Why do most businesses fail? Is it bad ideas, no skilled workers, or a lack of hard work?
Here’s a brutal truth to reveal to you:
90% of organizations fail to execute their strategies successfully.
That’s right. If you think your business is having execution problems, you’re not alone. But most shocking is the number of businesses who don’t realize there is a solution available and so they fail time and time again.
Business owners understand that long-term business planning is essential in staying competitive. But here’s the real kicker… The companies who are best at it don’t just ‘hope’ for good outcomes. Instead, they plan, measure and are constantly making business strategy adjustments.
A modern business planning tool that provides strategic agility and business visibility changes everything for organizations that are serious about delivering year after year. The companies who focus on better strategic planning and business agility are growing up to 30% faster.
Don’t believe us? Read on…
You’ll learn:
- The Problem That’s Killing Business Strategic Execution
- The Problem With Traditional Planning
- Integrating Your Strategic Plan with Tactical Plans & Projects Strategy Execution
- The Best Strategic Planning Solutions Aren’t Created Equal
The Problem That’s Killing Business Strategic Execution
Let’s set the scene for you and give you a picture of what’s going on behind the closed doors of many organizations right now…
Executive teams spend months planning and then create a big shiny strategic plan. Everyone is excited, informed by the strategic direction, KPIs and tactical plans across the whole organization.
The problem comes in after this. The plan then gets filed (or probably buried in an email thread) and the business returns to business as usual.
This isn’t a case of ‘luck’ or bad leadership. This is a symptom of a problem with how strategic planning and its execution are handled.
If you thought strategic planning used to be a systematic long-term thinking process, where the leader was supported by a team to create, execute and control the strategic path… Think again.
Strategic planning and its execution has evolved a long way from its initial starting point. Technology, along with the future of work and better strategic planning software, will force it to change even more to stay agile and lean.
The Problem With Traditional Planning
The traditional ways of strategic planning, and the processes to execute these plans are no longer fit for purpose.
The once-a-year planning cycle that lives on its own is old, quickly outdated and unused.
Strategic Planning Software Problems include:
- Plans that go into hiding
- Strategies are created and left to wither
- Projects Strategy Execution is difficult to achieve
- Actions and plans are trapped in different systems and apps
- Strategic KPIs and metrics are out of sight and mind
- Strategic priorities in missed as departments are left in silos
The Bottom Line Is This: There Is No Real Link Between Strategic Planning and Its Execution and the Future of Work Requires Holistic Strategic Business Software.
Integrating Your Strategic Plan with Tactical Plans & Projects Strategy Execution
The best planning software these days solves these long-standing problems by:
- Linking the strategic plan to tactical plans and projects
- Linking the actions and strategies to systems and apps
- Linking the strategic KPIs to real-time reporting and dashboards
This integration is critical to future-proofing your business against the fast-paced future of work and changing business environment that is knocking on the door.
Integrated business planning software is a long way from its start, with the best taking business planning to the next level.
The IDEAL Strategic Planning Solutions Aren’t Created Equal
The leading strategic planning software providers recognize that there is a huge need for easy-to-use yet powerful software to improve strategic planning and its execution.
Our choice of the best strategic planning software is Netstock. Netstock provides full integration and an intuitive design that’s a future-proof way of strategic planning and projects strategy execution. They have it all covered, with a 100-day money-back guarantee and their own free 30-day trial.
These tools are strategic game-changers for organizations that are smart enough to use them. But not all strategic planning software is designed equally. Some lack essential capabilities, while others are more project management tools with a fancy new name.
Some of the key differentiators of the best are:
- KPI dashboards that drill down into real-time data
- Scenario planning and simulation tools to plan for the future
- Strategy mapping that connects high-level goals with specific actions
- Resource allocation modules to connect budgets to priorities
The Benefits of a Systematic Approach to Strategic Planning and Execution
One of the main benefits of having better software is that it helps with creating more transparency across the business. Everyone has access to the same system with the latest plan that’s connected to actions and visible reporting.
Leaders are also freed up to focus on the right things, like keeping an eye on strategic objectives and not getting lost in short-term tactical noise.
But it goes even further than that because with these solutions, most of the focus on strategic planning now shifts from strategic execution to more advanced concepts.
This is possible through better integration with the business strategy execution process. This should always start with the action and project plans that link back to the tactical plan(s) that align with the higher-level strategic plan.
Without this connection to actions it’s just a lovely glossy plan with nice KPIs, no-one looking at them and nothing is getting done.
Instead, once the action and project plans are added it becomes possible to control strategic execution with strategic agility software.
Planning With a Smarter Approach
Business planning has a never-ending lifecycle that loops around. Planning, then analyzing and learning, before starting the planning process over again.
Plans, projects, actions and strategies don’t stop just because the planning phase does. Strategic plans software that link back to actions and projects make business planning a never-ending cycle.
When plans are connected to projects and actions and then this links to your planning software. This makes controlling the business and it’s strategic execution a reality.
Holistic Business Strategy Execution Starts With a Software Plan
Achieving business success takes the right plan and access to the right strategic business software.
Looking for a way to plan smarter? The good news is it doesn’t have to be complicated or disruptive to start. Integrating your strategic plan with your projects and actions plan doesn’t have to be difficult and can be a very simple process.
Here are the top 3 steps on how to start moving forward to plan smarter.
Phase 1: Create your Foundation Strategic Plan
Plan smart with these steps:
- Start with Strategic Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
- Next is linked Actions and Projects that are linked to a lower-level Tactical Plan.
- Finally, share your plans with everyone.
Phase 2: Get Teams In The Software Plan
Getting your teams up to speed is easy.
When everyone is connected to their teams, the focus shifts to adding more detail and refining.
Phase 3: Learn More and Plan Better
The software learns from its users and team members.
With access to real-time information and data being automatically fed into the dashboard, more decisions will be based on data instead of instinct.
Planning Smart with Easy-To-Use Strategic Planning Software
It’s easy to implement strategic business software these days.
Take steps to start planning smarter and take control of your strategic plan. Connect actions to projects to a tactical plan that all tie back to the strategic plan with the help of Netstock Strategic Planning Software.
Find out why other companies are getting smarter with their plans with the Netstock free 30-day trial.
Netstock provides full integration strategic planning and projects strategy execution. They also have it all covered, with their own free 30-day trial and a 100-day money-back guarantee.
Start your smarter strategic planning and projects strategy execution with Netstock today.