End-to-End Strategy Process- from Thought to Implementation: Global Manufacturer
The Situation
The corporate centre of a global multi division company wished to develop for the first time a 3 year strategy and implement this, embedding a process they could repeat each year. The organisation's main focus was on corporate finance and it had been operating in increasingly specialised silos. Each department had already developed a proposed strategy
The Approach
Building on the work already done, we focused on proving then integrating the bottom up strategies with the top down plans of the leadership team. We designed an initial workshop to prioritise the initiatives and develop the 3 year plan. For each of the first year’s projects we developed project plans and benefits cases. At a follow on workshop we integrated the projects into a programme plan that the leadership signed up to. We kicked off implementation with the appointment and training of the client’s programme director. As part of this, projects were built into annual performance targets and the budget. Leadership development focused on defining the accountabilities and purpose of the leadership team versus departmental business or the role of the president.
The Outcome
The role of the leadership team has evolved from co-ordinating loosely connected specialists into a coherent decision making team with collective and individual accountabilities. The corporate centre has a 3 year strategy, allowing focus to return to business as usual and implementation of the initial steps. Many “pet project” initiatives that had been wasting time and effort were proved to be uneconomic and killed off in a transparent way. Since then we have reprised the 3 year strategy on 4 occasions, each time adapting the process to emerging client requirements and the capability that has been developed internally. Most recently we have been making the switch to a rolling 3 year strategy that is adapted annually.
The corporate centre of a global multi division company wished to develop for the first time a 3 year strategy and implement this, embedding a process they could repeat each year. The organisation's main focus was on corporate finance and it had been operating in increasingly specialised silos. Each department had already developed a proposed strategy
The Approach
Building on the work already done, we focused on proving then integrating the bottom up strategies with the top down plans of the leadership team. We designed an initial workshop to prioritise the initiatives and develop the 3 year plan. For each of the first year’s projects we developed project plans and benefits cases. At a follow on workshop we integrated the projects into a programme plan that the leadership signed up to. We kicked off implementation with the appointment and training of the client’s programme director. As part of this, projects were built into annual performance targets and the budget. Leadership development focused on defining the accountabilities and purpose of the leadership team versus departmental business or the role of the president.
The Outcome
The role of the leadership team has evolved from co-ordinating loosely connected specialists into a coherent decision making team with collective and individual accountabilities. The corporate centre has a 3 year strategy, allowing focus to return to business as usual and implementation of the initial steps. Many “pet project” initiatives that had been wasting time and effort were proved to be uneconomic and killed off in a transparent way. Since then we have reprised the 3 year strategy on 4 occasions, each time adapting the process to emerging client requirements and the capability that has been developed internally. Most recently we have been making the switch to a rolling 3 year strategy that is adapted annually.
