Is Your Strategic Plan Working for You? Here’s How to Tell.

How well do you think your organization’s strategic plan is working? I’d like to share some key questions you should ask yourself in order to fully assess your plan. Looking at these 4 elements, you can evaluate your strategy and, if needed, take evasive action on your path, to achieve greater success.

1. Do you know the 4-5 things you should be working on over the next 12 months? Looking at the big picture and then zooming in, you should be able to easily identify these items; they will be the top 4-5 most obvious goals that you know you must achieve as you drive toward your long-term plan. Simply starting by asking this will help you immediately identify if you’re on track, or if you need to reassess and move the needle because of circumstantial changes—anything from new technologies to turnover to market changes might be steering your plan, for better or for worse, in a new direction.

2. Do you have quarterly goals? Once you’ve gauged your overall plan by identifying where you stand with your top targets, set quarterly goals to keep your organization driving toward those marks. The best way to determine progress is to then meet with your leadership team every quarter to review these goals and take a look at whether you’ve hit or missed the targets. This is your chance to make sure the short-term goals are steadily moving toward that long-term plan.

3. Are you in alignment to meet your goals? Consider how to link your operations (short-term plans) to your strategy (long-range vision). Have you structured your company’s budget/resources around all of the key components of your strategy? There should be direct links between how your resources are allocated and how those efforts support your strategy. Areas that contribute more, and less, directly to your strategic goals will become clearer, and over time, you can work on aligning everything in your budget. Even if you’ve only budgeted for a single fiscal year, think about how you’ll align your strategy to future endeavors and projects that are out there on the horizon.

Have you discussed your organizational goals in the last 7 days? Make sure you’re having weekly leadership meetings to review key performance indicators for your business and how these affect your strategic plan. Everyone should share important updates and go over their team’s progress to date, such as milestones or upcoming events. Raise questions and identify concerns, assessing potential roadblocks or challenges—then prioritize any issues to resolve. Make sure leadership agrees on next steps, and be ready to share results and progress again the following week. A weekly meeting will keep key players accountable, put everyone on the same page, and help you navigate those shorter in-roads that lead to the long stretch of highway that is your strategic plan.