Why You Need a Broader Approach to Strategy

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Strategy  

Strategic planning is a key activity that most organizations go through on a regular basis. In recent years, it has become even more important as the need to adapt and refine strategies during business cycles has become better appreciated. It has also become more collaborative with a greater focus on engaging all business areas, and on communicating strategic plans to all areas involved in delivering the work that those plans represent.

However, I still think that there is room for improvement—and quite a lot of room. In this article, I want to explore where strategic priorities are sourced from—an area where a lot of organizations leave opportunity on the table.

Where does strategy come from?

There’s an old saying that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” The implication is that areas that create the most noise, or have the most noise made about them, get the most attention. AI is an obvious recent example in business environments. It’s something that is getting a lot of attention, and organizations feel as though they have to pursue an AI strategy—even if they aren’t completely sure what that strategy is expected to deliver.

This concept isn’t new. I have been involved in strategic planning for over 20 years. For most of that time, the people who complained loudly about the challenges that they were dealing …

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