To stay ahead of the competition, companies need to systematically build a portfolio of strategic initiatives. Strategic initiatives with defined objective linkages, scopes, descriptions, dates, and deliverables are an excellent start to clearly understanding your strategic project. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A strategic objective is a business need that can be defined in quantifiable and measurable terms. (We respect your privacy). They had documents labeled “strategy” produced by “strategy” meetings; but, they were confusing goal setting and mission statement writing with strategy. In regards to prioritization, I have following links to share: There are many tools and techniques that we can use to analyze a portfolio, create strategies, and rank prioritize them. —"Best for Vets: Colleges," Military Times. The criteria will be finalized in the coming weeks; they will be used as the basis for later choosing strategic initiatives from the set of those nominated. The deans and the strategic planning committees will identify the desired criteria for strategic initiatives. Pingback: How to lead your organization in 2014? ( Log Out / If you are looking how to set strategic priorities as part of your strategic planning process, this webinar will help you write, identify and develop your objectives and strategic priorities. Conduct “backwards mapping” to identify the preconditions necessary to achieve that goal. Recommendation 1: Get clear on the differences between Corporate, Business, and Functional Strategy. His ongoing research has found that eight out of 10 companies … http://spsingh.me/2013/12/15/how-to-prioritise-anything/ Your plan should include the following: An end goal, or what you hope to achieve when the … Strategic initiatives that build links across KU’s schools and campuses are one way to leverage our tremendous disciplinary strengths and to build such broad communities of scholars. The document had passed by the eyes of a well-know consulting firm (Bain) and the graphic had been was posted across KoltoKan’s many facilities. Follow the “Verb + Adjective + Noun” format. A good strategy provides a filter for determining which of many “strategic” projects should be aggregated and passed into the select list to attain the designation of strategic initiative. So, it is critical to understand the different roles required and their specific accountability for results. These initial strategic initiatives will be specific to KU, magnify the impact of the investments we make, and help spread the story of KU excellence to our many stakeholders. They are the products of hard digging. Its useful for start-ups to identify what they need going forward and for the annual planning of initiatives at company or department level. Design Thinking: Five Landmarks for Strategic Initiatives, Seven Must-Do’s for Better Strategy Execution. They need a way to prioritize. Identify a long-term goal. Do you have a concern, or would you like to offer your thoughts on a proposal put forward by this office? Departments, centers, and student groups will send in their nominations for strategic initiatives, after which the College and the schools will have the opportunity to “buy into” and shape these exciting initiatives. Roadmaps must identify the set of critical milestones that provide senior leadership with a basis … PMOs need an enhanced process for helping the organization align, define, track, and communicate meaningful milestones and objectives, specifically in the context of developing roadmaps for strategic initiatives. Our strategic action plan will continue to support and value all forms of scholarly excellence. All strategic initiatives are programs, and benefit from the use of program management tools. A while back, KoltoKan (a disguised name for a large NYSE-traded organization), let me peek into its portfolio of projects and programs for the purpose of offering suggestions on how to identify the true strategic initiatives from the other imperatives. Workshop on Leading Strategic Initiatives, Strategic Planning Issues for Strategic Initiatives, Success Principles for Strategic Initiatives, How to lead your organization in 2014? Tools and insights for turning vision into results, Need a strategic planning facilitator, implementation coach, neutral mediator, workshop, seminar, or hands-on program manager? Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Facilitating the Business Model Canvas: A Few Lessons Learned (Part 1), Designing Strategic Initiatives for Results: The Two Kinds of Coherence, The Real Reason Strategy Implementation is Difficult (and the Solution to It), Grasping Essentials When You’re NOT the Expert, Competencies of Strategic Initiative Leaders, Strategy, Ambiguity, and Strong-Minded Thinking. Low-Hanging Fruit These are the strategies that might be partially done and all they need is an extra push to complete or are relatively quick and easy to accomplish. Identification of human resource practices that make HR as strategic partner, namely, serving the business needs of your … Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The most critical role to define first is the initiative leader. Ultimately, in April, the steering committee will recommend a number of initial themes to form strategic initiatives. Nominations must be submitted on or before, The other, which will come online next week, is an. We also identify the key risks related to each goal, and design KRIs that can track those risks and act as an early warning system, thereby flagging up when the business is at risk of not achieving its goals. Introduction. As a general rule, a given business unit should have no more than 5 or so strategic initiatives active at any moment. The Provost Office offers an anonymous form so you can raise issues important to you or respond to issues and activities on campus. Their evidence did not convince me that they had a strategy. When identifying strategic initiatives to action plan, leaders should consider issues of urgency, scope of work, the number of initiatives to implement at once, resource allocation, and school or district capacity. Start with the concept of a business strategy as one that is organized to deliver one strong value proposition over the competition. These are the unknowns, … WHAT is your strategy? You can find the data and reasoning supporting the recommendation at this link. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. A plan is a detailed list of what needs to be accomplished, by … Institutional silos make these activities difficult and sometimes impossible. Operational Excellence or Strategic Excellence? For each objective and target on the map/scorecard, managers must identify the strategic initiatives required to deliver the performance outcomes. The initial list contained 600 designated strategic projects, and it was clear to most that more focus was needed. Most organizations face a similar situation: Each initiative – or proposed initiative – has an owner somewhere in the organization who believes in it and wants to secure (or preserve) funding and resources. As staff, you are the backbone of this institution; your commitment to KU is crucial and very much appreciated. Evaluation is typically based on four criteria: feasibility, strategic fit, interdependencies, and; financial risk and reward. See my prior article at this link for more explanation. During my involvement with KoltoKan, I would whisper and sometime directly challenge the analysts with the an observation: “I’m not sure that you have a strategy.” My reasoning is simple. A strategic partner canprovide you with capital, or let you leverage their brand to give you more exposure. I welcome and value your involvement during the next few months as we work together to identify strategic initiatives. Departments (or schools for those schools having no departments), centers, and student groups will submit nominations for strategic initiatives. ( Log Out / -- Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The process will be as follows: In order to make informed nominations, it is important for departments, centers, and student groups to be aware of the many exciting and diverse activities at KU. You can learn more by following this link. Strategy as Problem Solving: An Example from a Large Technology Organization. Thanks for sharing valuable information Greg! Top 50 nationwide for size of library collection. To assist the process, the Driving Discovery and Innovation (DDI) work group will provide two sets of information: We hope that both sources of information, which you can find via the strategic planning web site, will help drive groups’ discussions and their ultimate nominations of strategic initiatives. All plans depend upon assumptions, so it is essential to recognize their presence and … Post was not sent - check your email addresses! At such a busy point in the year, I’m sure that, like my family and I did, you all enjoyed the break and the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, as well as to gather energy for the finish of the semester. Oread seemed pretty quiet during the holiday break after all the activities of the last few months. Mt. Greg Githens provides coaching, workshops, hands-on, and more. A final recommendation is this: understand the definition of a strategic initiative as an endeavor intended to accomplish three inter-related outcomes: 1) achieving a strategic intent, delivering important benefits to strategic stakeholders, and 3) transformation of the organization. In the same way, modern-day researchers who are experts in their individual disciplines inspire one another and build synergies to meet society’s grand challenges. The full picture of the initiative is fleshed out by also incorporating key milestone/task dates. http://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/128692-how-to-prioritize/. Roy A. Roberts Distinguished Professor. By contrast, we can develop a more objective definition of a strategy as a coordinated set of policies and actions to address performance problems and opportunities in the context of creating advantage over rivals. Address emerging and escalating global grand challenges and societal issues where KU can have special impact; Build scholarly communities that challenge, engage, and inspire individuals from many disciplines around a common theme; Enhance KU’s national and international visibility and impact; Engage and motivate funding agencies, foundations, state government, community, alumni, and friends to provide much-needed resources; and. I know that there are thousands of organizations like KoltoKan that have huge portfolios of projects and programs. Related resources: Involving Key Influentials in the Initiative Involving People Most Affected by the Problem Defining and Analyzing the Problem Describe the vision for the community or initiative (their dreams for how things should be). Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. In March, after nominations have been made for strategic initiatives, the deans, in coordination with the strategic planning committee, will synthesize the information, identify synergies, and seek input from an external panel of experts. In the November 18 issue of Provost eNews, we mentioned that an exciting part of the planning process will be to identify and develop strategic themes at KU, so as to bring together individuals from multiple disciplines to form vibrant communities of scholars. Sometimes the strategic objectives are not clear, or are nonexistent. Effective use of information technology. Although many people regard strategy as a document or set of presentation slides, they are confusing the artifacts with the information contained in the artifacts. Not: WHERE is your strategy? Change ), Enter your email address KoltoKan listened to my whispers but respectfully disagreed. To create an initiative plan, you need to define both your larger goal and what is required to achieve it. Create Your Plan. They will spotlight our ability to be forward-looking and relevant in challenging times. Strong pockets of synergy, as exemplified by The Commons and other centers on campus, give glimpses of what can be achieved. Recommendation 4: Keep the number of strategic initiatives small. 3) Prioritize by allocating priority points to each initiative. In this webinar Anthony Taylor, the Managing Partner at SME Strategy goes over his best practices for identifying strategic priorities. The first step is to work with business units and functions throughout the organisations to identify initiatives and projects that are currently ongoing or are already planned. The word, strategic – as a modifier – is a way of saying that the thing being modified is judged as important: a strategic decision is more important than a regular decision, a strategic goal is more important than another goal, etc. The CEO, supported by the corporate-strategy function, compiles a list of three to six priorities for the … Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Finals Schedule | GPA Calculator. | Fred Zimny's Serve4impact, SP Singh - Helping you transform your business, http://spsingh.me/2013/12/15/how-to-prioritise-anything/, http://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/128692-how-to-prioritize/, Better Conversations Generate Better Strategy, Insights Are the Secret Sauce of Strategy, How a Strategic Decision Differs From a Tactical Decision, Unlearning, learning, and a culture of strategic thinking, How Mapping Can Improve Your Strategic Thinking, Complexity: Four Principles for Program Managers, Use the PAVER Framework to Assure Strategic Commitments. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Almost all strategic initiatives require cross-functional participation. Research Investment & Strategic Initiative Grant Program, RFA for the Higher Education Solutions Network from USAID, Sustaining the Planet, Powering the World, Post-Summit Report & Recommendations to the Provost, Building Communities, Expanding Opportunities, Harnessing Information, Multiplying Knowledge, Genomic Biodiversity Summit Opening Remarks, Genomic Biodiversity Summit Presentations, School of Architecture, Design & Planning, School of Journalism & Mass Communications, Sample of Research Centers and State Surveys Areas of Emphasis, Provost Retreat Summary, August 9-10, 2010, online discussion board of suggestions for strategic initiatives, KU faculty members selected for 2020-2021 Class of Senior Administrative Fellows, Four KU faculty members receive Distinguished Professor status, Holly Storkel named vice provost for assessment and program development, Stories of Resilience: How KU Rallied to Teach Remotely in Spring, Chancellor announces promotions, tenure for 2020, Identifying Strategic Themes and Initiatives. The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. A manager at an airline recently wrote me, “one of the biggest challenges we have here is that all projects seemed to be deemed strategic or part of a larger strategic initiative and priority is constantly changing through the year. All strategic initiatives … Regardless, 100 strategic projects is still too many when the benchmark should be approximately 5 strategic initiative programs, each with a good charter and leadership. I’d like to let you know how thankful and proud I am to have joined the KU family, and I am filled with gratitude for the students, staff, and faculty whom I’ve met during my first semester. The company as a system to be transformed consists of different elements to be managed and continuously change… Strategic initiatives are formulated as a direct response to a change in the business environment. 2) Rate the initiatives based on impact and ease of implementation. Indeed, initiatives are “where the rubber hits the road,” as Americans would say. One consumer goods organization takes a more directed approach. A strategic initiative plan may include multiple initiatives that are designed to work together toward a single larger goal. Tuition | Bill Payments | Scholarship Search The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access, IOA@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses). The business canvas model sets out a structure of 9 viewpoints to identify strategic plans and transformation initiatives. Ask, Advising | Catalog | Tutors Identify additional partners and invite them into your strategic planning process. Feasibility That means when writing strategic objectives, they need to be phrased in a way that answers two simple questions: How much? You might want to read a series of articles on reviewing strategy documents, starting with this link . The KU strategic planning effort has set forth a broad-based process designed to receive and incorporate constructive input and feedback about strategic initiatives. Only after such an analysis and discussion do the leaders settle into the more typical planning exercises of financial forecasting and identifying strategic initiatives. In other words, the strategic initiative team needs to create and follow an execution plan. ( Log Out / KoltoKan’s project portfolio analysts were congratulating themselves and deserve some recognition for making progress. Five Mental Anchors that Impede Your Strategic Initiative, Beginners Guide: Competent Strategic Initiatives, Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, & Ambiguity (VUCA), Four Recommendations for Effective Program Governance, Six Strategic Thinking Skills: Developing the Proactiveness Habit, What’s the #Strategy? Let Me Tell You a #Story, Strategy is Not Long-Range Planning, Vision, Mission, or Values, Five Ways to Involve Smart New Voices in the Strategy & Agile Innovation Conversation. The identification of a number of strategic initiatives that cut across the many disciplines at KU will add another dimension and leverage our expertise for greater effect. The confusion is compounded because of the way that people interchange the words strategic with strategy. The important business and momentum of our strategic planning will continue at full speed during the break. A final recommendation is this: understand the definition of a strategic initiative as an endeavor intended to accomplish three inter-related outcomes: 1) achieving a strategic intent, delivering important benefits to strategic stakeholders, and 3) transformation of the organization. Will this mean I am not valued or that my area of study will not be supported?” Please be assured that KU will continue to be a comprehensive university that has a broad foundation in the liberal arts and supports an array of professional disciplines. Writing Center | Math help room When it comes to setting priorities, strategic coordination more difficult because organizations have flattened and decentralized. The definition of strategic objectives is simple. What are your favorites? Greg Githens is the author of How to Think Strategically (2019). We recognize the importance of interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and engaged scholarship. Visit the Policy Office for more information. My sincere thanks go to all of you who keep our offices, museums, student services, and libraries open, clean, and running year-round. Note that your strategic objectives should describe your strategy—not just a typical strategy. 5th nationwide for service to veterans
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Simple questions: How much your Google account plan, you are commenting using your Twitter account 3: initiatives. Clear, or would you like to offer your thoughts on a proposal put by!