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Published in PM World Today November 2008 (Vol X, Issue XI)

PM World Todayis a free monthly eJournal - Subscriptions available at http://www.pmworldtoday.net Page 1

PM WORLD TODAY PM TIPS & TECHNIQUES NOVEMBER 2008

Implem ent Your St ra t egy Succ ess fu l ly

By: Bill Birnbaum, CMC

When it comes to implementing strategy, project management professionals have a significant

advantage. For the skills and the discipline inherent in project management are directly

applicable to implementing strategy.

Its unfortunate that too many managers finish their strategy sessions, and only then consider

the question of implementation. Clearly this is a mistake. By waiting until after their strategy

sessions, they miss earlier opportunities to encourage successful implementation.

Project management professionals know not to commit this error. They realize that toencourage successful implementation of their strategy, they should take specific steps before,

during and after their strategy sessions.

BEFORE YOUR STRATEGY SESSIONS...

Prior to your strategy sessions, you have the opportunity to lay the groundwork for successful

strategy implementation. Here are your specific steps

Demonstrate Senior Management Commitment. If senior management isnt committed to

the strategic planning process, neither will anyone else be. Senior managers must demonstrate

their commitment, not just by word, but by deed as well. They must devote their own time tothe planning process. And also demonstrate readiness to allocate the necessary resources to

the resultant strategies.

Select the "right" planning team members. The members of your planning team will come

from the ranks of top management likely your key functional managers. This brings the

expertise necessary to develop the plan and also allows the necessary immediate strategic

decisions. And just as important, it builds ownership among the key managers who will later

direct implementation of the resultant strategies.

Gather the "right" pre-planning information. Gather not just the obvious financial data. Also

gather information about your customers and the benefits they seek in purchasing yourproducts and services. Why they buy. Why they don't. And information about your

competition. Their strengths and weaknesses. And how their offering compares to yours.

Successful strategies follow from your management team's full appreciation of your enterprise

and its relationship to its marketplace. You need to go well beyond the data. Gather

information to build and maintain your planning teams knowledge and to encourage strategic

thought.

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Solicit input from your employees. Get your employees involved in the planning process.

Use a survey to "flush up" issues important to them. Their participation will build their

commitment. Employees having the opportunity to participate in their company's strategic

plan feel "a part" of that plan. They're committed to the success of the plan; and the successfulimplementation of the strategies within the plan. At his company's strategic planning retreat,

the Vice- President of Marketing for one of our client companies remarked, "The managers in

our marketing department are eager to see this plan. They've provided much of the initial

input for this session, so they're looking forward to learning of, and implementing, the

resultant strategies."

DURING YOUR STRATEGY SESSIONS...

At your strategy sessions, you and your planning team will develop each of the elements of

your strategic plan. During those sessions, youll again find opportunities to encourage

successful strategy implementation. Specific steps for doing so include

Encourage participation. Work toward rich, lively discussion on all issues. Solicit input from

the more hesitant, and, if necessary, temper the more domineering individuals. To do so, you

must be sure the facilitator of your sessions has not only expertise in the planning process, but

also, skill in handling the planning team's interpersonal dynamics.

Develop objectives which you can track with your current reporting system. You'll be busy

enough implementing your plan; you don't want to pioneer a new reporting system at the

same time. Yes, once in a while particularly for an outside the box strategy youll need

to invent some new measurement. But try to keep such inventions to a minimum.

Develop a "balanced" list of objectives. Resist the tendency to set all of your objectives in

the areas of finance and marketing. Make sure that at least one of your objectives is in the area

of human resources. Far more of your employees care about human resource issues than about

profit or sales volume. Having one or two human resource objectives, you can successfully

respond when an employee asks "What's in it for me?"

Develop strategies built on your company's strengths. If you're strong in marketing, you'll do

best by promoting your way to success. If you're good at product development, you'd best

invent your way to growth. Dont select a strategy just because it's currently popular or

because it worked well for another firm. For a strategy to work well for you, it must be based

on your company's strengths.

Consider available resources. Youll need to estimate the resources required to implement

each strategy. Be especially careful about over-committing those resources particularly

peoples time. There's a fine line between challenge, which encourages implementation; and

over-commitment, which discourages implementation. Be careful.

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Develop a built-in monitoring system. Have a key manager accept responsibility for

implementing each strategy. That manager's name, along with a due date for completion, then

becomes a part of your strategy statement. Including a name and a due date along with the

strategy aids in monitoring the strategy's implementation. It also assures that a key manager"owns" each strategy.

AFTER YOUR STRATEGY SESSIONS...

Following development of your strategies, youll have additional opportunities to encourage

implementation

Communicate your strategy. Tell your employees of your strategy. Especially those

employees who will help with your strategys implementation. As you conclude your strategy

sessions, ask this closing question of your planning team: "Now that we've developed our

strategic plan, how should we communicate it to our employees?"

Link your strategic plan to your operational plan. Ask each manager responsible for a

specific strategy to take that strategy back to his or her department. And there, ask those

employees who will implement the strategy to develop detailed tactics. Ask them to assign

responsibility for each tactic; to set due dates; to project required resources. Peter Drucker

wisely said, Nothing happens until we reduce strategy to work. Implementing strategy is

work. Youll do well to manage it as such.

Monitor your progress quarterly. Youve perhaps heard the saying, If you dont measure it,

it wont happen. This certainly applies to implementing strategy. With a quarterly

monitoring system, youll be well aware of your implementation progress and any associatedproblems. And during your quarterly monitoring meetings, you can consider your options for

getting a wayward strategy back on track.

Fine tune the process. Watch for opportunities to improve your planning process. This will

help with implementation of your strategies in later years. At the third quarterly review of

your strategic plan, take a little extra time to discuss the planning process. To look back on

your strategy sessions. Ask, "What went well?" and "What didn't go so well?" and "What

changes might we make to improve the process next time around?" Explore any and all

suggestions to fine tune your planning process so it brings continuous improvement to both

your strategy development and your strategy implementation.

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About the Author:

Bi l l B i rnbau m

Author

Bill Birnbaum, CMC, is President of Birnbaum Associates, business strategyconsultants. He helps clients develop a shared strategic vision, and then turn

that vision into a sound business strategy. Bill has served on the board of

directors for three high growth corporations. He's taught strategy courses

for the American Management Association and authored St r a te g i c Th ink ing : A Four P iece Puzz le . His book is available through book stores

and on-line book sellers. His website contains informative articles on

strategic thinking, on business strategy and on economic trends affecting

business: http://www.BirnbaumAssociates.com/

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Birnbaum-11-08