A3 Strategy Development and Deployment

A3 STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT

What Does This Solution Do?

Desai’s A3 Strategy Development and Deployment (A3S) solution pairs their experienced team and standard methods for rapid development of a one-page strategy, resulting in execution plans consistent with business strategy. Strategy Deployment is a periodic planning tool that sets a company’s goals and targets, then develops a month-to-month deployment plan to get there. The "story" of this plan lays out on one A3-size page (11” x 17”), which customers can think of as their company’s strategy execution plan. This map shows where the customer is today (What’s actually happening), where they want to go (What should be happening – their strategic purpose) and, ultimately, the planned route to get there.

This strategic purpose, or “true north,” is the magnetic pull or business direction defined by senior leadership to achieve a competitive advantage and create value for the customer. Simplified, this road map guides the customer to:

• Set Direction: It defines the customer’s true north, or the basic business needs that must be met. This represents the very reasons the company is in business. Achieving these business goals is the sole purpose of Strategy Deployment.

• Determine the Gap: Customers must know exactly where they stand if they’re going plot a course to their destination. They should reflect on past success, as well as those actions that failed to live up to expectations. They should ask themselves the hard questions, like “How close are we to achieving our business needs?”

• Set Goals to Close the Gap: The customer's goals must be in line with their true north. Desai’s disciplined approach will ensure that the customer constructs SMARTER goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely, Evaluated, and Re-evaluated.

• Create Specific Action Plans to Achieve the Goals: These are all the individual steps that the customer will take to achieve the goals. Each plan will have identified owners, teams, and start/end dates. Most importantly, Desai’s methods bring a relentless approach to successful plan execution through the iterative use of the Plan-Do-Check-Act discipline. This keeps plan status visible to leadership and promotes continuous improvement.

What Benefits Does It Provide To Customers?

Desai’s A3 method for Strategy Development and Deployment brings numerous benefits to customers, including:

• Building Consensus: The A3S method and processes build consensus among the participants and give the authority to take action – a pull-based authority that moves more quickly than traditional assignment.

• Encouraging Scientific Problem Solving: Desai’s use of the iterative Plan-Do-Check-Act discipline greatly formalizes problem identification and solution within the A3 action plans, as follows:

1. PLAN: Establishes objectives and processes to deliver results to meet targets and goals.
2. DO: Implements the plan, produces data for the following phases.
3. CHECK: Studies data, compares to expected results, and identifies gaps for action.
4. ACT: Defines and drives corrective actions to close gaps, enabling the next iteration.

• Asking Questions: Desai encourages discipline throughout the process by continually applying the traditional 5S method to the Strategy contents: Sort, Streamline, Sanitize, Standardize, and Sustain. 5S helps create and maintain a mindset of focus, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

• One Page Logical Thinking: By managing the A3 strategy process on a single page, Desai helps clarify the link (or lack thereof) among problems, root causes, and countermeasures. Doing so leads to effective countermeasures and solutions based on facts and data, improving the accountability for plan completion, and the likelihood of successful strategy execution.

What Deliverables Are Produced For The Customer?

Here is a sample Desai A3 template for Strategy Development and Deployment. Note the defined elements, the orderly sequence of events, and the fact that all pertinent information is immediately visible.

Desai’s A3S solution produces a standard communication tool for customer teams to understand each other, enabling effective and efficient problem-solving, helping build a bridge from strategy to execution. Let’s get to work.