In strategy, the gap between your desired performance and actual performance is called a strategy gap. Yet, according to Forbes magazine (“Why Strategies Fail” 30 Nov 2011), many businesses don’t even have a strategic plan — the ultimate strategy gap. Still other businesses, Forbes continues, write a plan and then put it on the shelf to collect dust. And, still more lack the time and focus to follow through on the plan.

The ultimate strategy gap occurs for four reasons:

• Existing strategic planning processes are generally too complex. They have many steps that require a great deal of time to complete, and they require experts to execute.
• Using existing strategic planning techniques, it takes too long to develop a plan. So, by the time you’ve made your plan, it’s frequently out-dated.
• Most strategic plans are hefty, long documents. Because of this, they often take an army of staff to manage and act upon them.
• Most strategic plans are difficult to explain. As a result, staff are often confused about what to do and when.

Lean Strategy™ was created to address ultimate strategy gap, particularly for small-to-midsize businesses and start-ups. Over the course of developing and refining Lean Strategy during the last twenty years, our clients have seen that

• Lean Strategy is quick to implement. A typical Lean Strategy takes about 2 weeks to one month to develop, depending upon availability of the client sponsor and participants.
• Lean Strategy is easy to understand. From the Lean Strategy Storyboard to the simple, four-step process, nearly everyone involved understand the concept AND what to do next very easily.
• Lean Strategy produces an actionable plan. Using the Lean Strategy Storyboard and a Lean Kanban or backlog, everyone can quickly get up to speed on the plan and begin executing.
• Finally, because of the above, Lean Strategy yields tangible results quickly. Most organizations show measurable progress toward achieving strategic objectives after one quarter. Typically, they see success impacting their bottom line in about a year.

To inquire about a Lean Strategy engagement, contact Cedar Point Consulting using our online contact form.
To learn more about Lean Strategy, start with the Lean Strategy Process. Or, take the first step — to tune up your strategy.