Kazira

A while back I had proposed a Strategy Map for the CIO's organization (Making IT Matter). My flavor of a strategy map goes well beyond the traditional ones when it comes to the level of detail provided. Remember, strategy maps are a mash-up of your strategic roadmap and a BSC (Balanced Scorecard), and their intent is to help you set/get a clear path for planning, execution, and performance measurement. To make these maps effective, my goal is to focus on activities that are actionable, measurable, and more than anything else, meaningful. And yes, who doesn't like pictures? This type of visual encapsulates it all! A picture is worth a thousand words.

What I am proposing in this blog posting is a "Sales" strategy map for an automotive manufacturer.  The purpose of this particular map can be summed up as follows -

"To set forth a strategic framework that captures how the different parts of an auto sales organization come together, collaborate,  and contribute towards the overall brand goals and objectives." 

Here is the Top-10 list for how you could use such a map -

1. Articulate and communicate the organization’s “big picture”, internally as well as externally
2. Determine whether the functional organization is designed for long term success and achievement of strategic goals
3. Evaluate and re-align organizational goals and objectives
4. Determine critical performance areas that require tighter controls and monitoring
5. Rationalize the “strategic fit” of new IT initiatives/projects vis-à-vis the organizational strategy
6. Determine weak links or areas (i.e. vulnerabilities) that need more emphasis than others
7. Utilize for understanding how investments in soft areas (like culture, teamwork,, etc.) translate into business outcomes
8. Rationalize the spread of people across various functions and evaluate opportunities for resource re-alignment
9. Utilize for assessing the breadth and depth of business performance analytics coverage
10. Use as a basis for having operations strategy discussions and determining how macro conditions may impact the map

As always, write to me if you need a soft copy of this map or would like to discuss it or would like me develop one for your organization. Also, make a few seconds to leave your comments on this blog posting.