Why Getting Started with Strategy Deployment helps our clients?
Although Strategy Deployment is a structured and systematic approach, we find that leadership teams can struggle with their first real-world use of it in their organisations. Sometimes this can be down to understanding and interpretation of the concepts, availability of required information or inappropriate use of the tools; for example what is the right level of granularity, how many Strategic Essentials and Critical Objectives is right for us? In other cases the difficulty results from having an inexperienced facilitator or using a leadership team member as the facilitator as well as contributor; in this situation they can struggle with wearing these two hats and retaining objectivity.
Having a launch workshop and shared experience that comes from working together through the approach, is very powerful in aligning a senior management group on the Strategy and how it will be executed. The experience also facilitates deliberation on how success will be measured, translating the Strategic Metrics and KPIs into practical measures at the everyday operational process level.
What is it?
A facilitated workshop session, not a “training course”, that guides a leadership group through the first practical steps in the use of Strategy Deployment (Hoshin Kanri) concepts and the core tools e.g. x-matrix.
How do we do it?
Homework and preparation are key and we expect teams to carry out meaningful activity before the workshop takes place. Discussions on preparation, including content/data required and scheduling of “check-in” conversations before the workshop, would typically begin 3-4 weeks before the event.
Scope for the workshop can range from:
- An introduction to concepts, the x-matrix and finalising the Strategic Essentials/Critical Objectives…which would take a ½ day session
Through to…
- Completing the x-matrix; including identification of Programmes/Initiatives and Projects/Workstreams, together with the correlation scoring and element prioritisation. High-level Chartering of project work streams takes place covering Problem Statements, Goals/Objectives, Business Case and principal resource allocation. A comprehensive workshop taking ≈1-3 days depending on the size of the group, the number of Programmes/Initiatives being considered and the granularity required for the Chartering activities
Up to ≈20 people typically take part in a workshop in a “hands-on” fashion with an experienced guide. Our experience ensures that those taking part progressively learn the approach and take over leading the discussions as the workshop progresses
