A major part of the Scaling Up methodology is the One Page Strategic Plan (OPSP).
Some would even say it represents the culmination of the entire approach.
But what is it that makes it so different?
If you want everyone in an organisation on the same page and pulling in the same direction, the first thing you need is that page.
Many of us are familiar with a traditional financial or numbers-based plan: a desktop exercise that estimates what next year’s financial outcomes might look like.
The OPSP isn’t that.
Financials are headline only and take up less than 10 per cent of the space.
This is a strategic plan. It focuses on the priorities and actions that will take the organisation to where it wants to be.
Too many organisations fail to prioritise (this?) rigorously enough.
Instead, they create a long laundry list of initiatives that simply never get completed.
The OPSP is different. It is about identifying a very limited number of clear, specific priorities and then delivering them.
Another key difference lies in how the OPSP is created.
It is developed collectively by the Senior Leadership Team. When I was MD or owner of a company, I’d spend a lot of time and energy writing business plans myself and then spending the rest of it trying to sell those plans to the very people I expected to deliver them.
The OPSP is a team event. Because it is written by those who are accountable for its execution, no selling is required.
Plus, people are always more committed to plans they have helped to create.
While the process may feel slower at the outset, that time is more than repaid in the speed and quality of the results.
Much of the real value comes from the debates and, at times, the arguments.
These discussions ultimately lead to true alignment, which is why the OPSP should always be facilitated by an external party.
To receive a copy of the Scaling Up One Page Strategic Plan, email ian@kinnery.co.uk