What is Agile Strategy Execution?
Agile Strategy Execution (ASE) is a cutting edge management system that enables companies to achieve the impossible by increasing priority on what’s most important to improve and sense of urgency throughout the organization.
ASE maximizes company agility by employing a rapid iteration model of enterprise-wide Continuous Improvement, engaging everyone in improving something important everyday from C Suite to the frontlines. ASE leads to increased agility and accelerated transformation.
Strategy execution is an “all hands on deck” activity. ASE is the simplest mechanism to engage everyone in your organization in improving something important every day, reinforcing a culture of Continuous Improvement.
The methodology offers 3 paradigm shifts that lead to increased focus, sense of urgency for execution, and superior agility:
From batched to flow of Goals
One Goal at a time per person given the area of Focus of their leader. The next Goal is set upon the satisfactory speed and quality of delivery on the current. This maximizes focus for what is most important to improve next. It also enables faster and more frequent coaching cycles to accelerate Iterations.
From centralized to decentralized strategy management
Along with delegating the goal setting step, each person also determines their own next Iteration toward their Goal. This decentralizes the management, planning, and execution of tasks needed to move the company forward. It engages people to take personal ownership of results within their domain.
From leaders as judges to coaches
Leaders transition from passive observers who sit through quarterly reviews and pass judgement to coaches who actively participate in the achievement of results among their teams. ASE is managed through the natural chain of command, giving people leaders some real skin in the game of their team’s success.
The Book: FIT - Agile Strategy Execution for Unstoppable Growth
FIT uncovers the incredibly simple process that enables organizations to become fit to achieve incredible things.
Throughout our lives, we learn to apply a waterfall-style approach to getting work done. Strategic plans are big batches of annual objectives, projects, tasks, and budgets. This approach is woefully inadequate for achieving significant organizational goals. McKinsey and other reputable sources cite a 90% failure rate to this approach, partly due to its rigidity in a frequently disrupted business climate.
FIT is a revolutionary process that makes Strategy Execution infinitely more agile, applying a more flexible single-piece flow model of goal setting and alignment, process iteration, and tracking progress.
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Horizontal Goal Alignment
- The leaders sets the Challenge (or North Star) for the organization. It should be about one year in scope
- The leader sets a Goal for themself. It should be about 1 or 2 quarters in scope, in the direction of the Challenge
- The Goal for the leader cascades to become the common Challenge for the team
- Each direct report sets a unique Goal for themselves respective to their domains of ownership
- The team should align horizontally so that Goals are mutually exclusive and completely exhaustive so that the Challenge can be achieved
Vertical Goal Alignment
- The leaders sets the Challenge (or North Star) for the organization. It should be about one year in scope
- The leader sets a Goal for themself. It should be about 1 or 2 quarters in scope, in the direction of the Challenge
- The Goal for the leader cascades to become the common Challenge for their direct report
- Each subsequent direct report sets a unique Goal for themselves respective to their domains of ownership
- Ultimately, everyone in the company has one Goal that is aligned with what’s most important to improve for the company
Implementing Agile Strategy Execution
Step 1: Take the Strategy Execution Self-Assessment
Determine how effectively past strategies have been executed.
Step 2: Join the Strategy Circle
Discover a community of people who are curious, learning, and practicing Agile Strategy Execution.
Step 3: Take the Intro to Agile Strategy Execution Course
Gain a foundation on the basics of ASE.
Step 4: Take the Full Course Series on Agile Strategy Execution
Dive deeper into the core concepts of ASE.
Step 5: Create a Challenge, Goal, and Measure of Success
Commit to a clear direction of improvement for your domain of ownership.
Step 6: Set up your Impruver Account
Get the tools needed to expedite the journey.
Step 7: Sign up for the Accelerator or Flywheel
Get a coach to help you hone your skills and discipline.