An organization without a clear, well communicated strategy is like a boat with no rudder, drifting. It will end up somewhere, but probably not where it needs to be. And without execution, the best strategy is merely a dream.

Ready About can help your company turn strategy into reality by helping your IT and other teams build action plans with clear deliverables – results. We approach strategy development with a deep dive into your organization and its culture, operations, markets and competitors, then work with you and your team on a set of critical steps:

Set the Stage: Identify stakeholders – project sponsors, participants, customers, partners – whoever needs to contribute or may benefit. Clarify project goals; often the perceived problems are merely symptoms of what the organization truly needs.

Clarify Vision & Mission: Vision is what we want to be, where we want to go – the North Star. Mission is what we do to get there. Google’s often-quoted vision is “to provide access to the world’s information in one click.” Its mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” It’s a subtle distinction but important.

Create Goals & Objectives: What steps do we need to take to pursue the vision and mission? These could include revamping business processes, restructuring the organization, acquiring new people or skills, developing new products, acquiring new technology, etc.

Develop an Action Plan: For a strategy to be more than just a thought exercise, it needs to be accompanied by a road map with tasks, timelines, and accountability, as well as metrics that can gauge whether the new strategy and supporting actions are delivering the desired outcome.

Build Engagement: Successful strategies and strategic change can’t just be forced on people. Employees and other stakeholders should be involved early and the need and scope of change must be communicated often in order to take full advantage of everyone’s ideas and commitment.