The One Page Strategic Plan
The One Page Strategic Plan
Edward Wright, Ph.D., Drake Fowler, M.B.A., & Hollye Moss, Ph.D.
1 2 3 4 5
Vision Environmental Strategy Strategy Evaluation &
Mission Scanning Formulation Implementation Control
Core Values *Understanding what affects *SWOT *Programs *Monitoring
your organization Analysis *Budgets Performance
*Procedures
trends in technology, social- advantage instead of seeking employees is to create a one page
economic changes, or pending customer segments and their document that succinctly
legislation. needs. summarizes it. Post this in
Outsourcing the identification of The biggest pitfall of strategic conspicuous places (such as above
environmental factors to a capable planning is not that plans are poor a copier). The intention is for the
research team can eliminate this but rather that plans are all too one-page strategic plan to become
danger. Pick one with access to a soon forgotten. Generally, once part of daily life of the firm.
university or research library to the senior leadership team has Strategic decisions and supporting
compile a situational analysis updated the strategic plan, it is programs became part of the
report who will summarize the communicated to managers and everyday conversation. The one-
latest economic, social, political, employees. Programs and page strategic plan will impact
technology, and ecological trends. objectives are developed. Budgets employees’ decisions and
The report would also include are derived. Specific goals trickle behaviors.
industr y growth rates, success down to all levels of the
factors, and risks that can be found organization. However, even Getting to One Page
from US Census Bureau data. carefully planned rollouts with all- 1. Evaluate the strategy to determine
Using this objective data for staff assemblies and colorful what areas of the business (functions,
consideration rather than the posters may fade from the minds budgets, or programs) are impacted. If
brainstormed opinions of a small of the workers. One underlying it seems that the overall plan contains
leadership group has obvious cause of this frequent occurrence too many strategic elements, abstraction
advantages for strategic planning. is that many plans are too may be required to roll up initiatives
Another shortcoming of complex. Without a brief and into broader, higher level strategies. The
traditional strategic planning is the easy-to-digest document, it very goal is to end up with 3 to 5 major
reliance upon a SWOT analysis to well may be that the next time the strategies.
determine strategy. In a SWOT plan will be referenced may only
analysis, internal strengths of a firm be a few days before year end 2. Identify the key programs or tactics
are identified and treated as a performance reviews. Mark Twain that will be used for each element.
differentiator or advantage to famously said “I didn’t have time These are action-oriented items that
strengthen the company against to write you a short letter, so I focus on the key steps to achieve the
competition. But just because a wrote a long one.” There is power overall plan.
company has a strength is no in simplification.
guarantee that it is something that 3. Reduce the number of words used
the market actually wants. Many The One Page Strategic Plan to describe the strategy and tactics.
firms have been led astray by The solution to communicating a Break longer statements into their core
focusing upon an internal strength complex strategic plan and meanings.
and seeking to maximize its keeping it in the minds of
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4. Weed out repetition and overlap from employees. Putting these
the list. If an item shows up in two places, declarations in the one-page plan
pick the one most appropriate place. will reinforce the importance of the
Repeating an item does not make it more strategic plan in achieving the
important, it just makes it redundant. envisioned future for the company
and how the vision will be achieved.
5. Parse each statement to remove Mission and Vision serve as guiding
adjectives, adverbs, and superlatives. light statements that influence how
Identify static nouns and replace them the strategic plan should be
with action verbs. interpreted.
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