What is the vision of your company? How are you going to get there?

Every organization, no matter how large or small, must have a vision that motivates the organization to take the right actions to achieve those long term goals.  Once you have a vision you then need a plan of how to achieve the vision, and the roadmap that gets you from where you are to that vision is what we call a strategic framework.

A strategic framework is a planning process to assist you in answering all the critical questions.

• Why do we exist?
• Where are we going?
• How are we going to get there?
• What is our strategic plan?
• What kind of culture will we need to achieve this vision we have?
• What is the best way to structure the organization?
• What executive roles do we need and how do we hold them accountable?
• What short-term goals do we have?
• What is our operational plan?
• How will we measure our success?

The strategic framework is a customized planning process that gives you a common language of terms, provides a focused direction and aligns activities to maximize effectiveness and efficiency. While there are several models we recommend depending on the size of the company, here are the common elements of success in customizing a strategic framework for a company.

A Strategic Framework Typically Includes:

• Mission Statement – Why we exist
• Vision Statement – Where we are going and what the future will be
• Strategy – How we will achieve the vision
• Objectives  - What each line of business/function must do
• Measurement/Scorecard – Indicators of success
• Individual activities/targets – Connecting employee performance to company success