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Book at a Glance
In ‘The Strategy Implementation Gap: A Guide for Executives to Successful Strategy Implementation through Project Delivery’, James Bawtree and Michael Young provide a comprehensive approach for executives to bridge the gap between strategic intent and project activities. The book emphasizes the importance of aligning people, processes, and projects to achieve sustainable and effective outcomes.
The strategy implementation gap is the disconnect between the development of winning strategies and their actual implementation in the organisation. This gap occurs as strategies commonly fall into the trap of being vague, poorly articulated and non-actionable, making it is hard to connect activities to the strategy’s objectives. Many executives have a gap in knowledge in strategy implementation as a disciplined process leading to difficulties in translating strategic plans into actionable tasks within the organization. In the book, it is argued that this lack of education in strategy implementation is a significant contributor to the strategy implementation gap.
‘The Strategy Implementation Gap’ reflects James Bawtree and Michael Young’s decades of experience in project and program management, presenting insights valuable for leaders who aim to enhance their execution capabilities and deliver strategic goals efficiently.
Book Highlights
‘The Strategy Implementation Gap’ emphasises the rapidly changing business environment that organisations operate in today. Therefore, strategic plans should be adaptable and be developed with agile strategic implementation in mind. This becomes difficult when planning and implementation is separated, with those responsible for delivering the strategy not being a part of the planning process. It requires a simultaneous view for successful strategic outcomes to be achieved, planning affects implementation and vice versa.
Read more about how strategy can be adaptable with fixed and variable elements in ‘The Strategy Implementation Gap’.
The 5 Principles of the Strategy Implementation Delivery Framework
Successful strategy implementation uses the 5 principles of Purpose, People, Practice, Platform, and Performance within the framework. Following these 5 principles ensures a holistic approach to strategy implementation, leading to successful outcomes.
PURPOSE is the question of ‘why’ an organization exists and what it aims to achieve. It serves as the guiding principle that shapes the organization’s strategic objectives. Businesses tend to leave out the true purpose of their organisation when detailing their strategic plan which evidently leads to the strategy implementation gap. For a strategy to be successfully implemented, the organisation’s purpose must be clearly defined and communicated. This ensures that all strategic actions are aligned with the organization’s overarching goals, which decreases the strategy implementation gap.
PEOPLE focuses on organisational culture. For a strategy to be successful, the values of the employees should align with the organization’s purpose. This creates a unified and motivated workforce that drives the organization towards its goals. When the employees’ values resonate with the organization’s purpose, it fosters a sense of belonging and commitment among the employees. This creates a conducive environment for the successful implementation of the strategy.
PRACTICE is the skills and experiences needed to accomplish tasks. It is the processes to “getting stuff done”. In terms of strategy implementation, it is essential to be aware of what requirements need to be met to achieve successful strategy implementation.
PLATFORM involves determining the kind of information that is crucial for the organization’s operations and how this information should be managed for optimal efficiency. It is important to use the right tools and software applications to carry out work. The emphasis should not be on the specific technology used, but on how the technology is used to manage information effectively.
PERFORMANCE is another critical principle of strategy implementation. It refers to the effectiveness and efficiency with which an organization achieves its strategic goals. It is about the right people doing the right things in the right way to achieve the right results. This involves measuring the current environment before making any changes, which allows you to validate the measurable difference of any changes you do make. When measuring performance, it is recommended to use these three metrics: organisational, team, and individual. Measure things that have happened but do not forget to also look to the future.
This means using both lead-based metrics and lag-based metrics. By doing this, the organization can translate its strategic vision into operational reality. This involves ensuring that the organization’s practices align with its strategic goals, and that it has the necessary capabilities and resources in place to execute its strategy effectively.
Planning for Implementation
The book discusses crucial aspects of implementation and best practice to ensure an organisation’s goals are realised in delivery. Such as creating a program logic which ensures all initiatives funded and resourced contribute to achieving the organisation’s strategy. Mapping the relationship between resources and activities to changes and goals can resolve the superficial alignment of an initiative to desired outcomes, and confusion of the delivery teams. It also acts as a tool for planning evaluation with elements of the program hierarchy revealing what should be measured.
Another element is the development of a business case to justify the investment of resources which should follow on output from the proposal. The book suggests a three-phase approach: strategic outline case which is expanded upon in the outline business case and ending with a detailed business case. Most notably, business cases are highlighted as more than a single use document produced before kick-off but a measure for the initiative’s continued justification.
In addition, the book covers extensively on governance and its importance to effective strategic implementation. These elements not only improve efficiency but also ensure that strategic initiatives are carried out effectively and sustainably.
Key Role of Project Sponsors
This book also discusses several critical topics that are particularly relevant for project sponsors. It provides practical advice on the optimal number of programs a sponsor can manage, ensuring they are not overextended and can maintain effective oversight. It is recognised that program sponsorship is a role that needs to be taught particularly if the executive had little program management experience to ensure they can fulfil their role in governance required.
In addition to that, it gives you the knowledge on what it takes to build a successful implementation team, highlighting the importance of assembling a group with the right skills, dedication, and alignment with strategic goals. Furthermore, it emphasies the golden rules of leadership, which are essential for project sponsors to inspire and lead their teams effectively.
These insights help sponsors create a productive environment and drive strategic initiatives to successful completion, making the book an invaluable resource for those looking to improve their ability to provide guidance and direction to implementation teams.
Final Thoughts
‘The Strategy Implementation Gap’ offers transformative benefits for executives and project sponsors by enhancing their strategic implementation efforts. By incorporating practical advice, research from knowledge experts and proven frameworks, the book provides actionable insights that bridge the gap between strategic plans and successful execution. Complex concepts dealing with defining and aligning business objectives, leadership, embedding project/program discipline, and delivering through proven approaches are broken down to be easily understood and applied with a focus on best practices to ensure readers receive real benefits from leveraging the book’s insights.
Executives need to be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to effectively oversee and deliver projects and programs. For this to happen, it is imperative that tertiary education and training courses incorporate the concept of strategy implementation into their learning objectives.
Educators and trainers should emphasise not only the importance of developing good strategies but also the criticality of understanding how to effectively execute these strategies to facilitate organizational change.
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