Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook
By Ronald Recardo and Tim Toterhi
()
About this ebook
Any undergrad business major can intuitively point to the need for strategic planning. Organizations have limited resources, so establishing a plan for what needs to be done, by who, and when given a series of internal and external realities and constraints only makes sense if goals are to be achieved and stakeholders satisfied.
Despite its importance however, few companies have cracked the code on strategic planning. For many, the process is akin to a black hole. Meetings occur, informal discussions take place, and then, somehow, magic happens – a three ring binder appears, supposedly summarizing the decisions agreed to by the leadership team. Unfortunately, that’s typically where the magic ends. More often than not, the document is rarely reviewed, seldom consulted, and is left to languish on a credenza till next year.
Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook is a book to end the madness.
Fast Cycle Strategic Planning provides readers with a practical, comprehensive playbook for creating a strategic plan. Each phase of the process – Environmental Assessment, Internal Capabilities Assessment, Strategy Development, and Strategy Deployment – is described in real-world, practitionare language. Easy-to-follow process maps are provided for each phase with descriptions of specific tasks required to complete them.
Most books on this topic focus solely on theoretical frameworks and conceptual models, take a purely academic view of the subject, or rely on an approach endorsed by a single “ideal company”. While this has some value, generic models and classroom inspired case studies rarely hold up to the rigors of the real world. And though it’s true that some companies have obtained success in strategic planning, there is no guarantee that their approach will work for your organization – there is no sliver bullet!
What makes Fast Cycle Strategic Planning unique is that it was written by seasoned practitioners who have applied the tools in a variety of real-world, corporate settings. In addition, the methodology is scalable to different sized organizations. The content is not a repackaging of materials already in the public domain but represents new thought leadership. The playbook was developed from research projects The Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC has sponsored on strategy development and execution, includes strategic planning best practices, and incorporates learning’s from the over 200 client companies our consultants have worked with over the years.
Regardless of your company’s size, complexity, offering portfolio, or geographic scope, Fast Cycle Strategic Planning will help your organization analyze its external environment, reach consensus on your sources of competitive advantage, identify a business strategy, and execute it seamlessly.
Ronald Recardo
Work History:Managing Partner: The Catalyst Consulting Group, LLCVice President: Fidelity InvestmentsDirector: Johnson & JohnsonStrategy & Change Consultant: Arthur Anderson & CoEducation:Harvard University: Executive program on Human Capital ManagementUniversity of Southern California: Executive Program on Organization DesignUniversity of Hartford: Masters Degree in Organization BehaviorUniversity of Maine: MBASouthern Connecticut State University: BS Bio Chemistry
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Fast Cycle Strategic Planning - Ronald Recardo
Fast Cycle Strategic Planning:
An Applied Playbook
BY
Ronald J. Recardo and Tim Toterhi
Copyright © 2013 by Ronald J. Recardo and Tim Toterhi
Smashwords Edition
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
WHY FAST CYCLE STRATEGIC PLANNING?
WHY STRATEGIC PLANNING FAILS?
AN OVERVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
PHASE 1: ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
PURPOSE
TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES
WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE
ACTIVITY 1.1: COMPLETE COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
ACTIVITY 1.2: COMPLETE CUSTOMER ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY 1.3: COMPLETE INDUSTRY ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY 1.4: COMPLETE SUPPLIER ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY 1.5: COMPLETE GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS
ACTIVITY 1.6: COMPLETE STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
ACTIVITY 1.7: COMPLETE ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC ANAYLSIS
ACTIVITY 1.8: IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES
ACTIVITY 1.9: IDENTIFY THREATS
ACTIVITY 1.10: DETERMINE KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
PHASE 2: INTERNAL CAPABILITIES ANALYSIS
PURPOSE
TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES
WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE
ACTIVITY 2.1: ASSESS TECHNOLOGY ARCHITECTURE
ACTIVITY 2.2: ASSESS ORGANIZATION ARCHITECTURE
ACTIVITY 2.3: ASSESS PROCESS ARCHITECTURE
ACTIVITY 2.4: COMPLETE FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS
ACTIVITY 2.5: IDENTIFY STRENGTHS
ACTIVITY 2.6: IDENTIFY WEAKNESSSES
ACTIVITY 2.7: IDENTIFY SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
PHASE 3: STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
PURPOSE
TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES
WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE
ACTIVITY 3.1: DEVELOP OR UPDATE VISION (SITUATIONAL)
ACTIVITY 3.2: DEVELOP OR UPDATE MISSION (SITUATIONAL)
ACTIVITY 3.3: DETERMINE PLANNING HORIZON
ACTIVITY 3.4: DEVELOP BUSINESS STRATEGY
ACTIVITY 3.5: IDENTIFY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
ACTIVITY 3.6: CREATE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
ACTIVITY 3.7: CREATE BALANCED SCORECARD
PHASE 4: STRATEGY DEPLOYMENT
PURPOSE
TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES
WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE
ACTIVITY 4.1: DEVELOP CONTINGENCY PLANS
ACTIVITY 4.2: ALIGN BUSINESS PLAN TO RELATED SYSTEMS OR PROCESSES
ACTIVITY 4.3 ALIGN CULTURE TO BUSINESS PLAN
ACTIVITY 4.4: ALIGN HR PRACTICES
ACTIVITY 4.5: DEVELOP PMO FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
ACTIVITY 4.6: ALIGN BUSINESS MODEL
ACTIVITY 4.7: PERIODICALLY MONITOR PROGRESS
NEXT STEPS
GLOSSARY
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
INTRODUCTION
There is a trend in business today – a tendency to value style over substance, to promote political savvy over actual innovation – in short, to play it safe and stick to the surface. Unfortunately, given the rise of global competition and increase organizational complexity, it’s no longer acceptable to tolerate mediocre talent, incremental improvements or halfhearted attempts at success. Shareholders and stakeholders alike expect and demand more from companies and the business leaders they entrust to get the job done.
The Fast Cycle Strategic Planning book represents the first offering in the Catalyst Leadership Series with coming titles to include:
• Human Resources transformation
• Culture Change
• Process Reengineering
• Process Design
• Performance Measurement
This book takes aim at the often lackluster approach to business fundamentals by providing a no holds bared
commentary on the core accountabilities of corporate leaders. The series provides a realistic, practitioner-oriented approach to business fundamentals along with the tools to help you get the job done. Whether you’re a seasoned C-suite executive or a corporate newbie with a desire to make a difference, this series will help you improve performance while building hard to acquire internal capability.
WHY FAST CYCLE STRATEGIC PLANNING?
Most books on this topic focus solely on theoretical frameworks and conceptual models, take a purely academic view of the subject, or rely on an approach endorsed by a single ideal company
. While this has some value, generic models and classroom inspired case studies rarely hold up to the rigors of the real world. And though it’s true that some companies have obtained success in strategic planning, there is no guarantee that their approach will work for your organization – there is no sliver bullet!
Many business leaders have learned the hard way that simply bolting on another company’s approach to a problem can be a costly, time consuming and often a fruitless endeavor. Just look at the waste, frustration and negative