Strategy Reminder…Review Your Strategy Efforts from Last Year!

There are a lot of expectations that can come with a New Year and reviewing your strategic plan, should be at the top of your list! Before diving into any new strategy plans or activities, I strongly encourage you to have a discussion on your goals, actions, progress, and challenges from last year. This will provide you with the information you need to understand how the strategy work unfolded last year.

A review of the strategy work from the previous year can be incredibly valuable and will provide insights into your strategy work for the upcoming year. I would suggest that this discussion can take place at multiple levels within your organization – leadership, management, and staff. This will provide various perspectives which are important to the success of your overall strategy.

It’s easy to start the discussion. You can kick off the discussion with an email, survey or by cascading management team meetings. I suggest that you could also have a Lunch N’ Learn, in-person or remote, to discuss the strategy activities from last year.

Asking more detailed questions about your strategic goals will provide the information that you need to make more informed decisions for your upcoming strategy efforts. Some questions could include:

*In your opinion, how did we do, as an organization, with our goals?

*Based on your experience with the strategy, are there any improvements that can be made with the activities associated with the strategic plan? If so, what can be improved?

*Can you share your observations on what worked well with the overall strategy efforts for the organization?

Keep in mind that everyone is responsible for a successful business strategy. Everyone.

By the way, if the organization is not including all staff in the development of the strategic plan, now would be a good opportunity to change that. By broadening the participation to all staff, the organization will be benefiting from the various experiences, observations, and ideas of the larger group.

If your strategic plan in meaningful, understandable, and relatable to all staff, you have just elevated your level of success in achieving your strategic goals. If the strategy implementation plan is actionable, practical, and logical, you are on target for an incredible year!

 As a reminder, a foundation of strong project management practices is vital in achieving your strategic goals. The activities required to design a strategic plan are very different than what is required to deliver on a strategic plan. Strategy management and project management dovetail very nicely!

 You can do this. I know you can.