This week’s focus: Most of my clients are pretty good at developing strategy. They’re also pretty good at managing projects. So why do they find it so hard to deliver their strategies?
The best and quickest way to build a house is not design it as you go along, brick by brick, but to get an architect to design the building and then have an engineer work out the most cost-effective plan to fulfill the design, chunk up the key activities and organise the craftsmen. You can make adjustments and improvements along the way, but a house is built using a ‘future-back’ approach, and the engineer’s role is critical.
Building a business is similar to building a house. You must work back from your ‘vision’ – rather than simply trying to move from forward from your current position – and establish the ‘chunks’ of activity that will deliver your strategy in the quickest, most effective way.
Off the record: Our House by Madness
Our house, it has a crowd
There’s always something happening and it’s usually quite loud
Our mum, she’s so house proud
Nothing ever gets her down and a mess is not allowed
© Stuart Cross 2012. All rights reserved.