Translating Strategic Plans into Step-by-Step Results

Results-focused Backplanning is a powerful tool that helps organizations translate their strategic plans into results. Backplanning engages a cross-organizational group to work backwards from the final outcomes to define each earlier result that must be accomplished and built upon to achieve success.

Challenges in strategy execution. Most organizations have a strategy, long-range plans, and detailed work plans. Unfortunately, organizations also have many conflicting priorities and projects behind schedule. Top management may be either too removed from day-to-day operations or too involved in all the details. In addition, much of the “work” people are doing isn’t actually related to achieving the strategic goals but instead is fire-fighting or dealing with politics.

The organizational challenges are compounded by the demands of the new initiatives required to achieve the strategy. Such initiatives usually have a desirable end goal but an uncertain path to achieve them. Many initiatives tend to focus on the most easily defined first steps, while difficult issues are put off to later in the process. As a result, conflicts on priorities, gaps in capabilities or resources, or new requirements for cross-functional coordination are not confronted with sufficient speed. When the expected results don’t materialize, finger pointing and politics often take over, and the strategy slips further into the background.

A more cohesive process. Backplanning transforms the chaotic strategic implementation experience into a cohesive process that is efficient and successful. Backplanning helps organizations shift the focus from what activities seem important today to what truly must be achieved to stay on course and fulfill the strategy. With Backplanning, in order to keep on track to reaching the final targets, distant business goals are translated into the non-negotiable results that must be accomplished in three-month increments. Top management sees clearly which decisions must be made today so that the future strategy can succeed. Quarterly progress is easy to measure with clear accountability across organization boundaries. The process uncovers and addresses faulty assumptions that could derail the strategy early in the process. And, finally, the organization modifies its actions to achieve the critical results.

How Backplanning Compares with Conventional Planning

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