Excerpt From The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook

One of the principal concerns is how to superimpose and/or integrate action plans resulting from the strategic planning process with everyday business activities. Picture this: The strategic planning team, in its zeal to produce a great plan, goes beyond the capability of its organization to implement the strategic actions as well as continue to “make the donuts.” Guess what falls out? Right, one or more of the strategic actions. Guess who gets blamed? Right, the people who compiled the action plans often catch the blame. So, the strategic planning process must be suspect? Wrong, the process is fine—if it is followed properly.

This situation demonstrates another key to successful deployment and integration. Also, there needs to be an organizational culture that permits lower-level persons to challenge the actions they are being asked to implement. These front-line persons must be heard and receive respectful answers to their challenges—without fear of retribution.

One of the several advantages of hoshin planning, discussed in Chapter 5, is that care is taken to ensure that the plans are deemed acceptable and doable by all involved. This includes a consensus on resources needed.

A key question is: Can time be made in the day-to-day activity schedule to integrate the work involved in carrying out the action plans? Or, is it just assumed that the time will somehow be found for these new actions, and nothing will suffer? In this age, relatively few organizations have the slack time to assimilate a lot of new activities without sacrificing something. A strategic planning team needs to understand how far the organization can be stretched before something breaks.

Aside from daily activities, which are crucial, work on other potentially conflicting activities and programs may be under way, such as:

• A process reengineering initiative is planned or under way.
• A new quality management system is being implemented (for example, ISO 9001).
• A new information processing system is being implemented.
• An outsourcing initiative will result in downsizing.
• A merger, acquisition, or divestiture of part of the business is planned.
• A new product/service line of business is introduced.
• Major upgrades to machines and processes are introduced.
• Turnover of personnel due to new, large employers entering the same labor pool area.
• A Six Sigma initiative is being introduced.
• New products/services threaten obsolescence.
• Restrictive regulations mandating mass retraining, new procedures, and controls are in effect.

Quality Management BOK Reference
II Strategic Plan Development and Deployment
II.C Strategic Plan Deployment
II.C.2 Resource allocation and deployment - Evaluate current resources to ensure they are available and deployed in support of strategic initiatives. Identify and eliminate administrative barriers to new initiatives. Ensure that all internal stakeholders understand the strategic plan and have the competencies and resources to carry out their responsibilities.

Additional Resources
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