Got this great post from a link in Chris’s feed.  I have spent years developing strategies, getting them approved, and the next few quarters adjusting, and re-budgeting so this resonates.

“Make small, frequent decisions whenever possible. You will have many opportunities to make small decisions & use them as best you can. Your reaction time will be too slow if you always try to come up with a comprehensive plan, and the situation may change, rendering your plan irrelevant. Constant reassessment is possible if you work in small steps.

Once a group comes up with a master plan, people can become overly committed to this route. This rigidity can be an encumbrance in situations where the circumstances are changing rapidly and hence demand decision making agility.” 

– Alex Kosseff, AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership

Source: We Have No Plan | CEO Blues

This approach says do lots of small things, constantly reassessing against the master plan.  The master strategic plan should provide direction, but consist of many, many phases and steps, that cannot always be predicted in advance.  They key is small, manageable chunks.

Recently I saw a situation with the usual beginning of year budget issues (reduced) and there actually was a master plan.  Well, since then they implemented a small item, with manual kludges.  It turns out for a 20th of the cost, they are getting 60% of the benefit.  mmmm … perhaps they are there own worst enemy!  If that can be done, why would they get approval for funding for the master plan, with all singing and dancing web serviced, integrated multi channel, program, when they deliver 60% for a 20th of the cost. mmmm