Putting it in Writing

There is no formula for how a written strategy should be presented--every organization is different

When planning your strategy, it can be useful to write your ideas down. The discipline of producing a written, well-reasoned document helps to focus your mid on the questions you need to address and produces a record against which you can check your progress. It also allows others to scrutinize the strategy, which can be very helpful--if you ask a few trusted and knowledgeable colleagues for their opinions, they will often see things form a different perspective and may unlock new possibilities that hadn't occurred to you.

There is no formula for how a written strategy should be presented--every organization is different--but there are a few key points that it should address. Make sure that what you write is both believable and motivational in tone. Some tips on preparing a written strategy include:

• Describe what your organization does.
• Set out what the future world you will face looks like.
• Describe your sustainable competitive advantage.
• State why you will be in a strong position compared with your competitors.
• Define milestones of achievement, so you can monitor your progress.

ACTION POINT: Clarify your strategy by committing it to writing.