in the additional resources to find what other tasks are needed to complete the larger tasks. To draft a proper implementation plan, it is imperative to include the critical stakeholders to outline the initiative.”
• Publicize Your Plan: While you don’t necessarily want every stakeholder’s input at all times during implementation planning, you do want to maintain transparency with other teams and management. Make your plan available to higher-ups to keep your team accountable down the line.

Difficulties in Implementation Planning

While implementation planning is critical to successful execution, there are several hurdles:

• Unless you are disciplined about moving into the execution phase, you can get stuck in planning and never get your project off the ground. 
• In any project, you may struggle to gain buy-in from key stakeholders. 
• It can also be difficult to break down every goal into an actionable step. If you keep your goals tangible, you can more easily identify targeted actions that will move you toward them. 
• No matter how well you plan, all projects have a high propensity for failure. Don’t get discouraged, though — dedicated, strategic implementation planning will raise the likelihood of project success. 

Although the above hurdles can be time-consuming and tedious, they are investments that will help you create a culture of trust. Because implementation is an ongoing team effort, you can’t afford to lack buy-in and commitment from any member of your team or direct stakeholders. So, communicate often and honestly, and prioritize teamwork when implementing your strategic plan. 

Still, even though inclusion and teamwork are key to a successful strategy, McKenzie reiterates that implementation planning won’t work if too many people are involved. “Implementation planning often gets derailed due to the input from various people that are not involved in the project,” he says. “There needs to be a clear line between the implementation team who is responsible for the execution and final project completion and the customers, internal or external, who are the recipients of the project. The customers can outline their requirements, but the implementation, tasks, and deliverables should be guided by the implementation team,” he concludes.

Adler explains that another common mistake is taking on too much at once. “It takes a lot of work to get something significantly new implemented,” she notes. “For this reason, the fewer initiatives the business takes on simultaneously, the greater the chances of success. Each initiative will take its team members away from their 'normal' work to some degree, and the business needs to be able to support this. If there are six things the business wants to implement, it is better to take on one or two at a time than to try to tackle all six at once,” she points out.

Tools for Successful Implementation Planning

While the implementation plan itself is a relatively low-tech document, software tools can help you track and manage your progress. From Gantt charts to advancements in information and communication technology, you’ll find popular implementation planning tools and their benefits below.

A Gantt chart is a graphical bar chart that you can use as a project timeline, and many software programs exist that allow you to create these online charts. As you move from implementation to execution, a Gantt chart can help you track individual task progress, see relationships among tasks, and identify critical or at-risk tasks. 

Download Basic Gantt with Dependencies Template 

Excel | Smartsheet

You can use a PERT (program evaluation and review technique) chart to forecast project duration by creating a timeline for individual tasks and identifying dependent tasks. PERT requires you to forecast three separate timetables — the shortest possible, the most likely, and the longest possible — which forces you to stay flexible in your planning, so you can adapt your schedule as factors inevitably change over the course of a project. 

When you have successfully implemented your plan, you’re ready to move to project execution. Execution planning and monitoring is outside the scope of this article, but below you’ll find more helpful templates to move your project toward successful completion. 

Download General Action Plan Template

Download Project Timeline Template

Download Project Charter Template 

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Advancements in information and communication technology (ICT) have led to the development of cloud-based software that allows for anytime, anywhere access and multiple users. This technological capability is especially helpful for group work, in which multiple team members need to access a certain file simultaneously while also avoiding version control issues. For example, organizations commonly use cloud-based software to create a project management system or performance management system.

Using software to manage your implementation plan can provide the following benefits:

• Drive Accountability: By creating a single record of project progress, you build transparency (both in team members and processes) and reliability. 
• Keep Everyone up to Date: All users can access the most current information, which, in turn, cuts out unnecessary communication or erroneous double-work. 
• Improve Flexibility: Project management software can help you identify bottlenecks and potential problems early on, so you are able to adapt in anticipation. If you are attempting Agile project management, flexibility is crucial. 
• Support Organizational Commitment: Using a software tool often provides the transparency necessary to get executives to support your project. Once they have visibility into processes and progress, they will be more likely to grant the buy-in you need to procure resources and succeed.

When deciding which tool to use, consider the following:

• Buying Tools vs. Developing Software Internally: This will depend on the capabilities and availability of your in-house developers as well as on your budget. Additionally, consider whether or not you have the bandwidth to engage with a vendor and maintain the relationship over time. 
• Open Source vs. Free vs. Subscription: Open source software provides a great opportunity for organizations with limited budgets and development resources to build on top of the existing open platforms. There are also many free programs available (not open source). However, be wary that free options may have limited functionality. For organizations with larger budgets and a greater need for powerful functionality, most paid platforms bill on a subscription basis.
• Usability Requirements: Consider your team’s skill level. While you might be drawn to a tool with fancy functionality, it will be pointless (and perhaps even detract from project success) if it is too difficult for your team to use or learn. 

Ultimately, software tools are a fantastic way not only to elevate the accuracy of tracking project metrics and progress, but also to save time, build flexibility, and stimulate communication among your team. 

Improve Implementation Efforts with Smartsheet

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

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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Key Elements of Successful Strategy Implementation and Execution

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A strategic plan often shimmers, at first, with the promise of success and progress. However, the road between intention and impact can be long and unpredictable. While strategic plans themselves outline the desired direction, they often lack the gears to propel the organization forward. The crucial missing piece lies in strategy implementation. Without a clear roadmap for translating lofty goals into actionable steps, even the most well-crafted plans risk gathering dust on a shelf.

What’s often overlooked, however, is the fact that an organization’s success rests heavily on its ability to implement decisions and execute processes efficiently, effectively, and consistently. At AchieveIt, we can help you bridge between strategy and execution, highlighting the pivotal elements that make for successful strategy implementation.

The Disconnect Between Strategy and Execution

For years, leaders have crafted strategies in PowerPoint slides and documents. But here’s the issue: many of these strategies never get implemented. The problem stems from unclear direction and lack of understanding across all levels of the organization.

The usual way of creating a strategy often overlooks how it will be carried out. Strategies can fail right at the start of implementation because stakeholders don’t get it, the market changes, or it’s just hard to turn big plans into everyday actions that the team can handle.

How Strategy Should Empower Execution

A successful strategy should be adaptable and evolving, creating a flexible environment for adaptability and alignment. It should help employees see how their work directly contributes to the overall strategic goals. Strategy shouldn’t just be a fixed document; it should change and stay relevant to today’s business landscape and future opportunities.

Clear, understandable strategies are key, ensuring all employees can see how their tasks connect to the broader goals. When strategic direction is unclear or complicated, it becomes much harder to execute efficiently.

Also read: Strategic Planning and Execution Trends for 2024 and Beyond

Align Jobs with Strategy

Using the Manifest Internal Alignment framework, jobs and teams should align directly with the boundaries and initiatives of the strategic plan. This means every job plays a strategic role, embodying the organization’s strategic direction in all its functions.

Recalibrating Organizational Structure

Leaders should periodically recalibrate their organizational structures to reflect the current strategic priorities. This realignment requires more than just adjusting reporting lines; it demands a close analysis of roles, responsibilities, and processes to ensure they are facilitating, not hindering, strategic execution.

Inspire Employee Buy-In

Going beyond just introducing a new strategy, leaders need to motivate and engage employees. This means crafting a clear story that explains the strategy’s significance, relevance, and potential results. Without this, the strategic plan becomes just another item on a checklist, lacking the enthusiasm and dedication needed for effective implementation.

Communicating with Clarity and Passion

Effective communication is crucial to connect strategic plans with their execution. Leaders must clearly communicate the strategy, emphasizing key points across different channels. By reinforcing the organization’s dedication to its goals, leaders can inspire alignment and drive successful implementation.

Cultivate Accountability

Merely outlining strategic objectives is not enough. There must be clear lines of accountability to ensure that strategic initiatives are tracked, managed, and adjusted as needed. Without a system to hold individuals and teams accountable, strategic plans risk becoming a repository for unfulfilled aspirations.

Transparency in Monitoring Progress

Organizations that focus on transparency by openly sharing insights into their strategic performance build trust and encourage collective ownership among stakeholders. Giving regular updates on strategic progress helps keep everyone accountable, celebrate successes, and learn from challenges.

Also read: You Shouldn’t Spend More Than a Few Days on Your Strategic Reporting

Implement Regular Progress Tracking

Strategic Implementation needs to be an ongoing process, where the organization keeps an eye on progress and makes adjustments as required. This involves not only setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) aligned with strategic goals but also using data-driven insights to improve the execution method continuously. By promoting adaptability and learning from results, organizations can ensure successful implementation of strategic initiatives and achieve desired outcomes.

Adapting to New Realities

Market and internal dynamics are in a constant state of flux, requiring organizations to be agile and responsive. Regular progress tracking should involve assessing how important strategic objectives are in light of new information. Adjusting the strategic plan and execution method accordingly is crucial to stay competitive in the ever-changing business environment.

Avoid Common Pitfalls in Implementation

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into crafting a brilliant strategic plan, only to see it gather dust on a shelf. Unfortunately, this happens more often than not. The difference between a well-written plan and a thriving business lies in successful implementation.

Below are some of the most common roadblocks that derail strategic execution and equip you with practical strategies to bridge the gap between vision and reality.

1. The Ownership Gap:

• The Problem:  When a plan feels like someone else’s project, people lack the motivation to translate it into action.
• The Fix: Foster a sense of ownership. Involve employees at all levels in the planning process, encouraging their ideas and expertise. Communicate how each individual contributes to the bigger picture.

2. The Communication Chasm:

• The Problem:  Employees left in the dark about the plan can’t contribute or feel disconnected from the company’s goals.
• The Fix:  Prioritize clear and consistent communication. Utilize various channels to explain the strategy, its purpose, and individual roles. Regular updates and open forums keep everyone informed and engaged.
• Getting lost in the Daily Grind:
• The Problem:  Day-to-day operations can easily overshadow long-term goals. Managers can become reactive, neglecting the strategic plan.
• The Fix:  Schedule regular check-ins to review progress and ensure alignment with the strategic plan. Integrate strategic objectives into daily tasks and performance metrics.

4. Stuck in the Strategy Silo:

• The Problem:  The strategic plan exists in isolation, disconnected from the regular management process.
• The Fix:  Embed the strategic plan into your core business processes. Use it to guide decision-making, resource allocation, and performance evaluations.

5. The Overwhelm Overload:

• The Problem:  An ambitious plan with too many goals and actions leads to paralysis. Employees become unsure where to begin.
• The Fix:  Prioritization is key. Focus on a set of high-impact objectives and eliminate non-critical actions. Ensure goals are clear, measurable, and achievable.

6. The Meaningless Mission Statement:

• The Problem:  Generic vision and mission statements lack substance and fail to inspire employee buy-in.
• The Fix:  Craft a compelling strategic narrative that resonates with your employees. Translate abstract concepts into actionable steps.

7. The Annual Retreat Syndrome:

• The Problem:  Strategy discussions are confined to yearly retreats, lacking ongoing focus and adaptation.
• The Fix:  Integrate strategic thinking into your company culture. Regularly revisit and refine your plan as circumstances evolve. Encourage continuous learning and adaptation.

8. Planning for the Sake of Planning:

• The Problem:  The emphasis is only on making the plan, overlooking the vital implementation stage.
• The Fix:  Create a clear implementation roadmap right from the start. Assign resources, set timelines, and put in place accountability measures.

9. The Progress Paradox:

• The Problem:  Without tracking progress, it’s impossible to measure success or identify areas for improvement.
• The Fix:  Set specific metrics that match your strategic goals. Regularly track progress, tweak strategies when necessary, and recognize milestones and accomplishments.

10. The Accountability Abyss:

• The Problem:  Lack of accountability leads to complacency and slows progress.
• The Fix:  Assign clear ownership for each strategic initiative. Implement regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to keep everyone accountable for their contributions.

11. The Empowerment Enigma:

• The Problem:  Accountability without empowerment leads to frustration as employees may not have the necessary resources or authority to reach their goals.
• The Fix:  Provide employees with tools, training, and decision-making power required to carry out their tasks. Cultivate an environment promoting initiative and recognizing calculated risks.

Also read: Owning Up: Common Mistakes in Leadership and Strategy

At the end of the day, successful strategy implementation requires a systematic and holistic approach that begins with ensuring that strategies are clear and easy to understand, jobs are intricately linked with strategic objectives, leadership inspires employee buy-in, accountability is enforced, and progress is tracked and adjusted regularly.

It’s the combination of these elements that turn a strategic plan from just an idea into a practical guide for success. Organizations need to strengthen each of these pillars to make sure their strategies lead to real and lasting success.

Meet the Author   Chelsea Damon

Chelsea Damon is the Content Strategist at AchieveIt. When she's not publishing content about strategy execution, you'll likely find her outside or baking bread.

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How to Run a Successful Strategic Planning Session

The Differences Between Long-Term, Mid-Term, and Short-Term Planning

How to Align Company Goals with OKRs: A Step-by-Step Approach

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What is an implementation plan? 6 steps to create one

An implementation plan—also known as a strategic plan—outlines the steps your team should take when accomplishing a shared goal or objective. This plan combines strategy, process, and action and will include all parts of the project from scope to budget and beyond. In this guide, we’ll discuss what an implementation plan is and how to create one.

Projects require planning to be successful. Would you build a house without a blueprint? Probably not, because nailing pieces of wood together without a plan could lead to disaster. The same concept is true in the corporate world. An implementation plan functions as the blueprint for any shared objective. Your plan should include everything from the project strategy, to the budget, to the list of people working on the project. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss what an implementation plan is and how to create one. These steps can help you and your team prepare for projects both big and small.

What is the purpose of an implementation plan?

The purpose of an implementation plan is to ensure that your team can answer the who, what, when, how, and why of a project before moving into the execution phase. In simple terms, it's the action plan that turns your strategy into specific tasks.

A good way to know whether your implementation plan is effective is to hand it to someone outside of your team and see if they can understand the project in its entirety. Your implementation plan should leave no questions unanswered.

How to create an implementation plan in 6 steps

If you want your implementation plan to be comprehensive and beneficial to your project team, you’ll need to follow specific steps and include the right components. Use the following steps when creating your plan to reduce the risk of gaps in your strategy.

1. Define goals

The first step in the implementation process is defining your goals . Determine what you hope to accomplish when your project is complete, like whether you hope to win over a new marketing client or revamp your internal content strategy. Starting with your project objectives in mind can help flesh out your project plan. 

Tips to consider:

Ask questions: When defining your goals, you and your team may want to ask questions about your project such as, “What are we trying to achieve with this project? What deliverables do we hope to produce? Who are the stakeholders we plan to share our project deliverables with?”

Brainstorm risk scenarios: Although you’ll perform a more in-depth risk assessment later on in your implementation plan, brainstorming potential risk scenarios early on gives you a more realistic idea of what you’re able to achieve. 

2. Conduct research

Once you have a broad idea of the project goals you want to achieve, you can hone in on these goals by conducting research such as interviews, surveys, focus groups, or observations. Your research should come from key experts in your field. These experts may be team members or external stakeholders. Your research outcomes should include a list of what your project timeline, budget, and personnel may look like.

Collaborate using shared tools: Collaboration is easier when you have the right communication tools in place to do so. Use a team collaboration tool to share your project goals and get feedback from others, regardless of their location. 

3. Map out risks

You brainstormed risk scenarios in step one of your implementation strategy, and in step three, you’ll map out all the potential risks you may face in your project. Risks can include anything from paid time off and holidays to budget constraints and loss of personnel. 

A great way to map out your risks is by using a risk register. This tool will help you prioritize project risks and prepare for them accordingly. You can also conduct a SWOT analysis , which will identify any weaknesses or threats affecting your project. 

Be flexible and proactive: Mapping out risks is more than just a preparation strategy. If you identify preventable risks during this stage of the implementation plan, you can take action to prevent those risks. This may mean adjusting your initial project goals. 

4. Schedule milestones

Scheduling your project milestones is an important step in the planning process because these checkpoints help you track your progress during execution. Milestones serve as metrics—they are a way to measure how far you’ve come in your project and how far you have left to go. 

To visualize project milestones and keep your entire team on track, use a Gantt chart . With a Gantt chart, you can visually lay out your implementation schedule and show how long you think each task will take.

Add wiggle room: Things don’t always go as planned, even if you do everything in your power to a schedule. By adding wiggle room to your schedule, you can ensure your project stays on track instead of keeping tight milestones and failing to meet them.

Clarify dependencies: Dependencies are tasks that rely on the completion of other tasks. Clarifying your dependencies makes it easier to keep the project on track and hit your milestones.

5. Assign responsibilities and tasks

Every action plan must include a list of responsibilities with team members assigned to each one. By assigning responsibilities, you can assess the performance of each team member and monitor progress more closely. Using a RACI chart can be an effective project management tool for clarifying roles and responsibilities. 

Assigning responsibilities is different from assigning individual tasks. One team member may be responsible for overseeing the project review, while you may assign three other team members to handle the delivery and communication of the project to various teams for review. When you assign responsibilities and tasks, be sure to make your expectations clear. 

Communication is key: When you assign roles, responsibilities, or tasks, it’s best to communicate why you’re choosing one team member over another. Instead of letting team members question why they have specific roles, you can use this step in the planning process as an opportunity to highlight team member strengths.

Track responsibilities in a shared tool: Having a shared tool, like project management software, can give team members clarity on who's doing what and by when.

6. Allocate resources

Resource allocation is one of the best ways to reduce risk. If you can plan out what resources you need for your project and ensure those resources will be available, you’ll avoid the risk of running out of resources mid-project. If you notice that you don’t have enough resources in this step of the implementation process, you can adjust your project accordingly before it kicks off. 

Resources may include money, personnel, software, equipment, and other physical or technical materials. Time can also be a resource because the team members you need to complete the project may be working on other projects.

Tips to consider: Ask yourself the following questions when identifying available resources for your project: 

What is the project’s priority level? 

Who is available to work on this project? 

What budget or tools are available? 

What additional resources do we need? 

Who needs to approve the resource allocation plan?

Following these steps as you create your implementation plan will increase the likelihood of hitting your project goals. Having a checklist of the items to include in your implementation plan can also lead to successful implementation. 

What to include in an implementation plan

Knowing how to create your implementation plan is crucial, but you also need to know what to include in your plan. This checklist includes the six most important items you’ll want to consider if you want to move forward with a successful project. 

1. Objectives

You’ll outline your project objectives in step one of the implementation process. Set your goals and decide what metrics your team will use to measure to monitor progress. By clearly identifying your project objectives, you and your team can measure progress and performance as you move forward.

2. Scope statement

You’ll set the scope of your project in step two when conducting research. Your project scope statement should outline the boundaries you’ve set for your project and broadly define what goals, deadlines, and project outcomes you’ll be working toward. Defining your project scope in the implementation plan can help prevent scope creep when you’re farther along in the project.

3. Outline of deliverables

Deliverables are the tangible goals of your project. Outlining the deliverables you hope to create can serve as a resource when managing time frames, delegating tasks, and allocating resources. 

4. Task due dates

Although the project timeline may change as your project progresses, it’s important to clarify your expected due dates during implementation planning. When you estimate task due dates, you can schedule milestones around these due dates and plan for project completion. You will commonly see Gantt charts used for strategic planning and implementation planning. This is because Gantt charts display information in a follows a linear path, similar to a timeline. 

5. Risk assessment

You’ll conduct your risk assessment in step three of the implementation process. Whether you use a   risk register , SWOT analysis , or contingency plan to identify risks , be sure to include these documents in your plan. That way, others involved in the project can look through your findings and potentially help you prevent these risks. 

6. Team member roles and responsibilities

You assigned roles and responsibilities to team members in step five of your plan, and keeping a detailed record of what these are can hold everyone accountable. Whether you use a RACI chart or another tool to clarify team member roles, there should be a place in your plan for everyone to refer to in case questions arise. 

Your implementation plan will likely be unique to the project you're working on, so it may include other components not listed above. However, you can use the six items above as your guide so you know your plan is comprehensive.

Many aspects of project implementation overlap with strategic planning. As a project manager , working on the project implementation plan while you are also working on the strategic plan can help minimize the total time spent on planning.

Another way to save time during the planning process is to house all of your plans in a work management platform. When your project team is ready to start the implementation process, everything is in one convenient place.

Benefits of having an implementation plan

There are many benefits to implementation planning, with the top benefit being an increased chance of project success. Implementing a project plan creates a roadmap for executing your project so you can prevent issues from occurring. 

Other benefits to having an implementation plan include:

Improved communication between team members and key stakeholders

Better organization and management of resources

Increased accountability for everyone involved in the project

More structured project timeline and daily workflow

Easier collaboration between team members

Going straight into the execution phase without an implementation plan may feel like walking on stage to give a speech without knowing what you’re going to say. Preparation is key for top-notch performance. 

Simplify implementation planning

Knowing the steps for implementation planning is the foundation of project management. A well-planned project leads to a successful project.

Related resources

Cost control: How to monitor project spending to increase profitability

How to use a feasibility study in project management

How to track utilization rate and drive team profitability

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How New CEOs Can Balance Strategy and Execution

• Millán Alvarez-Miranda
• Michael D. Watkins

A three-phase plan for your first year on the job.

As we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, companies will need to drive short-term results while also rethinking strategy amid seismic shifts in competitive environments and ways of working. It’s not strategy vs. execution; it’s strategy and execution with the right balance in the right timeframes. New CEOs, in particular, can struggle with this balance. A three-phase process can help. In the first 90 days, the focus should mostly be on understanding and defending the company’s existing core businesses. In the next 90 days, priorities should shift to identifying ways to extend the core business by expanding the portfolio and/or entering promising adjacent markets. In the final six months of the first year, the new CEO should lay the groundwork for transcending the core business to support sustainable growth.

Every CEO must simultaneously develop strategy and drive execution — and the need to do both at once has never been more urgent.  As we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, companies will need to drive short-term results while also rethinking strategy amid seismic shifts in competitive environments and ways of working. It’s not strategy vs. execution; it’s strategy and execution with the right balance in the right timeframes.

• Millán Alvarez-Miranda  is a leadership consultant for Genesis Advisers with 20 years of experience as general manager and CEO of global companies. He regularly coaches in “The First 90 Days” program at the IMD Business School.
• Michael D. Watkins is a professor of leadership and organizational change at IMD , a cofounder of Genesis Advisers , and the author of The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking .

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Developing and Executing a Business Plan

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Developing and executing a business plan is a crucial step in starting and running a successful business. A well-written and carefully executed business plan serves as a roadmap for the company’s success, providing a clear direction for its growth and development. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the key elements of a business plan and how to execute it effectively.

Developing your Business

• Executive Summary: The executive summary is the first section of the business plan, and it provides an overview of the entire document. This section should include a brief summary of the company’s mission statement, product or service offerings, target market, and financial projections.
• Company Description: The company description provides a detailed explanation of the company’s history, ownership structure, legal structure, and the products or services it offers. This section should also discuss the company’s unique selling proposition, or what sets it apart from competitors.
• Market Analysis: The market analysis section should provide an in-depth analysis of the industry the company operates in, including information on competitors, target market, and market trends. This section should also discuss the company’s marketing strategy and how it plans to reach its target audience.
• Product or Service Line: This section should provide a detailed description of the company’s product or service offerings, including information on pricing, production, and distribution. This section should also discuss the company’s competitive advantages and how it plans to differentiate itself from competitors.
• Marketing and Sales: The marketing and sales section should provide a detailed explanation of the company’s sales strategy, including information on pricing, promotion, and distribution. This section should also discuss the company’s target audience and how it plans to reach them through advertising and other promotional activities.
• Financial Projections: The financial projections section should provide a detailed overview of the company’s financials, including projected revenue, expenses, and profits. This section should also include a discussion of the company’s funding needs and how it plans to obtain funding.

Executing a Business Plan

Once a business plan is developed, it’s time to execute it. Here are some steps to follow:

• Set Goals and Objectives The first step in executing a business plan is to set clear and measurable goals and objectives. These goals should be specific, achievable, and relevant to the company’s overall mission.
• Create an Action Plan An action plan should be created to outline the steps needed to achieve the company’s goals and objectives. This plan should include specific timelines, resources needed, and individuals responsible for each task.
• Monitor Progress It’s important to regularly monitor progress and make adjustments as needed. This involves regularly reviewing financial statements, sales reports, and other key performance indicators to ensure the company is on track to meet its goals.
• Seek Feedback Feedback from customers, employees, and other stakeholders is critical for the success of any business. Regularly seek feedback and use it to make improvements and adjustments to the company’s products, services, and processes.

Developing and executing a business plan is critical for the success of any business. A well-written and carefully executed business plan provides a roadmap for the company’s growth and development, helping it to achieve its goals and objectives. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, businesses can develop and execute an effective business plan that sets them up for success.

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Implementation Plan: What is it & How to Create it? (Steps & Process)

Organizations are successful because of good implementation, not good business plans ~Guy Kawasaki

Planning is necessary to map out what you need to do in order to achieve your goals. However, without the execution of those plans, you won’t get anywhere. The implementation of an idea is how you start your journey towards achieving your goals and eventually reach your destination.

For businesses, an implementation plan plays a crucial role in the development and execution of an idea, project, or methodology. In fact, the  Harvard Business Review reported  that companies with an implementation and execution plan saw 70 percent greater returns than those who don’t have one. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Let’s first quickly understand what is an implementation plan, how do you make one, and how to execute it successfully? Read on…

What is an Implementation Plan? (Definition)

The implementation plan facilitates the execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy by presenting clear implementation steps that need to follow. Thus, an implementation plan is the documented steps you need to take to successfully achieve your implementation pursuits.

Implementation plans are usually made to support the strategic plan created by an organization. Now, what is a strategic plan you ask? Well, a strategic plan is a document defining the strategy by which your team will accomplish certain goals or make decisions. Strategic plans are made to guide a business decision, a new business venture, or an upcoming project or initiative.

Therefore, the goal of the implementation plan is to effectively implement company strategy and lay down the step-by-step process of bringing the project to success.

What are the Benefits of an Implementation Plan?

An implementation plan puts organizational resources to use and develops a tactical plan to execute the strategic initiative. It thus plays a huge role in the success of your overall strategic plan. Even if you have the greatest, iron-clad plan or strategy, it’s totally pointless if you don’t put the plan into action. Here are some of the many benefits of an implementation plan:

1. Provides Clarity

Writing an implementation plan gives you better clarity of thought and improves your own understanding of the project. When you are forced to think things through, you are better able to document as well as communicate the plan to team members, upper management, and get everyone on board.

2. Keeps Everyone on Track

Your implementation plan lays down exactly what tasks need to be done, how to do them, who needs to do them, keeping everyone on board, and removing any sort of confusion or doubts. When everyone knows what their roles and responsibilities are, it’s easier to stay on track and keep everyone accountable.

3. Improved Cooperation

Working on projects requires the cooperation and collaboration of many employees. The better the cooperation amongst team members, the better the synergy and the overall execution.

Read more:  How to Create a Strategic Process Improvement Plan?

4. Increased Buy-In

When you have a solid implementation plan that is well researched, documented, and presented, you ensure buy-in from all key stakeholders of your organization. When upper management is on board, it’s easier to get resources allocated to your project and ensure smooth project execution.

6 Key Components of an Implementation Plan

Every implementation plan comprises of some key components that need to be analyzed and thought-through before communicating the plan with your team:

1. Outline Goals/Objectives:  Start with defining the goals and objectives of the implementation plan. What do you want to accomplish? What is the project scope ? Why are these goals important? How do these goals fit into the overall organizational vision and mission?

2. Assign Responsibilities:  Assigning roles and responsibilities provides a clear picture of what needs to be done and by whom. The clearer you define these responsibilities, the easier it will be to keep people accountable.

3. Implementation Schedule:  Schedules help track, communicate, and keep an eye on progress for your project, keeping all stakeholders in the loop with what’s going on.

4. Resource Allocation:  One of the main purposes of an implementation plan is to make sure that your team has access to enough resources in order to execute the plan effectively and without any hiccups. Make sure you know exactly what you need, how much you already have, and how you will procure what’s needed.

5. Define Metrics:  How will you determine project success? Every implementation plan must identify KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to establish how it will measure success and failure. This also allows you to measure progress and celebrate milestones to keep the team excited.

6. Contingency Plan :  Planning for challenges is as important as planning for success. Make a plan for how your team will navigate rough waters in case you go over budget, don’t have enough resources, or are approaching deadlines. This way you won’t get off-track when challenges arise, and you will be able to steer clear of them easily.

Now that you know the key components of an implementation plan, it’s time to put this knowledge to use and learn how to write an implementation plan for yourself…

Read more:  How to Create an Effective Operational Plan for Your Business?

How to Write an Implementation Plan? Follow these Steps and Processes:

Okay Folks, it’s time to get into the ‘how’ of the implementation plan and create a solid document. When creating such a document, you need to be more detailed and thorough, explaining everything clearly to all team members who will be viewing this document.

Make sure you include the following steps in your implementation plan:

Step 1. Introduction

Kickoff your implementation plan with a brief introduction, outlining the vision, mission, and purpose of your project or initiative. You can additionally include how this project ties up with the overall organizational mission and lay down all the assumptions or limitations of your project.

Step 2.  Team Members Involved

In this segment, you can describe the team involved in the implementation of the project. Include the names, roles, and responsibilities of key project stakeholders, and key points of contact.

Step 3.  Tasks

This is an important area in your implementation plan as here you need to describe the key tasks and steps involved in the implementation of the strategy. If you have already begun with a task, note down the status and progress of the task in this section.

Step 4.  Implementation Schedule

An implementation schedule outlines project timeframes and milestones. Schedules keep everyone on track with task progress and help to keep everything on time and under budget.

Step 5.  Resource Management

Describe the resources needed (people, time, money, equipment, software, departmental help, etc.) to support successful implementation. Think through this section thoroughly to ensure smooth project implementation, and support fair asset allocation.

Step 6.  Additional Documentation

In this segment, you can attach any other documentation that supports your implementation plan. This could include proof of successful past project executions or a PDF of your strategic plan.

Step 7.  Define Metrics

Without specifying success metrics, you will never know if you are on the right track or are even executing the right strategy. Define the metrics you will use to measure success and how and when will you review your progress.

Step 8.  Project Approval

If you need upper management’s approval before kicking off implementation, add some space for a formal signoff.

Read more:   Change Management Plan: What, Why, and How to Write?

Use a Documentation Tool like Bit to Create a Robust Implementation Plan

The key to successful planning and implementation is…*drumroll*… DOCUMENTATION. This is exactly why all smart project managers use documentation tools like Bit.ai to create a solid, interactive, and visually appealing implementation plan for their team.

What the heck is Bit.ai? Well, it’s an all-in-one document collaboration platform designed for the modern-day workplace. Using Bit, your team can collaborate in real-time and create implementation plans and all other documents – under one single roof!

1. Pre-Built, Beautiful & Fully Responsive Templates: Okay, you’ve created the implementation plan for your team to understand their goals and responsibilities. But, what if the plan itself looks dull and poorly formatted? Your team members won’t understand a thing, and that’s for sure.

You might not have the time to pay attention to the presentation aspect but don’t worry, because Bit does the formatting and designing for you! Bit.ai has over 90 fully responsive and gorgeous templates . Just pick one, insert your content and let Bit handle the rest.

Few documents templates you might be interested in:

• SWOT Analysis Template
• Business Proposal Template
• Business Plan Template
• Competitor Research Template
• Project Proposal Template
• Company Fact Sheet
• Executive Summary Template
• Operational Plan Template
• Pitch Deck Template

2. Rich Embeds:  What if you could embed all your important files – in one single document? We’re talking about those charts, excel sheets, presentations, and the other files that you created while brainstorming the strategies.

Won’t that make your implementation plan so much more comprehensive? And your team won’t have to jump through different files to get information! Luckily, Bit lets you embed over 100 rich media integrations ! That means you can create media-rich and interactive, modern workplace documents!

3. Real-time collaboration : If your team members work on the implementation plan together and take inputs and ideas from one other, it is bound to be perfect! Luckily, Bit.ai helps you with that.

It allows you and your team to collaborate on a Bit document in real-time using @mentions, highlight features, and comments. Every document comes with a separate comment stream!

4. Organized Workspaces & Folders:  An implementation plan isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” thing. You’ve to customize it for every project that your company undertakes. This is exactly why you need to use Bit! On Bit, you can create infinite workspaces around projects, teams, departments, and clients to keep all your work organized.

There’s nothing like Bit.ai out there when it comes to creating documents like implementation plans! With a FREE account for up to five members, there’s no reason why you should not give this super cool platform a try!

Watch the video below to learn more or sign up for a FREE account and start exploring yourself!

What are You Waiting For?!

Without implementation plans, your strategic initiatives will never see the light of the day. Good implementation planning lays the foundation for successful project execution.

It creates a blueprint which your team can follow to successfully execute projects and measure their progress along the way. With tools like Bit, creating such documentation is easier than ever. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free account and start creating your implementation plan today!

Further reads:

How to Create a Procurement Management Plan: Step by Step Guide

Business Development Plan: What Is It And How To Create A Perfect One?

Risk Management Plan: What, Why, and How to Write?

Cost Management Plan: What, Why, and How?

How to Create a Product Plan the Right Way?

How to Create a Project Management Communication Plan?

What is a Marketing Plan and How to Create One for Your Business?

What is Product Adoption & How to do it Right?

Top Email Automation Software for Marketers!

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About Bit.ai

Bit.ai is the essential next-gen workplace and document collaboration platform. that helps teams share knowledge by connecting any type of digital content. With this intuitive, cloud-based solution, anyone can work visually and collaborate in real-time while creating internal notes, team projects, knowledge bases, client-facing content, and more.

The smartest online Google Docs and Word alternative, Bit.ai is used in over 100 countries by professionals everywhere, from IT teams creating internal documentation and knowledge bases, to sales and marketing teams sharing client materials and client portals.

👉👉Click Here to Check out Bit.ai.

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PWW Insights and Intelligence Blog

Published: July 18, 2019

Let’s cut to the chase — over half of all enterprise strategic plans fail the same year they’re born.

Downstream risks aren’t accounted for, objectives go unmonitored, budgets are misappropriated and accountability is left static. The result is an organization acting as its own worst enemy, unable to execute on business opportunities before and while they strike.

However, you don’t need more apocalyptic reminders aggrandizing what’s risked without agile business strategy execution. Instead, org visionaries need clear, actionable templates that translate business planning concepts to reality — yet can adapt when reality decides to keep you on your toes.

That fluid implementation template starts here, with actionable steps, tools and insights into successful business planning and execution.

The True Objective of Continuous Business Planning

Once institutionalized, continuous business planning enables organizations to quickly and strategically act on business growth opportunities — even ones it didn’t forecast.

True continuous strategic business planning also means all personnel, at all levels, across all departments, are familiar with the strategic business plan. They also know what goals are prioritized, their execution timelines, implementation stages and, most importantly, what they as staff are individually responsible for every day that contributes to that goal becoming tangible change.

Enterprise-wide tools — namely, strategy management or resource planning software — and workflows are available to temperature-check organizational processes continually with goals. Data measures the effectiveness of goal execution. As a result, the entire organization has clear visibility into the business plan as its happening, in-situ, regardless of time or place. Or, put plainly, your organization can now recognize what’s working and what isn’t , then make the appropriate shifts in plan execution — all ensuring you’re not another business whose strategic plan failed before it began.

Strategic Planning Business Models

Successful business plans are often tied to a strategy planning framework. These frameworks are a competitive and preemptive assessment of your organization’s readiness for strategic planning, delivering historical and market data informing your current strategic positions.

Enacting a strategy planning model at your organization delivers data-driven, researched foresight into the internal and external variables affecting the outcomes of your ideal business plan. Reviewing such data ahead of time prevents risky business strategies from being implemented without proper parameters — or launching the wrong strategy altogether.

Your organization can use several business strategy planning frameworks to begin shaping appropriate business plan opportunities.

1. Transformational Business Modeling

Business models are used to document and share the fundamental operations of an organization — its products, services, customer base, finances, revenue streams and more.

However, few organizations leverage the same cohesive documentation to communicate its vision for a business plan. Instead, they rely on ad-hoc departmental meetings and individual leaders to relay core priorities and expectations, without giving staff the resources to help ground that information.

Enter the transformational business modeling strategy. Organizations with an effective transformational business model learn how to create visual tools to communicate a strategic business plan, plus its implementation steps and balanced scorecard methods. This increases business plan buy-in and creates a clear, collaborative and accessible road map for everyone at the organization to follow.

2. Scenario Planning

Scenario planning imagines future circumstances that could jeopardize the fulfillment of your business plans. Organizations can then better prepare for these scenarios, analyzing and comparing best and worst-case trade-offs in costs, resources, employee capacities, profit margins, customer values and much more.

There are intuitive benefits of scenario planning before creating and executing a business plan. Scenario planning is one of the only frameworks that truly creates detailed risk summaries before a plan launches. Organizations that partake in scenario planning preempt many unforeseen challenges and discrepancies in the implementation of their strategic plan, preventing risks from hemorrhaging into fatal wounds.

3. Business War Games

Don’t let the name fool you — wargaming is an approachable and actionable business plan model for organizations across industries to understand their competitive marketplace better and therefore adapt appropriate strategic goals.

Using actual marketplace and competitor data, businesses participate in workshops that identify a competitor’s future endeavors as well as their own responses and countermoves to those endeavors. Ideal wargaming strategies then allow that organization to funnel resources and investments into truly competitive differentiators — differentiators which become the core tenets of their new strategic plan.

Creating an Agile Strategic Business Plan

As the famous Abraham Lincoln quote reminds us, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”

So it goes with creating your agile business plan. After conducting an appropriate business planning model — and reaping the data and insights from its findings — your business is ready to begin outlining its actual business goals and strategies.

Consider these best practices when drafting that strategic plan, as each is an essential preparatory step before plan execution.

1. Know Your Why

Understanding your organization’s driving “why” goes beyond its mission statement. It’s even beyond your list of corporate values, which are often noble and promising but locked in the abstract.

Instead, strategic business planning must be driven by objectives, advantages and outcomes. These are your plan’s true “whys” influencing what ideas you choose to execute. Determine, with detailed granularity, your target objectives, the competitive advantages of those objectives and how you’ll measure their success outcomes. Doing so sets the framework for an actionable and value-adding strategic vision.

2. Compile a Cross-Functional Team

Strategic business plans must have insights from every major department or domain at your organization. Consider the alternative — how can you expect to implement enterprise-wide strategy goals without input from across the enterprise?

• Pick your change agents: Your planning team should include members of the board or other executive leadership as well as reps from major departments including marketing, sales, finance, accounting, operations and HR. It should also include IT staff as well, particularly if you intend to implement strategy management software.
• Determine business process owners and overall strategy directors: The former spearhead the actual, tangible changes made in their teams during plan implementation, while the latter represent the top plan overseer or administrator and will often be someone in your Office of Strategy Management .

3. Create “Living” Timelines

Fight strategic fatigue by creating realistic yet prorated schedules for your strategic plan.

This means going against the traditional strategic planning timeline, the one where most organizations set annual business goals and then macro-review their progress only a handful of times throughout the year.

Instead, consider allocating more meetings that are granular in topic and scope. Schedule these meetings as early as possible before you begin any official plan implementation, and share their agendas to keep focus relevant. Creating this kind of micro-timeline also equips your management team to respond more fluidly to business strategy changes that reveal themselves through benchmarked or scorecard data. After all, it does your organization no good if data tells you a process isn’t working, but you don’t address that issue for another three months.

4. Perform Competitive Research Analyses

A competitive research (CR) analysis builds an accurate profile of the strengths, weaknesses and overall operational health of your business compared to other companies in your vertical.

Similar to the business strategy models discussed earlier, your competitive research — otherwise known as competitive intelligence (CI) — gives you the most honest, quantitative assessment of where your organization currently sits versus where it aims to be. Many organizations opt to bring on an  external consultant to perform their CR or CI assessments to enrich findings and paint a more accurate competitive portrait.

5. Assess Your Technological Infrastructure for Enterprise Harmony

How do departments communicate essential information with one another? Where are projects and progress tracked? Who has access to these resources, and could you expand that access?

Siloed departments are one of the most common reasons strategic plans fail. If your internal teams can’t communicate data reports, information and plan updates with one another, then goal execution will only go so far.

Technology like stratic management software and enterprise resource planning software provides a solution. These technologies serve as the primary repository for all reports, documents and information related to the status updates and benchmarked measurements of the strategic plan across departments, today and tomorrow.

6. Develop an Accessible Strategy Management Framework

Your strategy management framework will assign the individual activities and initiatives necessary to execute your business strategy. It will also set up those activities’ timelines, as well as outline team responsibilities and set up benchmarking scorecards to measure and report progress.

All these concerns must be represented and shared in a cohesive format. Each department will use the strategy management framework to gauge their own activities, relay and receive plan updates and pivot actions, when necessary.

Select the framework most suited from your operations. Once the cross-departmental strategy team finalizes implementation activities, you’ll create a graphic framework representation depicting every activity, in every team, across the implementation timeline. Have team leaders conduct training with personnel on how to access and read the framework so everyone is on the same page.

There are dozens of strategy management frameworks on the market today, including leading models like:

• SWOT Analysis
• Porter’s Five Forces
• The Balanced Scorecard
• Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
• Theory of Change Model
• The Strategy Map

7. Employ Technological Onboarding

At this stage in the strategic planning process, your organization should currently have — or be in the process of adopting — strategy management or resource management software.

These pieces of enterprise technology are pivotal for streamlined communication and collaboration across your strategic initiatives. The system houses all major and micro-projects that scaffold the complete business plan, plus designates who’s in charge of what, when and why. It’s also the portal all employees will use to make activity updates and signal status changes related to those activities.

Remember, strategic business planning must be a cross-functional endeavor. All representatives must plan and execute relevant training for new project or resource management systems within their departments, be that sales, HR, IT or operations. Failing to properly train employees on strategic planning technology is like handing a teenager the car keys and telling them to go on a road trip but never teaching them to drive.

8. Consider a Strategy Management Office (If You Don’t Already Have One)

Strategy management offices can be their individual division reporting directly to the COO or CEO. Other organizations wrap these offices into their finance departments.

Regardless of organizational structure, your strategy management office is the overseeing body coordinating end-to-end strategic plan design and implementation. They’re tasked with:

• Facilitating the strategic plan’s timeline
• Setting up and maintaining more granular meetings to review plan benchmarks
• Updating documents, information and files within the strategy management software
• Administering enterprise-wide updates on the strategic plan’s achievements and ongoing activities
• Serving as the go-to resource for questions, concerns or directions when change situations do strike

9. Adjust Budget Allocations to Match the Upcoming Strategy Implementation

Strategic planning and budgeting cycles are complementary activities that can easily run asynchronously. Business spend is known to proliferate across budget cycles, with forecasted expenses often ballooning on top of ad-hoc, unexpected costs that inevitably occur.

Review your budget structuring to ensure their alignment with the tenets and action items of your strategy framework. Of course, not every dollar will end up dedicated to strategic plan initiatives. Yet non-value-adding expenses should be analyzed and minimized , ensuring resource allocation is linked to your top priorities and adjusted routinely as you become more familiar with those purposeful contributions.

Implementing and Executing Changes in a Business Strategy

All the strategic planning in the world leads to this moment — implementing the business strategy and staying on top of its progress through completion.

Implementation centers on translating goals into smaller action items, with teams chiseling away at their assigned items, then consistently reporting performance for leadership to assess progress and adopt any changes. Those adaptations are then communicated swiftly and clearly back to the teams and departments executing them, typically through regularly conducted strategic planning micro-meetings and strategic management software’s project dashboards.

How do you create a fluid business plan that executes like clockwork? Consider these strategic plan implementation building blocks to successfully execute — and even change — your strategy.

1. Establish a Formal Change Communication Workflow

Automated communications provide the ideal solution here. No business strategy will come to fruition if teams and departments simply don’t know how they’re supposed to be contributing to the plan — or worse, if what they’re currently undertaking adds to or detracts from the organization’s strategic vision.

There are several ways to keep employees engaged and informed on changes with the strategic plan, from its origins through each phase of implementation:

• Automated strategy status updates or reports: Created by the strategy management office and sent to key department heads or directly to employees.
• Visual project trackers within the strategy software: Mimicking other project management software, with user-friendly dashboards relaying the current statuses and workflows of initiatives.
• Multimedia announcements: Keeping employees engaged through print, video, email and other media on updated objectives, scope or deliverable, plus the wider impact of these changes.
• Feedback channels: Ensuring all strategy is a two-way street, with employees’ thoughts, opinions and experiences valued.

2. Practice Prorated Report Timelines

Annual strategic reports don’t cut it. When business plans adapt, waiting months — or even just weeks — to officially announce pivots silos teams and makes employees feel left behind.

Any process or operational change to the business strategy will likely affect your staff within days anyway. Withholding status reports because you’re adhering to formalities should be done away with when you embrace living project timelines.

At a minimum, announce strategic plan reports every quarter. Even better, pick specific action items straight from the strategy management framework and hold monthly meetings reviewing its progress or fluxes, connecting how these changes will improve long-term business outcomes.

3. Institutionalize Reporting Software and Benchmarked Measurements

Tracking and measuring the progress of action items in the overall strategic plan is paramount to its continuous success — and one of the most cited reasons plans putter.

Without some digital repository centralizing project updates, it will be far more difficult for any member of the organization to gather and assess data, update project components, communicate horizontally with other departments and signal information to leadership. In other words, no one will be on the same page. Siloed communication is the bane of modern business planning and is best countered with a cohesive piece of reporting software that monitors progress and shares process changes with all.

4. Hold Regular Status and Accountability Meetings

We know, we know. Another meeting? We can hear the sighs from here.

Yet one of the most challenging aspects of shifting a business plan often involves communicating those changes downstream. What’s more, strategic changes must come with a compelling “why,” one relevant to employees and aligned with the company’s cited values and vision.

In-person meetings remain a meaningful way to review shifting business processes based in data, both for constituents within and outside the organization:

• Amongst the cross-functional leadership teams: Executive decisions can be leveraged after reviewing performance feedback and benchmarked progress data in person, all while still maintaining the integrity of the overall strategy management framework.
• Within individual departments: Regularly conducted status meetings let teams review resource allocations and process pain points in their daily activities against the cited outcomes of the business strategy. It turns the overall plan from a static, top-down set of directives to a collaborative endeavor employees associate and identify with their roles.

5. Avoid Corporate Speak

Business jargon can easily come off as insincere or out of touch. In fact, industry surveys find managers who use corporate speak during meetings and interactions with their teams actually make their departments less productive , less motivated and more likely to experience high rates of turnover.

When executing shifts in your business planning, it’s important to emphasize the human. After all, the whole goal behind continuous business planning is to be able to tweak and tailor processes fluidly after performance feedback, then funnel those changes seamlessly back into daily operations. Using technical language and corporate speak when explaining process shifts makes these conversations stiff and mechanical — the opposite of what’s needed.

6. Review Emerging Data Trends

Conducting regular reviews of performance feedback and data is the most objective way to temperature check the execution of the business plan.

KPIs and OKRs should have been established across multiple stages of the planning timeline, including during competitive research analyses and while drafting your step-by-step strategy framework.

Employees and managers may feel everything is being managed perfectly. But when performance metrics indicate otherwise, executive decision makers and the strategy management office can rectify inefficiencies or discrepancies, then use the established communication channels and management software to notify personnel of the “why” behind plan shifts.

7. Consult With a Strategic Planning Firm

Strategic planning consultants deploy personalized — and often proprietary — research methods with one goal in mind — to make their clients an industry poster child for growth, innovation and profitability.

Firm research directly translates into strategic planning by creating tangible goals suited for your organization. Their objective, external lens can be the difference between a generic business strategy plan and a comprehensive, substantive and fitting one.

Strategic planning firms offer many services that directly inform a fluid business planning system, including:

• In-depth industry and market research
• Competitive analyses
• Transformational business modeling
• Scenario planning and risk mitigation
• And more services

Learn How to Recognize and Update Business Opportunities as They Occur

Organizations today can’t practice agile planning without first establishing a successful strategic vision. Doing so puts the proverbial cart before the horse — and prevents resources from aligning with daily actions to create a truly value-adding, competitor-busting business future.

Looking to get your business priorities straight? Proactive Worldwide provides one of the most renowned, substantive intelligence-based strategic planning portfolios in the industry. When you’re ready for research-backed insights delivering progressive strategic change tactics, you’re ready for us.

Explore our portfolio of strategy planning and execution consulting services , then contact us to begin strategizing your future.

What can we help you achieve?

Get in touch with our market intelligence company today to start planning for the future of your organization.

Execution vs Implementation: When To Use Each One In Writing

When it comes to achieving goals, the words “execution” and “implementation” are often used interchangeably. However, they have distinct meanings that are important to understand in order to effectively plan and execute projects.

Execution refers to the act of carrying out a plan or strategy. It involves putting ideas into action and making them a reality. Implementation, on the other hand, refers to the process of putting a plan or strategy into effect. It involves the steps taken to make sure that the plan is successfully executed.

While execution and implementation are closely related, they are not the same thing. Understanding the difference between the two can help you to better plan and execute your projects, and ultimately achieve your goals.

Define Execution

Execution refers to the process of carrying out a plan or strategy. It involves the actual implementation of a plan or idea, putting it into action and making it happen. Execution is the practical application of a plan, and it requires a focused effort to ensure that the plan is carried out effectively.

Execution is an important aspect of any project or initiative. Without proper execution, even the best plans will fail to achieve their intended goals. This is why it is crucial to have a clear and detailed plan in place before beginning the execution phase.

Define Implementation

Implementation, on the other hand, refers to the process of putting a plan or strategy into action. It involves the actual steps taken to achieve the goals of the plan, and it can include everything from assigning tasks to team members to monitoring progress and making adjustments as needed.

Implementation is a critical part of the planning process, and it requires careful attention to detail and a focus on achieving the desired outcomes. It is important to have a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the plan, as well as the resources and timelines required to achieve them.

How To Properly Use The Words In A Sentence

When it comes to discussing the differences between execution and implementation, it’s important to understand how to properly use these words in a sentence. Here’s a guide to help you use these terms effectively and with confidence.

How To Use “Execution” In A Sentence

Execution refers to the act of carrying out a plan or strategy. When using “execution” in a sentence, it’s important to consider the context of the situation and use the word in a way that accurately conveys its meaning. Here are some examples:

• The company’s execution of their marketing plan was flawless.
• The athlete’s execution of the play was impressive.
• The team’s execution of their game plan led to a victory.

In each of these examples, “execution” is used to describe the successful completion of a plan or strategy. It’s important to note that “execution” can also be used in a negative context to describe a failure to carry out a plan or strategy.

How To Use “Implementation” In A Sentence

Implementation refers to the process of putting a plan or strategy into action. When using “implementation” in a sentence, it’s important to consider the context of the situation and use the word in a way that accurately conveys its meaning. Here are some examples:

• The company’s implementation of their new software was seamless.
• The government’s implementation of new policies has been met with criticism.
• The school’s implementation of a new curriculum has been successful.

In each of these examples, “implementation” is used to describe the process of putting a plan or strategy into action. It’s important to note that “implementation” can also be used in a negative context to describe a flawed or unsuccessful process of putting a plan or strategy into action.

More Examples Of Execution & Implementation Used In Sentences

In order to fully understand the difference between execution and implementation, it’s important to see how these terms are used in real-life scenarios. Here are some examples of using execution and implementation in a sentence:

Examples Of Using Execution In A Sentence

• The execution of the project was flawless.
• His execution of the plan was impressive.
• The team’s execution of the strategy was impeccable.
• She was responsible for the execution of the marketing campaign.
• The execution of the contract was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
• His execution of the task was efficient and effective.
• The company’s execution of the new policy was met with resistance from employees.
• The execution of the event was well-planned and well-received.
• The execution of the software update caused some unexpected issues.
• The execution of the business plan resulted in significant growth for the company.

Examples Of Using Implementation In A Sentence

• The implementation of the new system will require additional training for employees.
• Her implementation of the new process was successful.
• The company’s implementation of the new policy was met with mixed reactions from customers.
• The implementation of the software upgrade caused some compatibility issues.
• The implementation of the marketing strategy resulted in increased sales.
• The implementation of the safety measures was crucial for the success of the project.
• The implementation of the new product line was well-received by customers.
• The implementation of the new technology will require significant investment from the company.
• The implementation of the sustainability plan was a key factor in the company’s decision to go green.
• The implementation of the new policy was a major change for the organization.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

When it comes to achieving success in any project, it is essential to understand the difference between execution and implementation. Unfortunately, many people use these terms interchangeably, leading to confusion and ultimately, mistakes. In this section, we will highlight some of the most common mistakes people make when using execution and implementation interchangeably, with explanations of why they are incorrect. We will also offer tips on how to avoid making these mistakes in the future.

Using Execution And Implementation Interchangeably

The most common mistake people make is using execution and implementation interchangeably. While these terms may seem similar, they have different meanings. Execution refers to the act of carrying out a plan or idea, while implementation involves putting that plan or idea into action. For example, you can execute a marketing campaign by creating a plan and putting it into action, but implementation involves the actual execution of the plan, including the design and distribution of marketing materials.

When people use these terms interchangeably, it can lead to confusion and miscommunication. For example, if someone says they are executing a plan when they really mean they are implementing it, it can cause confusion about what stage of the process they are in and what still needs to be done.

Assuming Execution Equals Success

Another common mistake people make is assuming that execution equals success. While execution is an important part of any project, it is not the only factor that determines success. Implementation is equally important, as it involves putting the plan into action and making adjustments as needed. If the implementation is flawed, even the best-executed plan will not succeed.

It is important to remember that execution and implementation are both critical components of any project, and neither can be overlooked. To avoid this mistake, make sure to focus on both execution and implementation when planning and executing a project.

Not Allowing For Flexibility

Finally, another common mistake people make is not allowing for flexibility in their plans. While it is important to have a solid plan in place, it is equally important to be flexible and make adjustments as needed. This is especially true during the implementation phase, where unforeseen challenges can arise.

To avoid this mistake, make sure to build flexibility into your plans. This can include leaving room for adjustments and contingencies, as well as being open to feedback and making changes as needed.

Tips To Avoid These Mistakes

To avoid these common mistakes, keep the following tips in mind:

• Understand the difference between execution and implementation
• Focus on both execution and implementation when planning and executing a project
• Build flexibility into your plans
• Be open to feedback and willing to make adjustments as needed

Context Matters

When it comes to deciding between execution and implementation, context plays a crucial role in determining the best approach. Depending on the situation, one may be more effective than the other.

Examples Of Different Contexts

Here are some examples of different contexts and how the choice between execution and implementation might change:

• Business Strategy: When it comes to developing a business strategy, execution is often the key. This involves taking a well-defined plan and putting it into action. Implementation, on the other hand, is more focused on the process of putting the plan into action and may require more flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Project Management: In project management, execution and implementation are both important. Execution involves carrying out the plan according to the timeline and budget, while implementation focuses on the details of how the plan will be executed. The choice between the two will depend on the project’s size, complexity, and the team’s capabilities.
• Marketing: In marketing, execution is often the priority. This involves creating and delivering a message to the target audience. Implementation, on the other hand, may involve the use of different channels and tactics to reach the audience.

Ultimately, the choice between execution and implementation will depend on the specific context in which they are used. It’s important to consider the goals, resources, and constraints of the situation to determine which approach will be most effective.

Exceptions To The Rules

While the distinction between execution and implementation is generally clear, there are some exceptions where the rules may not apply in the same way. Here are a few examples:

1. Complex Projects

In complex projects, execution and implementation may not be as straightforward as in simpler projects. For instance, a project may have multiple stages, each with different requirements for execution and implementation. In such cases, it may be necessary to use a combination of both approaches to achieve the desired results.

2. Resource Constraints

Resource constraints can also affect the choice between execution and implementation. For example, if a project has limited resources, it may be more practical to focus on execution rather than implementation. This is because execution requires fewer resources and can be completed more quickly than implementation.

3. Unforeseen Circumstances

Unforeseen circumstances can also impact the choice between execution and implementation. For example, if a project encounters unexpected difficulties during the implementation phase, it may be necessary to switch to an execution-based approach to keep the project on track.

4. Organizational Culture

Organizational culture can also play a role in determining whether execution or implementation is the better approach. For example, in a company that values speed and efficiency, execution may be the preferred approach. In contrast, in a company that values quality and attention to detail, implementation may be the better choice.

5. Industry-specific Factors

Finally, industry-specific factors can also affect the choice between execution and implementation. For example, in industries that are heavily regulated, such as healthcare or finance, implementation may be the preferred approach due to the need for compliance with regulations and standards.

While these exceptions may complicate the decision-making process, it is important to carefully consider each case to determine the best approach for achieving project success.

Practice Exercises

Now that we have a better understanding of the difference between execution and implementation, it’s time to put that knowledge to the test. Below are some practice exercises to help you improve your understanding and use of these terms in sentences:

Exercise 1: Fill In The Blank

Choose the correct word (execution or implementation) to fill in the blank:

• The __________ of the plan was flawless, but the team struggled with the __________.
• Successful __________ of a project requires careful planning and effective __________.
• He was praised for his __________ of the company’s new strategy, but the __________ was met with resistance from some employees.

Answer Key:

• The execution of the plan was flawless, but the team struggled with the implementation.
• Successful implementation of a project requires careful planning and effective execution.
• He was praised for his implementation of the company’s new strategy, but the execution was met with resistance from some employees.

Exercise 2: Sentence Rewrites

Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the underlined word with either execution or implementation:

• The implementation of the new policy was met with mixed reactions from employees.
• He was responsible for the execution of the marketing campaign.
• Effective implementation of the new software will require additional training.
• The project was delayed due to poor execution of the plan.
• The execution of the new policy was met with mixed reactions from employees.
• He was responsible for the implementation of the marketing campaign.
• Effective execution of the new software will require additional training.
• The project was delayed due to poor implementation of the plan.

By practicing with these exercises, you’ll be able to confidently use execution and implementation in your writing and communication.

After exploring the differences between execution and implementation, it is clear that these two terms are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings in the context of language use and grammar. Execution refers to the act of carrying out a plan or idea, while implementation refers to the process of putting that plan or idea into action.

It is important to understand the differences between these terms in order to communicate effectively and avoid confusion. By paying attention to the specific language we use, we can ensure that our ideas are being accurately conveyed and understood by others.

As with any aspect of language use and grammar, there is always more to learn. Encourage readers to continue their education and exploration of these topics in order to improve their communication skills and become more effective communicators.

Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.

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5 Strategy Execution Skills Every Business Leader Needs

• 21 Oct 2021

It’s often said a corporation’s strategy is the most important component in whether it will successfully reach its business goals and objectives . While it’s true that identifying the right strategy is essential to running a business, it’s not the only part of the equation that matters. Strategy execution —the art of implementing a strategy as planned—is also vital.

Successfully executing complex strategy is so critical that professionals with a track record of organizational strategy implementation are often in high demand. Taking simple steps in developing your strategy execution skills and experience can enable you to fill that demand.

Below is a look at the key strategy execution skills every business leader should have, along with the steps you can take to develop them.

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Essential Strategy Execution Skills

1. navigating the tension between innovation and control.

Successfully executing a firm’s strategy requires trade-offs, including which opportunities to pursue, which customers to prioritize, and where to do business.

In addition to these important decisions, business leaders face a fundamental tension between the need to innovate to stay relevant and control operations to ensure strategies are successfully implemented. Learning how to balance these two needs is an essential execution skill.

Implementing a “ levers of control ” framework can help guide decisions, which offers four levers that can be manipulated to facilitate either innovation or control.

To facilitate innovation, business leaders can use the levers of:

• Belief systems: These communicate what people should do and how they should act as they strive for optimum performance. They commonly take the form of credos, mission statements, and core value statements.
• Interactive control systems: These are formal information systems managers use to involve themselves in subordinates’ decisions and focus organizational attention on emerging threats and opportunities.

To facilitate control, business leaders can use the levers of:

• Boundary systems: These communicate what people shouldn’t do as they pursue performance objectives. They take the form of codes of conduct and other formal systems.
• Diagnostic control systems: These are formal information systems managers use to monitor organizational outcomes and correct deviations from preset standards of performance.

Related: The Role Core Values Play in Strategy Execution

2. Mastering the Four Ps of Strategy

The meaning of the word “strategy” varies according to the context in which it’s used. This is primarily due to the fact that a business’s strategy can be leveraged for several primary purposes, collectively known as the “four Ps of strategy”:

• Strategy as perspective communicates an organization’s larger mission and purpose and inspires pride in employees.
• Strategy as patterns of action describes a business’s ability to identify information about changes in the competitive landscape so it can adapt and stay relevant.
• Strategy as position is the competitive position a business takes in the marketplace, including its value proposition and differentiators.
• Strategy as plans refers to the specific goals and measures a business communicates to its employees.

All business leaders should aim to master these four dimensions. Doing so can allow them to communicate and execute strategy across channels effectively. Firmly understanding these components can also better position a leader to pull the levers of control and innovation.

3. Aligning Key Jobs with Strategy

Although business leaders are responsible for overseeing and implementing organizational strategy, it would be impractical for them to carry out each distinct task. For the same reason managers must delegate tasks to team members, business leaders must delegate key strategy tasks to employees.

To accomplish this, business leaders need to be adept at designing jobs that align with specific elements of their organizations’ strategies. A well-designed job can ensure employees have the right mix of control, accountability, influence, and support to succeed.

One tool you can use to design jobs that closely align with strategy is the Job Design Optimization Tool (JDOT) created by Harvard Business School Professor Robert Simons, who teaches the online course Strategy Execution .

Related: How to Design a High-Performing Job

4. Measuring Value Creation Beyond Financial Performance

To determine whether an organization is effectively hitting its strategy goals—and whether its strategy is positively impacting the business—it’s important to have a clear monitoring process. Without measurement, it’s impossible to know if the strategy being pursued is the right one. This is a key component of executing one of the four Ps: strategy as plans.

Well-designed diagnostic control systems allow leaders to measure and monitor performance. But merely measuring financial performance ignores intangible assets, such as research capabilities, brand loyalty, and customer relationships.

To ensure you track and measure progress toward multiple types of strategic goals, consider using the balanced scorecard , a tool explained in Strategy Execution .

In addition to the financial perspective, a balanced scorecard also measures:

• Customer perspective
• Process perspective
• Learning and growth perspective

Each produces value for an organization that can’t be easily measured in financial terms.

5. Managing Strategic Risk

All businesses are subject to risk—particularly high-performing, innovative businesses with high-pressure cultures. This makes risk management an essential part of all business operations, including strategy execution.

“Competing successfully in any industry involves some level of risk,” Simons says in Strategy Execution . “But high-performing businesses with high-pressure cultures are especially vulnerable. As a manager, you need to know how and why these risks arise and how to avoid them.”

The four primary sources of risk to be aware of and account for are:

• Operations risk: The likelihood an operational error will interfere with the flow of a business’s goods and services
• Asset impairment risk: When an asset—whether financial, physical, or intellectual property—risks losing a significant portion of its current value
• Competitive risk: Changes in the competitive environment that could impair a business’s ability to create value and differentiate its offerings
• Franchise risk: When one of the other three risk categories threatens a business’s viability

Effective execution requires understanding these risks and how they might influence both an organization and its strategy. Various tools can aid in performing risk analysis, such as a risk exposure calculator, which helps pinpoint a business’s potential problem areas. Likewise, internal controls, boundary systems, and diagnostic control systems can be leveraged to track and manage risk.

Who Needs Strategy Execution Skills?

While strategy execution is often discussed in the context of business leaders and executives, other professionals who can benefit include:

• Mid-level managers and functional leads: Strategy isn’t only implemented on a company-wide basis; individual departments, teams, and verticals within an organization must also execute strategies. Current and aspiring managers or functional leads can improve their teams’ performances by developing their own skills.
• Entrepreneurs : Building and scaling a business requires exceptional execution. This is especially true in the earliest days of a startup’s life when the team is small.
• Consultants : Strategy execution is so essential that many organizations hire consultants with strategy execution expertise to carry out their corporate strategy. Consultants who develop strategy execution skills can potentially add a lucrative new source of revenue to their businesses.

Developing Your Strategy Execution Skills

While there are many resources you can use to learn how to design effective strategy, there aren’t many dedicated to teaching strategy execution. With this in mind, completing a course or workshop that’s highly focused on strategy execution is one of the most effective ways to build your skills.

The online course Strategy Execution was specifically designed with the skills above in mind. Those who complete it walk away with a firm understanding of the skills, tools, and frameworks needed to allocate resources, measure performance, manage risk, and execute strategy.

Are you interested in developing your strategy execution skills? Explore our eight-week Strategy Execution course and other online strategy courses to hone your strategic planning and execution skills.

This post was updated on November 27, 2023. It was originally published on October 21, 2021.

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5 Keys to Successful Execution of a Business Strategic Plan

With strategic planning, a lot more gets said than done. successful execution takes ruthless consistency..

In my years of advising business leaders, from entrepreneurs to enterprise executives, I often hear a passion for strategic change planning  but seldom see the same commitment to strategic execution .

I fully understand that real change is hard, but I'm convinced that more focus on the execution is required to overcome the current 70 percent failure rate for strategic transformations.

While pulling together my thoughts on how to better implement change initiatives, I was happy to see some specific guidance in a new book,  Ruthless Consistency , by Michael Canic, PhD. He brings a wealth of experience to the table, based on years of consulting work with middle-market companies around the world.

I support his summary of five key steps to get beyond the planning:

1. First check your view of the reality of your situation.

If you start with a distorted or biased view of what your company needs, no execution is likely to achieve the results that win. Also, if you are not totally committed in spirit, as well as resources, to a strategic change, it probably won't happen. Doing what it takes to win involves risk and sacrifice.

Another reality is that sending mixed messages to your team will kill your change effort quickly. If a change initiative is "highest priority" today, but another takes its place next week, people will not take you seriously. Consistency and attention to detail are critical.

2. Replace strategic planning with a change process.

Strategy must be a process, with an implementation system behind it, rather than just a periodic event. The process must focus not only on the "what" but also on the "how." This must include metrics and tracking, with the necessary systems and resources to act, recalibrate, and iterate as required.

A change process gives you and your team a structure for execution, and clears the desk of non-value-added activities to focus on the strategic work. It means applying rigor to the execution, and being prepared to pivot the initiative in an ever-changing marketplace.

3. Create the environment and equip people to succeed.

Strategic execution requires a business environment where everyone is on board, and able to complete their part of the process. Team members must be engaged and enabled to do the job -- that means aligned, equipped, coached, supported, and valued for the work and changes ahead.

Communicate with people, not at people, before, during, and after you develop any strategic initiative. Validate everything you do from their perspective, as well as yours. Give primary attention to those who are promoters of change, not the recalcitrant few.

4. Be selective in recruiting and building the right team.

Look for people with a growth mindset , rather than a fixed mindset that may be hard to change. Give special attention to traits that fit your specific customer context, or a higher purpose you espouse, such as a focus on the environment. Beware of biases that can work against strategic initiatives.

It is very important to regularly assess your selection process, and all new team members, at the end of each period. Team members who don't meet expectations must receive special coaching or be replaced before they negate other team member efforts.

5. Personalize your commitment and lead the initiative.

Don't allow yourself to be the enemy by letting external distractions take priority, being selectively inaccessible, or not making timely decisions. Control your ego, and practice being vulnerable at the right time to maintain their respect. Your team commitment must be evident and actions consistent.

Jeff Bezos , the legendary founder of Amazon, believes his commitment to his team is his key to sustained strategic leadership. He admits that he still has to sell his team on many of his biggest, boldest ideas, and he is indebted to them in keeping ahead of competitors.

In business, there are no guarantees of success, but the requirements for strategic change are certain. Whether you give only lip service to this requirement through strategic planning or implement a formal business infrastructure to attack these challenges consistently is up to you.

In my experience, the steps outlined here will definitely increase your odds of success and survival. Also remember that what you do and feel is not enough -- execution depends on team selection, engagement, and commitment.

It's up to you to align their hearts and minds on winning. Winning together is more fun anyway.

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

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Implementation of plans matters more than the inspiration!

Without effective execution, plans are worthless. A business coach or consultant can help.

Implementing business plans – Execution matters!

When it comes to implementing business plans the  Execution  matters more than the inspiration .  Great strategies and business plans require great execution.  Without effective execution, plans are worthless.   That is why we created  Simulthink  – to help leaders, business owners and teams  Think and Act Together !

Great strategy requires great execution

The process of implementing business plans and strategy is a fundamentally important step in strategic and business planning.  Execution is also critical to the successful implementation of change projects.

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Probably the most important requirement for successful implementation is the alignment of leaders and teams with the vision and what needs to be achieved.  Carefully considered and planned stakeholder management  and communication is essential.

matters more than inspiration

Implementing business plans – inputs to successful execution

Vision and goals.

Success starts with a compelling and clearly articulated description of the TO-BE or future.  Specifically, it should describe what the services, products, markets, customers, systems, resources, processes, staff, skills and assets look like.

Case for action

People and teams gravitate to what they know and the AS-IS or way they have always worked.  A driving reasons and catalyst for change is essential and it MUST get people motivated to act differently!  People need to know they have to change.

Visibility is critical and often overlooked.  Leaders, teams and staff must have visibility of the vision, goals, reasons for change and plans. They should not be confined to documents in drawers or on servers – get them up for people to see.

Leadership, teams and individuals must be aligned with the vision for the future, the case for action, the decisions taken and the action that is required for success.  Successful implementation is not possible without alignment.

As with any journey to a new and unexplored destination, a Roadmap or navigation system with directions is imperative.  The Roadmap provides an efficient path to success  and eliminates stress and unnecessary detours.

Stakeholder management

Stakeholders, including customers, staff, suppliers, board members, financiers and contractors can be impacted through the implementation of change. A stakeholder management plan is important to ensure that stakeholder needs are carefully assessed and managed in a comprehensive and disciplined way.

Release planning

Successful implementation usually requires systematic release planning – planning and releasing changes as manageable and achievable steps.  A common major pitfall in change implementation is attempting to release the entire change at once which often leads to delays, unnecessary stress and failure. An example of release planning is a plan to climb to Mount Everest – no one goes straight to the top.

Do you need help?

Implementing business plans – we customises the approach to ensure successful execution. The approach to implementing business plans and business strategy should be customised to fit with the business or organisational context.  Implementation and project management often require different approaches, skill sets and resources at varying stages.  There are a myriad of project management approaches and processes and the best  approach will vary from one organisation and project to another.  We can help to decide upon the best change implementation process and approach.

Contact Simulthink to find out how we can help with to implement your business plan.

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How to execute a new business strategy successfully

When it comes to executing strategy, many executives think coming up with plans is more important than carrying them out. Here's how to create a culture of execution

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So, your management retreat produced some great ideas for charging ahead in 2014. But how well does your company execute on its ideas? Former Wharton business school professor  Lawrence G. Hrebiniak believes the devil is in the details when it comes to executing strategy — because many executives think coming up with plans is more important than carrying them out.

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Having just published a revised edition of his book,  Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change , Hrebiniak sat down for a recent interview with the school’s newsletter, Knowledge@Wharton . Here are a few excerpts from his discussion on how to create a “culture of execution.”

How to execute a new business strategy successfully Back to video

Question: Why do firms tend to focus much more energy on strategy and less on execution?

Hrebiniak : Strategy execution takes longer, involves more people, demands the consideration and integration of many key variables or activities, and requires an effective feedback or control system to keep a needed focus on the process of execution over time. The strategic planning stage is usually more concentrated and of shorter duration than the execution stage…

Keeping managers and functional specialists involved in and committed to the execution requirements over a long time period can be difficult. Some managers simply give up or turn to other developing problems and opportunities, reducing the energy expended on implementation plans and activities … The key here is management support — from the top down — to create a culture of execution and maintain a focus on execution and its benefits.

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Question : What are some of the biggest mistakes companies make when it comes to implementing strategy?

Hrebiniak : One is that strategy execution or implementation is viewed as a lower-level task or concern. Top managers with this view believe that making strategy work — the decisions and activities associated with this task — is somehow ‘below them.’

Another mistake managers make is to assume that execution is a quick, one-shot decision or action, like “Ready-Aim-Execute” — or even worse, “Ready-Execute-Aim.” Implementation or execution simply isn’t a one-shot deal… Failure to see and appreciate the interdependence or interaction among key factors — strategy, structure, incentives, controls, coordination, culture, change, etc. — is a costly mistake that detracts from strategy-execution success…

Every strategic plan requires an implementation or execution component or plan. Every corporate and business plan must be supported by a plan of execution. The execution plan or component must lay out clearly the key decisions and actions required for making the strategy work. The interdependence or interactions among key factors must be spelled out, and well understood. Responsibility and accountability for decisions and actions must be clear and agreed upon, with areas of overlapping responsibility and need for cooperation laid out and committed to by key personnel. Failure to develop an implementation plan is a problem or pitfall that usually ends in disastrous performance.

Also, a major pitfall with all sorts of related problems is inadequate or inappropriate attention to the management of change. Implementation or execution plans often include the need for change, and handling it poorly can lead to resistance to new execution efforts.

Question : What can a company do to become more focused on executing successfully?

Hrebiniak : A company can [create] a culture of execution by [developing and reinforcing] behaviors that affect culture. It can: lay out key decisions, actions, and capabilities needed for successful execution; support the model and execution plan with effective incentives and controls; create structures and processes that support desired strategic and operating objectives; and manage execution as a change process in which agreement and commitment are sought and rewarded. Creating and reinforcing behaviors related to execution will impact culture; culture will reflect the critical execution-related behaviors. It is important to design, reward and otherwise support the right behaviors, those that are vital to making strategy work, in order to create and nurture a culture of execution.

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What is Innovation Strategy? Stages, Types & Examples

Picture this — you have a new startup or large business operating in a highly competitive market. A constant shift in trends makes it hard to keep up with your competitors and offer products people want. How will your organization keep up with those changes, thrive in the market, and set the pace for the industry with what you offer?

In the business world, the answer usually lies in your innovation strategy . It isn’t only about generating great ideas — it’s also about creating a strategy to put your ideas into place to drive growth and attract customers.

In this guide, we’ll walk through creating an innovation strategy. We’ll go through the process — from idea generation to executing your plan . We’ll also cover the types of innovation you can invest in and a few examples of companies innovating in competitive markets.

What is innovation strategy?

What are the stages of innovation strategy, what are the types of innovation strategy, what are some examples of successful innovation strategies, imd’s driving strategic innovation program — empowering businesses for innovation success.

An innovation strategy is a detailed roadmap with a series of strips that helps your organization reach its future goals. This roadmap isn’t just a guide for business success — it’s a guide that helps you keep up in your industry by thinking of new and innovative ways to tackle problems.

These innovations can be creating new products to solve future problems, optimizing business processes to be more efficient, or thinking of entirely new ways to disrupt your industry.

Ultimately, your innovation strategy will help you align your business with your customer’s needs and create products and services to give your company a competitive advantage.

The innovation process doesn’t happen in a vacuum — it requires a clear process that takes a new idea and brings it to market.

1. Idea generation and ideation

Idea generation is the foundation of an innovation system. It’s the process that helps companies develop ideas to compete in the market and explore new opportunities without taking too much risk.

Many companies innovate by taking advantage of new technologies for insights — learning from data to see what problems customers have that you can solve. Innovators can use this information to explore new ideas and brainstorm ways to bring those ideas to life.

The vital part of this process is customer feedback. A great idea needs a customer base available to see success — and not every idea will have people around willing to pay money to access it. New ideas need customer validation to determine if they are viable.

2. Idea evaluation and selection

Idea evaluation and selection is assessing new ideas to see if they are feasible. During this process, you’ll look at costs, time to market, potential profit, and other business metrics to see if it’s worth pursuing an idea.

If it looks like a product you’re considering has a chance to succeed, then the next step is to compare it with what’s currently on the market. Is your new product something new that doesn’t exist yet, or does it improve on existing products? Will this help your company stand out?Use this information to find the unique value proposition and determine if the idea is worth pursuing.

3. Implementation and execution

The implementation and execution phase is where you take your new idea and turn it into a concrete plan to make it a reality. But this stage is more than building a product — it’s also about creating a successful business strategy and finding help to create your idea.

The first step is product development. Which vendors can supply the materials for your product or help you manufacture it? Which members of your team will be the best fit for development?

Once you find the right people, implementation becomes a matter of executing a plan. It involves project management, resource management, process management, and continuous improvement. 

4. Monitoring and evaluation

You’re breaking new ground when innovating in an industry, so you may not get everything right. Monitoring and evaluation will help you handle those problems and adapt your innovation efforts.

Your goal when monitoring a new project is to assess your performance. Is what you’re doing helping you achieve your goals and keeping you on track for release?

A key part of doing this is metrics. These numbers will tell you how well you are doing. Track your time to release, product progress, defects, and eventual return on investment. Reassess your strategy and make changes if your metrics show you aren’t meeting your goals.

There isn’t one type of innovation in business. Let’s look at four of the main ways you can create new and innovative ideas.

• Product innovation : Product innovation is the process of building new products or upgrading existing ones to meet customer needs in a new way. It helps companies offer better products and stay competitive in evolving markets. This process happens when you pay attention to product markets. You see the problems customers have and their issues with the current offerings. Use that information to develop novel ways to solve those problems and offer a better customer experience.
• Process innovation : Process innovation is changing how you do things inside an organization. You aim to apply new initiatives and technology to optimize efficiency and your ability to compete in the market. Take the inclusion of a new IT system, for instance. New technological innovation can improve your employees’ ability to collaborate and get more done — allowing them to serve customers better in your core business.
• Business model innovation : Business model innovation is about making big changes to how a business runs. It isn’t just a few changes in business processes or a new product. Your goal is to create new business models to capture value in the market. One of the common ways this happens is finding new sources of revenue. An excellent example of this is service businesses adding subscriptions to their revenue. Take an HVAC company. Instead of relying on incoming calls to get business, HVAC companies offer customers a maintenance plan — allowing companies to get a new source of predictable revenue.
• Disruptive innovation : Disruptive innovation is about shaking things up. You aren’t launching products that are a minor upgrade of what exists — you’re making game-changing innovation initiatives that disrupt existing business models. Radical innovation often comes from startups, such as rideshare companies taking on the taxi industry. You’re rewriting some of the rules to take on the established industries to provide a better service and give people more options.

Now that you’ve seen what types of innovations there are, let’s look at a few innovation strategy examples.

Amazon was one of the first companies to use the internet to sell products. It started as an online bookstore, but as time passed, it changed its focus to become a one-stop marketplace for every product you can imagine.

Since then, Amazon has continued to use technology to innovate in the online market. It now offers subscription services to offer more customer value, video streaming, audiobooks, eBooks, and countless other value-added services for its customers.

Apple’s innovation projects are a blend of user-centric design and quality. Apple doesn’t often create brand-new product categories. Instead, it waits to see how technology trends play out and creates innovative approaches to those products.

One of the best examples of this is the iPhone. Apple didn’t create the first smartphone. Blackberry was one of the first to market and was popular for a while.

But smartphones didn’t start making their way into most homes until Apple unveiled the iPhone — their easy-to-use smartphone offering that every consumer can use.

Startups and entrepreneurs

Innovation is at the heart of the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Let’s look at how a few companies changed the game with their new innovations.

• Uber: Took on the taxi industry by allowing regular people to use their cars to offer rideshare services to customers using mobile apps.
• Airbnb: Competed against the established hotel industry to give people more lodging options and allow homeowners to rent parts of their homes.
• Netflix: Used a subscription model and on-demand streaming approach instead of a monthly fee for live TV.
• Stripe: Changed the payment industry by allowing companies to integrate payment processing into their websites easily.

Innovation strategy is an essential part of creating a roadmap for long-term success. It helps you define new product ideas, validate them in the market, and execute the process of bringing them to life. Without the right strategy, you take more risk of building products that don’t work or won’t meet your customers’ needs. IMD offers business school programs for entrepreneurs and professionals who want to learn how to drive innovation in their businesses.

Learn more about what we offer and how our program for driving strategic innovation can help you accomplish more in business and build something great.

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Are you curious how certain new businesses can completely reshape industries and leave established companies struggling to keep up? In the ever-changing business world, staying ahead of the competition requires constant innovation. While there have been many ideas and strategies over time, few have been as impactful and enduring as disruptive innovation. This article will […]

Picture this — you have a new startup or large business operating in a highly competitive market. A constant shift in trends makes it hard to keep up with your competitors and offer products people want. How will your organization keep up with those changes, thrive in the market, and set the pace for the […]

For companies willing to embrace innovation during uncertain times, the rewards can be transformative, both during a crisis and in its aftermath. In this article, we demystify the concept of business innovation, offering actionable steps and tangible examples to help ignite a culture of innovation within your organization. We delve into the many benefits of […]

Implementation

Organizations are facing an unprecedented challenge to chart a path to the next normal. The pandemic has upended working norms and operating models at every level. The path forward requires change, and organizations are not only seeking solutions to safeguard their workforce and improve their performance in the short term, but also to ensure their transformations are sustainable over time. We believe execution excellence will be key to thriving in the next normal as organizations restart and reimagine operations

in a new reality. Diagnosing the specific barriers to successful implementation and delivering targeted interventions that transform business models are critical for sustaining lasting impact. From implementing on-site workforce safety protocols, to building capabilities to lead during times of change, to regenerating stalled sales pipelines and reenergizing cost and productivity initiatives, we are helping organizations identify the change required to succeed and working with them to unlock the next level of performance.

How we help clients

Assess execution readiness, upskill execution capabilities, navigate transition and recovery, imagine the full potential of a transformation, strategy roll-out, rapid cash generation, improvements replication, program and project management, capability building and coaching, performance management, our approach, we help our clients achieve impact from strategy through implementation..

Our core belief is that a transformation needs different types of expertise depending on where an organization is in the process. We bring people together with different and complementary profiles over the course of any transformation with the continuity of a core client service team, as shown in the conceptual graphic below

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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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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.

Free Implementation Plan Template

Use this implementation plan template for Excel to define your strategy, scope, resource plan, timeline and more. It’s the ideal way to begin your implementation process. Download your template today.

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.

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 Gantt chart 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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Strategy Execution Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.

Our experts provide a hub and spoke framework for optimal execution across the entire organization — every time.

Today, in a race to win market share or obtain a target earnings per share, there is a “ready, fire, aim” approach to how organizations execute projects. The art of execution is getting lost in the crossfire.

Our goal is to provide direction around organizational alignment as an essential ingredient in effective execution.

What Are Lead and Lag Measures?

Lead measures are the numbers you’re hoping to or predict achieving in the future. For example, if you want to grow your revenue by 10 percent, that 10 percent is your lead measure.

Lag measures are the numbers that reflect the current state of your business, which you receive when it’s too late to pivot. Some examples are quarterly profits or monthly sales.

More by Mike Hyzy Why We Need AI Governance Now

Why Do Strategies Fail?

Once a company identifies a strategic initiative, it must create a detailed project plan across all departments. The more detailed the plan, the more likely you’ll be able to execute it in line with your original goals.

Projects typically underwhelm or fail due to issues like these.

Poor Communication

Teams often work in silos with key performance indicators that don’t align with the project’s goals. This lack of coordination leads to fragmented strategies.

Inadequate Resources

Without sufficient resources, projects lack the support needed for comprehensive development, limiting their potential for impact.

Lack of Collaboration

Cross-functional collaboration is often minimal, causing teams to miss opportunities to share valuable insights that could improve the project.

Ambiguous Strategy

Projects without clear goals and timelines often drift, leading to unmet expectations.

Resistance to Change

Employees frequently struggle to adapt to new processes , hindering progress.

Organizational Design

If the organization isn’t structured to execute well, projects will inevitably struggle to succeed. Improving these aspects through better organizational design ensures the ability to execute, driving projects toward success.

Track KPIs Across Every Department

Companies have $100 million annual recurring revenue aspirations with a $10,000 ARR budget. Executives want to go fast but cut corners to get there.

When is the last time you recall sitting down to figure out how everything will come together to ensure that every cross-functional team has skin in the game?

Execution based on key performance indicators is critical for any organization striving for success. Beyond setting ambitious goals, it’s about defining clear, measurable steps that align with our strategic objectives.

By embedding KPIs into every department’s daily operations, you provide a road map that clarifies expectations and focuses efforts. This approach ensures that every team knows the goals they need to achieve and how their contributions propel the company forward.

To effectively implement this, you must foster a culture of transparency and continuous feedback, where leadership regularly reviews and updates KPIs to reflect evolving business needs and market conditions. This process encourages accountability and drives performance, transforming strategic visions into realized achievements.

Incorporate Agile Methodologies

Adopting an agile mindset and methodologies gives cross-functional teams a framework that is both flexible and structured, allowing them to collaborate through iterative development and continuous feedback.

Agile fosters communication in diverse teams with ceremonies like standups, program increment planning and retrospectives. It’s an easily adaptable framework that emphasizes transparency and frequent interactions, breaking down silos.

While agile is useful as a product development methodology, organizations usually only practice it on the development side and not on the business side.

Optimize Execution With Hub and Spoke Design

No matter what unit you work in (sales, product, development, operations, marketing, etc.), we all have a responsibility to one another. Despite all the planning and strategy sessions that take place, however, none of the KPIs cover team accountability.

This often results in missed targets and finger pointing. In order to execute to perfection, every department needs to have skin in the game. Take a look at this example.

Let’s say a company is trying to grow revenue by 10 percent across a product line. This is your lead measure (your main KPI). But what are all the lag measures that need to be set up by each team to achieve this goal?

 Let’s break down our execution design.

The product team acts as the central hub, driving the overall strategic direction and interfacing with all spokes.

Each functional area — design, development, quality assurance, marketing, customer success and sales — operates as a spoke that connects back to the hub, ensuring that insights and feedback flow back to the product team for integrated strategic adjustments.

Once each team maps how they contribute to ensuring the success of the project, we have the basics of what an optimal execution plan looks like. Our hub and spoke framework adopts the key values of being nimble from agile methodologies and applies it cross-functionally to each team.  

More on Execution 4 Tips for Great Strategy Execution

Keep Checking In

Organizations should hold a biweekly meeting where each team can give their honest assessment of how these KPIS are coming along. Then they can make adjustments to ensure there is support and alignment across the organization.

This also comes in handy once you release a project into production. Being able to react quickly and make adjustments can help companies determine how to quickly salvage a project or consider the investment not worth sinking more dollars into. It’s a rapid iteration process that helps align the company across all department functions.

Recent Operations Articles

• ERP implementation

ERP implementation: 10 steps for success

Follow these well-trod steps, line up the best people, be fully aware of the most common mistakes, and use the right metrics to ensure your erp project delivers on its promises..

• Eric St-Jean

An ERP system can help companies be more efficient and simplify processes in functions such as finance, sales, HR, manufacturing and warehousing. Also, because it's one system, the data captured in one area can be readily available in others, users can learn one user interface, and reporting can be more complete.

However, the benefits of an integrated system can also lead to challenges that must be considered and managed for an ERP implementation to be successful. For example, the ERP project team may try to do too much in one phase, or some of the functionality in the ERP may be limited if it's not part of the vendor's core offering.

What is ERP implementation?

An ERP implementation encompasses all the steps required for an ERP system to be used in an organization. They include planning, configuring, training, and pre- and post-go-live actions. Many important decisions are made throughout the implementation that ultimately determine how well the ERP system will be able to meet the organization's business requirements.

An important action that impacts each step in an implementation is keeping key stakeholders updated. This includes employees who will be directly impacted by the new system, executives who approve budgets and can help remove roadblocks, third parties who may also need to use the new ERP, and the ERP vendor and implementation partner.

This article is part of

The ultimate guide to ERP

• Which also includes:
• How ChatGPT will transform artificial intelligence in ERP
• How AI is shaping the future of ERP
• 10 ERP trends for 2024 and beyond

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Steps for a successful ERP implementation

Here are the major steps, in order, with tips on doing them well.

1. Budgeting. Before progressing too far on a project, the project manager will want to make sure that the project has been assigned a budget, and there is approval to initiate the project. The budget might not be final, but there's general acceptance that the project is allowed to proceed.

2. Assessing current processes. It's important for the organization to review its current processes. This step will help identify processes that are outdated and need updating, and ones that are missing. Based on the assessment, the project team can begin building a requirements document that outlines what the ERP system is expected to do.

3. Project planning and goal setting. The ERP project manager will collaborate with the organization's leaders to build a project team to work on the project. This team, often made up of subject matter experts, might be a subset of all the people required to complete the implementation. Team members will document the requirements and goals of the project and develop a schedule.

Much of the work done by the project team at this stage will be refined once a vendor is selected and a more detailed schedule can be developed. The team might also update requirements to reflect the capabilities of the chosen vendor.

4. Selecting an ERP system. ERP production selection is one of the most important steps in the process. Implementing a new ERP system is a huge undertaking that can take many years to complete, depending on the scope. It's critical to speak to several vendors, request demos and get a clear understanding of the software solution being proposed by each vendor. They should demonstrate how they are able to meet the organization's business requirements, say whether they will work with third-party vendors to help complete the ERP system and provide details about their post go-live support and services.

5. Configuring the system. The configuration step is when the team implementing the ERP modifies system settings to make the system meet technical and business requirements. This step will likely involve the assistance of an ERP implementation partner or vendor because they will have more experience with the system. For this step to be successful and efficient, it's important to have clearly documented requirements. ERP systems have many configuration settings and there's no one-size-fits-all.

6. Migrating the data. Data migration is one step that should be carried out with special care. Converting old data to match the requirements of the new system can be complex. When it is done incorrectly, users of the ERP system will have to work with incomplete or inaccurate data. The data migration process needs to be specific about what data to migrate. For example, data from 10 or 20 years ago may not be very relevant and therefore shouldn't be migrated. Also, migrating old data may be complicated and not worth the effort and risk. If you aren't migrating data, you will need a plan to store it somewhere else. Doing so might require keeping the old system licensed so the old data can be accessed. Alternatively, the data might be migrated to a database but have limited functionality.

7. Testing the ERP system. Testing will likely take place as features are implemented so issues can be resolved quickly and not wait until the end. You can also schedule testing to take place before major milestones as an interim measure. User acceptance testing happens closer to go-live. At this point, the ERP system should be configured and all major issues resolved. This is one of the last opportunities to make sure the ERP system is configured according to the requirements, the data looks correct, and the business goals set at the beginning of the project are being met. It is not uncommon to have daily meetings to evaluate issues identified during user acceptance testing so that such issues can be addressed immediately. Large issues have the potential to delay the go-live. Therefore, the project team will need to focus on critical issues only.

8. Deployment and training. Once testing is complete and any defects are corrected, it is time to deploy the ERP system so people can start using it. Prior to go-live, the project team will need to train all system users, including employees and, potentially, third parties who will interact with the ERP. The training team typically starts developing training materials long before the system is ready. Ideally, subject matter experts working on the ERP configuration will have time to review the training materials to make sure they match how the system is designed to work. This can often be a challenge, since these same subject matter experts may be the ones correcting last-minute issues discovered during user acceptance testing.

Once the system is live, the project team's focus in the short term will switch to supporting new users, which could include additional training, configuration changes and updates to the migrated data. The goal is to make the transition to the new system as seamless as possible.

9. Support and maintenance. After the initial go-live support phase is complete and the system is fully functional, a smaller team is assigned to support users. This team will continue to train employees, answer questions and make configuration changes as needed. Typically, it won't implement new features or make major changes unless they are absolutely necessary.

This step might also include setting the foundation for the next phase of the ERP project, such as identifying needed enhancements, implementing fixes that are too big or risky to do quickly, or adding new modules or software. For example, phase one might focus on finance and warehouse management, with phase two focusing on HR and sales.

10. Evaluation. Once the system is deployed and in use, the project manager should evaluate the implementation project to make sure it met the business requirements. The evaluation will probably include getting feedback from the project team, key stakeholders and system users. The goal is to identify areas that were successful and areas that did not go as planned so they can be further analyzed ahead of the next planning cycle.

Common ERP implementation mistakes

Be on the lookout for the following pitfalls :

• Poor communication. The project team must make sure it is communicating with all the key stakeholders. That includes employees, executives, third parties, the ERP vendor and the implementation partner if one is being used.
• Unrealistic implementation timeline . There may be pressure to build a schedule that is preferred by some members of the organization without considering the scope of the project. You should allocate enough time for each step in the implementation based on estimates, with some contingency added into the schedule to account for unforeseen issues.
• Underfunded project. Sometimes project leaders will cut the budget to help get approval for the project, or the project is only approved for a given budget. This can lead to dropping key requirements or taking shortcuts that have long-term implications for users.
• Inadequate resources assigned to the project . For the project to be successful, it needs access to employees with the right skill sets, such as senior employees, subject matter experts, and potentially, external consultants who have experience with the ERP brand being implemented. Placing junior employees in key roles or overcommitting senior resources can lead to major challenges over the long term.
• Not planning for post go-live support. Despite everyone's best efforts, there will be issues post go-live. It is critical for key resources to not leave the project too quickly once the go-live date arrives. Additional configuration changes might be needed, or new or updated training or features added to make important processes work correctly.
• Implementing substandard features. Because an ERP system can address so many needs across the company, there might be a desire to implement everything. However, the functionality may be lacking in some areas, such as an HR module that doesn't do enough. While there may be benefits to using the HR module that comes with the ERP, there are often justifications for using a different vendor whose product offers advanced capabilities.
• Minimal change management. Change is often hard for people, and it's important to make the transition to the new ERP as easy as possible. Many resources are available to help with change management because it applies equally to every project.

Measuring the success of ERP implementation

To identify useful metrics for gauging success, look closely at the following areas:

• Budget. Organizations will typically want to understand how closely the project stayed on budget. When there are significant deviations from the budget, the project manager will need to show that changes were approved, and why they were required.
• Implementation timeline. This measure compares the original implementation timeline to the actual timeline. It includes evaluating each major milestone of the project. The evaluation not only helps judge the success of the current project but will also provide insight when planning the next phase or project.
• Return on investment. It might not be easy to measure ROI in the short term, but the organization will want to determine if the new ERP system is providing the efficiencies and cost savings planned at the outset. Shortly after go-live, productivity may be slower than when using the legacy system, but as users get familiar with the new ERP, a positive ROI should start to be visible if everything went according to plan.
• Skills acquired. When an implementation partner helps with the implementation, one of the project's goals might be to train employees to support the ERP going forward, including making configuration changes.
• Feedback. The project manager might want to gather structured feedback to evaluate the success of the ERP implementation project and the resulting ERP system. The feedback might include a survey or in-person meetings to measure things like system usability and data accuracy and identify issues.
• Deferred issues. Many projects will defer issues found near the end of the implementation if they aren't critical. Doing so allows the ERP to go live on the preferred date while also making sure key functions are working. Knowing how many issues were deferred, their severity and the plan to resolve them is important in measuring a project's success.

Eric St-Jean is an independent consultant with a particular focus on HR technology, project management and Microsoft Excel training and automation. He writes about numerous business and technology areas.

Related Resources

• How SAP S/4HANA Fuels ERP Digital Transformation –TierPoint
• 5 steps guide to international ERP implementation –Be-Terna
• How to succeed with your international ERP implementations –Be-Terna
• 10 Strategic Steps to Master International ERP Implementation –Be-Terna

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Big bang vs. phased ERP implementation: Which is best?

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From concept to app store: 10 steps for mobile app development success in 2024.

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Shehar Yar, CEO of Software House, with over a decade of experience in running a mobile app & Web Development Company .

In 2024, the landscape of mobile app development continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and as someone who has been deeply entrenched in this industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of a well-crafted app. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of developing hundreds of apps for diverse clients worldwide, each project bringing its own unique challenges and rewards. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your skills, understanding the intricacies of this process is crucial. This article is designed to guide you through the essential steps to achieve mobile app development success, drawing on my extensive experience and industry best practices.

1. Ideation And Conceptualization

Every successful app starts with a brilliant idea. This phase, known as ideation and conceptualization, is where your creativity and vision take center stage. It’s about more than just having a great idea; it's about understanding how that idea can solve real problems or meet specific needs in the market. Reflect on the problems you encounter in daily life or within your industry—often, the most successful apps stem from these observations. For instance, when we were developing a fitness app for a client, we realized there was a gap in providing personalized workout plans based on real-time user feedback. This insight shaped our app's core functionality and set it apart from competitors.

2. Defining The Scope And Features

Once you have your idea, the next step is to define what your app will do. Start by listing all the features you want. Think about what your users will need and what will make your app stand out. It’s important to be clear and detailed. This helps you stay focused and organized. For example, when we created a project management app, we made sure to include features like task tracking, file sharing and real-time notifications. This stage sets the foundation for your app, ensuring that you know exactly what you want to build.

3. Designing The User Experience (UX)

An app isn't just great because of what it can do; it’s great because of how easy and enjoyable it is to use. Designing the user experience means creating an app that is intuitive and user-friendly. Start with wireframes to map out the app’s flow and structure. Think about how users will navigate through your app. A well-designed user experience can be the difference between an app that users love and one they abandon.

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Does inside out 2 have an end credits scene, nyt strands hints spangram and answers for friday june 14, 4. creating the user interface (ui).

The look and feel of your app are just as important as its functionality. The user interface should be visually appealing and align with your brand. Choose colors, fonts and design elements that reflect your app’s purpose and appeal to your target audience. For example, when we developed an educational app, we used bright, engaging colors and simple, clean designs to make it inviting for children. The goal is to create a beautiful and cohesive design that enhances the user experience.

5. Choosing The Right Technology Stack

Choosing the right technology is crucial for your app’s success. Decide whether you want to build your app natively for iOS and Android or use cross-platform tools like React Native or Flutter. Each option has its pros and cons, so consider factors like development time, cost and future scalability. The right choice depends on your app’s requirements and your team’s expertise. For instance, we used Flutter for a client who needed a cost-effective solution to launch on both platforms quickly.

6. Development And Implementation

Now it’s time to start building your app. Break down the development process into smaller tasks and tackle them one by one. Use agile methodologies to stay flexible and adapt to changes as needed. Regularly review progress and make adjustments to stay on track. During this phase, it’s important to keep testing and refining your app to ensure it meets your goals. When we developed a healthcare app, we worked closely with the client to make continuous improvements based on user feedback.

7. Testing And Quality Assurance

Testing is a critical step in the development process. Conduct thorough testing to identify and fix bugs and ensure your app works smoothly. Use automated tests to speed up the process and catch more issues. Quality assurance is about making sure your app is reliable and performs well under different conditions. This phase helps build user trust and satisfaction. For example, we ran extensive tests on a financial app to ensure it was secure and stable before launch.

8. Beta Testing

Before launching your app, it’s important to gather feedback from real users. Beta testing allows you to identify any remaining issues and make final adjustments. Encourage beta testers to provide honest feedback and use this input to improve your app. This step helps ensure your app is user-friendly and ready for a wider audience. When we beta-tested a travel app, user feedback helped us refine the booking process and improve the overall experience.

9. Preparing For Launch

Getting ready to launch your app involves several steps. Create a marketing strategy to promote your app, including social media, blog posts and press releases. Optimize your app store listings with compelling descriptions, screenshots and videos to attract users. App store optimization is essential for visibility. Make sure all promotional materials are ready and create a buzz around your app. We found that a strong pre-launch campaign helped boost the initial downloads for a fitness app we developed.

10. Launching The App

Launching your app is an exciting milestone. Follow the guidelines for the App Store and Google Play Store to ensure a smooth submission process. Once your app is live, monitor its performance and be prepared to address any immediate issues. Celebrate this achievement, but remember that this is just the beginning. Stay engaged with your users and continue to improve your app based on their feedback.

Creating a successful mobile app involves careful planning, execution and continuous improvement. From defining the scope and features to post-launch support, each step plays a vital role in your app’s success.

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