Strategy Development & Implementation Support

At one time this home services company was very focused on providing a single, core service to homeowners.  It had a strategy for differentiating itself from competitors.  Gradually, however, it started to extend its offering to include additional services.  There was growing concern about the future direction that management should take.  Time had come to take a fresh look at the company's strategy and update it for current market conditions.

 

We used our Strategy Development process to guide the management team to update and refine the company's strategy. Several aspects of the process proved invaluable to the organization:

• First, strategy comes from your people.  The process leverages your leadership's knowledge and experience to define the company's strategy.  While we provide coaching and perspective, we do not drop a strategy onto the organization. Undertaking this process increased the team's confidence in the resulting strategy and their ability to consider alternatives and make strategic decisions.

• Typically, it is difficult for a management team to set aside time for strategy.  One of the key features of the process is guiding the team through a specific timeline and deliverables needed to craft the organization's strategy. It allows the team to be focused and efficient in gathering and evaluating the information from which the strategy is developed.  The process is usually 16-20 weeks in duration, depending on the tempo set by the organization.

• Undertaking this effort builds-out your company's ability to continuously gather information that affect strategy, such as competitor actions and industry innovation.  This capability becomes an imbedded process that endures well past the initial time the process is underway.

• The process includes two checkpoints past the original 16-20 week timeline.  We use these checkpoints to assist management with implementation of their strategy.  Never should the company's new or updated strategy be placed on the shelf and forgotten - it should lead to change in how the company operates and approaches its markets.

• The company became more deliberate about its service offerings as a result of the new strategic plan.  The company established goals for investing capital in services that met profitability thresholds and eliminated a service that was not a good fit with the company's capabilities and portfolio of services.   

• This refocused effort led to improved profitability and enhanced future revenue opportunities for the company.