Strategic Thinking (Part IIB): The Top 10 Reasons Plans Fail

Kudos to you!?You bit the bullet and completed a strategic plan for the upcoming year.?Now, the big question is whether you will actually see the results anticipated in your plan.

In Strategic Thinking: The Top 10 Reasons Plans Fail (Part IIA), we addressed five of the snags that organizations (and, sometimes, individuals) face in connection with strategic planning.??This month, we tackle the top five reasons.

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Reason #5: Flawed Communication

Can you imagine a race in which the runners don’t know the distance they are to run, there are no obvious course markers, and there may (or may not) be a prize awaiting the winner??Certainly, it would be difficult to train, get motivated for, and run such a race.

Yet, something similar happens in many organizations around strategic planning.?Once a plan is developed, communication to the rest of the team is essential.?Leadership must convey -- clearly, enthusiastically, and often -- the organization’s direction, the strategy for moving forward, and progress in meeting the goals.?Without such vital information, running the race is difficult at best.

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Reason #4: No Multi-Tiered Planning

Many strategic planning efforts stop at the organizational level.?That is, executives gather and devise a strategy that frames objectives and goals from an organization-wide perspective.?And, that’s an appropriate undertaking for that group.?In order to achieve those high-level goals, though, the planning can’t stop at that level.?When effectively done, planning becomes multi-tiered.

Once the overall plan is in place, specific portions of the plan should be assigned to the organization’s departments or teams.?After receiving their marching orders, sub-units then develop unit-specific plans for accomplishing their assigned functions in connection with the overall plan.

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Reason #3:???Absence of Action Steps

This reason is closely associated with the development of unit-specific plans.?Many strategy efforts fail because the thinking never becomes granular.?Developing action steps (which is best handled at the team or department level) allows such targeted, granular thinking to occur.

Action steps are relatively simple tasks -- a telephone call, drafting and sending a letter, or researching a matter.?Even though each step is simple, their collective value is immeasurable to accomplishing the underlying goal.

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Reason # 2:???Resistance to Necessary Changes

Last year was a rough year for just about everyone. And, it’s very unlikely that many foresaw all of the twists and turns the year held.??So, when things change, what happens to that brilliantly crafted strategy?

Achieving outcomes is more likely to occur when strategic plans are viewed as living and breathing documents -- not as images set in stone.?Now, that doesn’t mean that you keep moving the target to ensure that you hit it.?However, because unforeseen circumstances do happen (as we so often see), planners should be prepared to regroup periodically throughout the targeted period.?These ongoing sessions provide an opportunity to reassess direction, to strategize about the impact of any new situation, and to decide whether the existing approach still works or if appropriate tactical tweaks to the plan may be warranted.

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Reason #1:???Lack of Accountability

The top reason many strategic plans fail can be summed up in a single word -- accountability.?Okay, it’s really the lack of accountability, but you understood the point.

If planning is to flow into measurable outcomes, something has to happen between those bookends. That missing piece is action.?Not plans for action…actual activity.?Enter the need for accountability.

Consider accountability in three contexts -- organizational, executive, and staff.

For strategy to result in the desired outcomes, accountability must start at the organization level.?Last month’s discussion of unrealistic planning provides a good segue into the notion of organizational accountability.?An organization first demonstrates accountability when its board or owners develop or ratify plans that are plausible given the financial, human, and other resources they have and are willing to invest in this effort. Accountability continues to be shown when the required resources and support are actually delivered.

Executive or managerial accountability also is a factor in plan success.?Plans don’t just complete themselves.?Rather, every successful strategic effort must have a champion.?That’s the individual charged with overseeing implementation of the overall plan and possessing the appropriate level of authority to ensure its performance.?It’s the person who is responsible for monitoring and providing status updates on an ongoing basis and who can allocate resources (or, at a minimum, make a seriously considered recommendation for them) when necessary.?It’s the person who can cross organizational silos in order to advance the overall mission.?And, it’s the person who can, and is expected to, take people to task when they fail to follow through on their assignments.?Without such an individual, momentum fades, coordination ceases, and outcomes are jeopardized.

Finally, for strategic plans to yield the desired outcomes, accountability must flow to the staff level.?Every person has a part to play in completing the goals set out in the plan.?Accordingly, it’s critical to help staff understand the multi-level nature of accountability.?Completion of the overall plan is dependent on the successful performance of each team which, in turn, relies on the effective accomplishment of individual tasks.

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In a nutshell, many strategic plans fail because people stop with the easy part -- plan development.?Successful planning, however, recognizes that creation of the plan is just the first step.?It’s only with plan in hand that you can move to the “real” work of ensuring results.

Has this talk about setting solid strategy got you thinking??If so, reach out to us at Executive Advantage for information about our strategic thinking support services for organizations or individuals.?Contact Executive Advantage today.

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