THOUGHT PAPER

Strategy really is an art & not a science

www.avadvisors.com

 

Strategic  painting  

1

The creation of a strategy is something that all businesses have to do, it is the vision of what they want achieve captured and planned for. Often external advisors are brought in to help, they can perform a very important role in bringing shape and driving practical outcomes. They cannot however provide the content and substance of the vision; this may sound obvious however a lack of appreciation on the roles in the ‘production’ can affect the quality of the outcome. We see strategy as something that emerges from the production activity rather than a simple process.

2

It cannot be systemized it is something that pulls together the factual data together with the thoughts and ideas of those involved and build a picture of what the current situation is and hypothesizes what the desired future state should be. Creating a strategy is analogous to creating an artwork, which tells a story which builds up until there is enough consensus and clarity of expression that there is something that viewer understand and appreciates.

“The creation of a strategy is specific to the

organisation and can only be done by them’

1 Strategy  is  an  art  

 

   

2

The  elements  of  a  strategy  

1

Sitting in front of a blank canvas is an intimidating place, practical questions pass through our minds; what am I trying to show? What style does my audience like? What are the materials that I want to use? etc.… The same applies at the start of defining any strategic plans, you must be clear about what you are trying to achieve and what success will look like [in the context of the practical artifacts that comprise a strategic plan]. This is where having additional help from external partners is important there are essential elements that need to be there.

2

The value is in having someone who has helped others to produce their picture of their strategy, a right hand ‘person’ to gently guide. It is important to recognize in this analogy that every strategic picture should be unique and will vary in quality depending on the context. There are some who will demand large complex masterpieces and those for whom a simple pencil sketch will do. It is a decision that you have to make for your circumstance and is another place where experienced external perspective can help. It is as important to meter back expectations and ensure unnecessary effort is avoided creating something that is far too elegant for practical purposes.

Strategy  is  an  art  

 

  Paintings can be characterized as a physical object of a certain size created using specific medium [Oil, watercolour, pencil etc.…] with a depiction that was created to be interpreted and appreciated by an audience. In the same way a strategy has standard components and typical structures that provide the canvas and medium for creating our compelling picture.  

3

Generally at the highest level it must contain some essential elements: 1. What are my choices? [Specific Business strategies / Corporate /

Development method constraints] 2. What is my position? [Environment / Capabilities / Expectations] 3. How will it be delivered? [Organisation / Change management /

Enabling]

Strategy  is  an  art  

 

   

‘Provide  the  structure,  reflection  and  help  to  create  the  scene  providing  practical  assistance’  

So once you have arrived at the blank canvas stage the picture can emerge with the background building the context and the subjects interplaying to create the final story. In the same way strategic definitions look to gather data that builds the context and opinions to provide a vision of what we want the future to look like and how we see ourselves getting there. It is at this point that the value of any external advisor will be tested, they must provide the structure, reflection and help to create the scene providing practical assistance. This should include the heavy lifting, using our analogy they can paint much of the background and provide initial sketches for the subjects. They cannot however finish the detail without the hand of the business offering the specific refinements that makes it uniquely theirs. This article is intended to offer a perspective on strategic planning as an activity that rather following any set process sets out the components that a team will enrich to a point that an appropriate case [’story’] emerges. We are clear that our role as external advisors is to provide the structure and horsepower to build information and opinion that creates compelling pictures with sufficient clarity to deliver projects / programmes to make it happen.

4 Strategy  is  an  art  

 

 

  Andrew Johnson is a Director of avadvisors and has been helping organisations maximise their value from IT for over 20 years. Prior to co-founding avadvisors, Andrew held senior positions with KPMG, IBM and BT Consultancy and has worked with clients across a range of industries.

Andrew Johnson | Andrew.johnson@avadvisors.co.uk | 07415 664 700 Avadvisors is a consultancy wholly focused on maximising the contribution that IT makes to business growth. We have extensive experience in shaping potential projects and helping clients to arrive at a well thought through project brief. We are confident that the investment that you make in shaping potential projects will payback and guarantee that if you do not agree that we have added value our fee will be waived.