The business world is full of uncertain events, and a typical example is the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its grave economic effects. That’s why a strategic framework is essential for business success. It helps businesses determine the right direction to grow based on a particular vision and can be an effective way to steer the different parts of your business toward a common goal. Here are some tips to help you improve your business’s strategy and framework.
Assess the business’s current situation.
The first step to begin a business’s strategic planning process is to assess its current situation. What’s the current market size? Which value proposition is the business running in? And what are the common issues plaguing the business the most? These are a few questions to ask in assessing a business’s current situation, and it’s important to leverage data in answering these questions and not resort to guesswork.
Analytics from digital platforms can be a great option if your business has a consistent online presence. If not, it’s never too late to build a digital presence. You can start with a reliable web platform with the best features to play the part. Luckily, getting these services has become easier now more than ever. A quick Google query for “VPS hosting in Canada” can lead you to several virtual private server packages to help build your website if you’re in Canada.
Hire qualified consultants.
After identifying your current situation and specific needs, the next logical step is to develop your goal. The previous stage gives you a well-rounded view of your business, from its strengths to vulnerabilities. In setting your strategic framework’s goals and objectives, ensure to onboard the right people. Goal setting can be technical, and you need professionals with years of experience and background in areas like threat management and corporate risk management to provide the needed technical support. Not just any business professional can take charge of this task.
The reputation of these professionals can ramp up your stakeholders’ confidence in your new framework, and you can also streamline your strategic framework efforts by consulting according to your technical expertise needs. For instance, if your business has seen potential threats from cybercriminals, the best people needed to improve in such areas are cybersecurity professionals. The ultimate objective is to build your models, projections, and strategies with tried-and-tested insights.
Compare strategic framework models.
There are several strategic framework models you can choose for your project, and popular model options include McKinsey’s strategic horizons, value disciplines, and the stakeholder theory. Each model option is built on specific parameters that may work better for certain businesses than others. McKinsey’s model, for example, focuses on growth and innovation by deconstructing a business’s future into three categories: core, emerging, and entirely new businesses.
The value-disciplines model requires small businesses to focus on one major value for which they want to be famous. It can be customer service, operational efficiency, or something else. The best way to make a great choice is to compare these plans considering your business’s past, present, and future. Your current situation analysis can be of significant help here. You can leverage such insights to better understand which strategic model can churn the best ROI.
Develop expected outputs.
Strategic framework planning can take a lot of time, and it’s easy to get lost in the process. Develop expected outputs and indicators to help you track your progress during the entire process. These indicators can apply even after adopting the strategic framework. Ensure to communicate expected outputs to core stakeholders involved in planning and executing the framework. You can avoid several resource-dragging issues if all stakeholders are on the same page.
All in all, deploying strategic frameworks to guide an organization is an unending process. It pays to consistently measure and evaluate results to guarantee business continuity.