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    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook
    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook
    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook
    Ebook126 pages46 minutes

    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook

    By Ronald Recardo and Tim Toterhi

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    About this ebook

    Any undergrad business major can intuitively point to the need for strategic planning. Organizations have limited resources, so establishing a plan for what needs to be done, by who, and when given a series of internal and external realities and constraints only makes sense if goals are to be achieved and stakeholders satisfied.

    Despite its importance however, few companies have cracked the code on strategic planning. For many, the process is akin to a black hole. Meetings occur, informal discussions take place, and then, somehow, magic happens – a three ring binder appears, supposedly summarizing the decisions agreed to by the leadership team. Unfortunately, that’s typically where the magic ends. More often than not, the document is rarely reviewed, seldom consulted, and is left to languish on a credenza till next year.

    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook is a book to end the madness.

    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning provides readers with a practical, comprehensive playbook for creating a strategic plan. Each phase of the process – Environmental Assessment, Internal Capabilities Assessment, Strategy Development, and Strategy Deployment – is described in real-world, practitionare language. Easy-to-follow process maps are provided for each phase with descriptions of specific tasks required to complete them.

    Most books on this topic focus solely on theoretical frameworks and conceptual models, take a purely academic view of the subject, or rely on an approach endorsed by a single “ideal company”. While this has some value, generic models and classroom inspired case studies rarely hold up to the rigors of the real world. And though it’s true that some companies have obtained success in strategic planning, there is no guarantee that their approach will work for your organization – there is no sliver bullet!

    What makes Fast Cycle Strategic Planning unique is that it was written by seasoned practitioners who have applied the tools in a variety of real-world, corporate settings. In addition, the methodology is scalable to different sized organizations. The content is not a repackaging of materials already in the public domain but represents new thought leadership. The playbook was developed from research projects The Catalyst Consulting Group, LLC has sponsored on strategy development and execution, includes strategic planning best practices, and incorporates learning’s from the over 200 client companies our consultants have worked with over the years.

    Regardless of your company’s size, complexity, offering portfolio, or geographic scope, Fast Cycle Strategic Planning will help your organization analyze its external environment, reach consensus on your sources of competitive advantage, identify a business strategy, and execute it seamlessly.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRonald Recardo
    Release dateOct 17, 2013
    ISBN9780986064616
    Fast Cycle Strategic Planning: An Applied Playbook
    Author

    Ronald Recardo

    Work History:Managing Partner: The Catalyst Consulting Group, LLCVice President: Fidelity InvestmentsDirector: Johnson & JohnsonStrategy & Change Consultant: Arthur Anderson & CoEducation:Harvard University: Executive program on Human Capital ManagementUniversity of Southern California: Executive Program on Organization DesignUniversity of Hartford: Masters Degree in Organization BehaviorUniversity of Maine: MBASouthern Connecticut State University: BS Bio Chemistry

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      Book preview

      Fast Cycle Strategic Planning - Ronald Recardo

      Fast Cycle Strategic Planning:

      An Applied Playbook

      BY

      Ronald J. Recardo and Tim Toterhi

      Copyright © 2013 by Ronald J. Recardo and Tim Toterhi

      Smashwords Edition

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      WHY FAST CYCLE STRATEGIC PLANNING?

      WHY STRATEGIC PLANNING FAILS?

      AN OVERVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY

      ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

      PHASE 1: ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

      PURPOSE

      TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES

      WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE

      ACTIVITY 1.1: COMPLETE COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

      ACTIVITY 1.2: COMPLETE CUSTOMER ASSESSMENT

      ACTIVITY 1.3: COMPLETE INDUSTRY ASSESSMENT

      ACTIVITY 1.4: COMPLETE SUPPLIER ASSESSMENT

      ACTIVITY 1.5: COMPLETE GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS

      ACTIVITY 1.6: COMPLETE STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

      ACTIVITY 1.7: COMPLETE ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC ANAYLSIS

      ACTIVITY 1.8: IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES

      ACTIVITY 1.9: IDENTIFY THREATS

      ACTIVITY 1.10: DETERMINE KEY SUCCESS FACTORS

      PHASE 2: INTERNAL CAPABILITIES ANALYSIS

      PURPOSE

      TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES

      WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE

      ACTIVITY 2.1: ASSESS TECHNOLOGY ARCHITECTURE

      ACTIVITY 2.2: ASSESS ORGANIZATION ARCHITECTURE

      ACTIVITY 2.3: ASSESS PROCESS ARCHITECTURE

      ACTIVITY 2.4: COMPLETE FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS

      ACTIVITY 2.5: IDENTIFY STRENGTHS

      ACTIVITY 2.6: IDENTIFY WEAKNESSSES

      ACTIVITY 2.7: IDENTIFY SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

      PHASE 3: STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

      PURPOSE

      TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES

      WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE

      ACTIVITY 3.1: DEVELOP OR UPDATE VISION (SITUATIONAL)

      ACTIVITY 3.2: DEVELOP OR UPDATE MISSION (SITUATIONAL)

      ACTIVITY 3.3: DETERMINE PLANNING HORIZON

      ACTIVITY 3.4: DEVELOP BUSINESS STRATEGY

      ACTIVITY 3.5: IDENTIFY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

      ACTIVITY 3.6: CREATE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN

      ACTIVITY 3.7: CREATE BALANCED SCORECARD

      PHASE 4: STRATEGY DEPLOYMENT

      PURPOSE

      TOOLS AND DELIVERABLES

      WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE

      ACTIVITY 4.1: DEVELOP CONTINGENCY PLANS

      ACTIVITY 4.2: ALIGN BUSINESS PLAN TO RELATED SYSTEMS OR PROCESSES

      ACTIVITY 4.3 ALIGN CULTURE TO BUSINESS PLAN

      ACTIVITY 4.4: ALIGN HR PRACTICES

      ACTIVITY 4.5: DEVELOP PMO FOR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

      ACTIVITY 4.6: ALIGN BUSINESS MODEL

      ACTIVITY 4.7: PERIODICALLY MONITOR PROGRESS

      NEXT STEPS

      GLOSSARY

      ABOUT THE AUTHORS

      INTRODUCTION

      There is a trend in business today – a tendency to value style over substance, to promote political savvy over actual innovation – in short, to play it safe and stick to the surface. Unfortunately, given the rise of global competition and increase organizational complexity, it’s no longer acceptable to tolerate mediocre talent, incremental improvements or halfhearted attempts at success. Shareholders and stakeholders alike expect and demand more from companies and the business leaders they entrust to get the job done.

      The Fast Cycle Strategic Planning book represents the first offering in the Catalyst Leadership Series with coming titles to include:

      • Human Resources transformation

      • Culture Change

      • Process Reengineering

      • Process Design

      • Performance Measurement

      This book takes aim at the often lackluster approach to business fundamentals by providing a no holds bared commentary on the core accountabilities of corporate leaders. The series provides a realistic, practitioner-oriented approach to business fundamentals along with the tools to help you get the job done. Whether you’re a seasoned C-suite executive or a corporate newbie with a desire to make a difference, this series will help you improve performance while building hard to acquire internal capability.

      WHY FAST CYCLE STRATEGIC PLANNING?

      Most books on this topic focus solely on theoretical frameworks and conceptual models, take a purely academic view of the subject, or rely on an approach endorsed by a single ideal company. While this has some value, generic models and classroom inspired case studies rarely hold up to the rigors of the real world. And though it’s true that some companies have obtained success in strategic planning, there is no guarantee that their approach will work for your organization – there is no sliver bullet!

      Many business leaders have learned the hard way that simply bolting on another company’s approach to a problem can be a costly, time consuming and often a fruitless endeavor. Just look at the waste, frustration and negative

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