About Strategic Implementation
New strategies begin with innovation. These ideas are generated into concepts or theories, and from there a strategy is born. Strategies have a life cycle from development to implementation, and while these phases feed into one another, strategic implementation is a much different process than strategic development. Strategic implementation is the active process of accomplishing a targeted strategic objective by putting the strategy into effect.
Other People Are Reading
-
Preparing
-
According to the 2008 issue of "Strategic Implementation - Research Starters Business," Heather Beckham discusses the complexity involved with strategic implementation, specifying that implementation strategies are evolutionary processes that can be time-consuming and utilize a significant amount of resources. As such, Beckham identifies flexibility as one of the key characteristics to leading a strategic implementation process. Since even the most prepared plans can go awry, it is imperative that strategic teams easily adapt to unanticipated changes.
Work Breakdown Structure
-
Strategic implementation begins by charting a work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure is a chart that, as the title suggests, breaks down the work for the implementation process. Work breakdown structures utilize a hierarchical format of tasks and actions, with subcategories beneath each phase of the implementation process. These structures are designed so the strategic team can maintain order and organization when it comes to making sure no steps are forgotten, and what tasks need to be accomplished next. Staying on track will allow the implementation process to run smoothly.
-
Implementation Schedule
-
Once the work breakdown structure is drawn, the project team will develop an implementation schedule to outline what tasks will be delivered, and when. The implementation schedule will identify and define the major phases of the project's life cycle that need to be executed to achieve the desired objective, as well as be developed in a logical sequence of events that track the project from start to finish. Sometimes, a Gantt chart will be used as a visual aid for the implementation schedule. Gantt charts are bar charts that illustrate a project schedule, and usually identify the duration, in days, to depict the time frame in which the various project tasks are to be completed. Gantt charts are critical for keeping tasks on target with projected completion dates.
Resources
-
Strategic implementation processes identify the financial and non-financial resources that will need to be allocated throughout the various stages of the project's life cycle. Non-financial resources include things such as staff skills, equipment and technology. Financial resources are related to budgets. Once resources are identified, the project team will determine whether or not the resources are available internally. An outline will be drawn to strategize the management and acquisition of the resources for the required duration. At times, it will be necessary to purchase a resource externally.
Evaluation Methodology
-
Evaluation methodology is an important part of the strategic implementation process. This process explains how the team will know when the objective has been met, and what the method will be for measuring it. Project teams will normally create, and track, milestones to measure the project's accomplishments and/or setbacks, which gets captured by a series of performance indicators.
-
References
- Photo Credit chart image by DXfoto.com from Fotolia.com
