Operational strategy

Now that you have clarity over your purpose, vision and mission, it's time to move on to the next step. How will you deliver your vision to get to the desired results? I will be honest with you. This is the step that many organisations struggle with. They can do the big vision and the tactical deliverables, but this middle section that creates the organisational goals, the 1-3 year strategy, is often the most difficult one. 

First and foremost, this is the step that creates clarity around the way you deliver your strategy so start with these questions:

  • What markets will you operate in?
  • What products will you deliver?
  • How will you deliver it operationally?
  • How will you serve your customers?
  • Where will you recruit or attract talent?
  • What is your people plan/development plan?
  • What are your growth targets and how will you achieve them?
  • How will you raise investment?

At this point, you are looking at how you do business, and what you need to stop, start or continue doing. What you need now is a practical strategic plan which can be done straightforwardly in 3 steps:

  • Your long-term vision - Your long-term vision will tell you what you will deliver in the long run. But in a fast-changing environment, is a 10-year vision feasible? Not to mention that working on something that will deliver results ten years from now might make people lose their focus, enthusiasm and motivation. So how about a 3-year plan instead? How about What results do I want to build for my business in the next three years? Once you have established your WHAT in the long run, let’s narrow that down. 
  • A mid-term goal - To make your vision even more achievable, you will have to create mid-term, practical goals. This will boost the motivation I mentioned above and help you make noticeable progress.  The mid-term goals will depend on the plan that you create for your business: whether you decide on a 3-year plan and create 3 mid-term goals, or you decide on a 5-year plan and create 5 mid-term goals, the point is to establish goals to make progress. Although the start might be a bit slower, you will learn from mistakes and adapt. Remember to focus on one goal at a time and narrow that goal down too. 
  • The short-term milestones - Your mid-term goals will get you one step closer to accomplishing your vision but your task now is to simplify those goals into daily or short-term steps. Divide your plan into 52 weekly steps or even daily if it’s easier for you and your team to keep track and realise. This way you will keep everyone motivated. 

Remember! These three simple steps will keep the right balance between motivation and logic but they must be implemented simultaneously to maintain focus and eliminate the obstacles that are preventing you from getting results.

Once you have designed this three-step plan, start planning it using a strategic plan template, but make sure it’s written down, otherwise it’s difficult to implement the ideas. Finally, communicate your plan and align your teams, functions and individual goals to the overarching objectives. This brings you to the tactical stage. 

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