Three Stages of Strategy Implementation

Have you ever wondered why 90% of strategic plans never get implemented? Here are three possible reasons:

1.The plan is too big. It’s common for strategic plans to be 20 – 50 pages or even more. Plans that take an hour or more to read go straight to the bottom drawer never again to see the light of day.

2. You didn’t write it. If the words aren’t yours or you didn’t contribute to writing the plan, then it’s hard to muster energy or interest. It’s another reason to leave the plan on the shelf gathering dust.

3. It’s still in your head. If the plan is still primarily in your head, even if supported by random notes on the backs of envelopes, on crumpled serviettes or on your iPad, your strategy can get jumbled.

Whatever the reason, unimplemented plans limit your personal and/or organisational potential. Having a plan is not enough. Dwight Eisenhower famously said “Plans are nothing – planning is everything”. Without a living breathing implementation process your strategic plan, no matter how worthy, will be stuck in the day-to-day mire.

If you have an unimplemented strategic plan or no plan at all, the TES™ three stage strategic implementation process can help.


TES| Strategic Implementation Process

Stage I: Translate | Translate what you have in your bottom drawer, on the shelf or in your head into a doable VeSPA™ one page plan

- Gather and collate existing plans, past plans, everything relevant

- Plan the implementation kick off meeting with a facilitator

- Invite cross-functional stakeholders from CEO to shop floor

- Develop the focusing question

- Translate current vision, mission, values, goals etc into a one page high level plan

- Get buy-in from cross functional leaders and other key influencers for the high level plan

Stage II: Execute | Execute the one page by developing plan collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders
using the QUEST™ Change Facilitation Toolkit

- Run the kick off meeting

- Develop prioritized project plans

- Run first project meetings at kick off meeting

Stage III: Sustain | Sustain the planning process with VITAL™ dynamic project meetings

- Run regular cross functional project meetings

- Run regular champion review meetings

- Celebrate and give recognition for achievements


The TES strategic implementation process is invaluable for organisations of all sizes and a variety of purpose | Business [SME, Corporate, Micro-Business] | Community [NGO, Local Gov, Gov, Associations]