Understanding Strategies, Tactics and Measurement
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Agenda
• Problems with strategies, tactics, and measurement
• Definitions
• Evaluating strategies, tactics, and measurement
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PROBLEMS WITH STRATEGIES, TACTICS, AND MEASUREMENT
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Problems
• Recognition
• Evaluation
• Relation
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Strategic Gap
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DEFINITIONS
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Projects vs. operations
• Projects are not ongoing
• Projects improve operations
• Operations has metrics, not projects.
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Projects improve operations
Operations
Operations
Projec
t
4%
8%
Strategy + Tactics
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Project components
• Strategy
• Tactics
• Measurement
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Strategy
A strategy is a framework to establish and evaluate tactics with regard to a goal of improving operations.
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Strategic Goals
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Tactics
Tactics use best practices and strategic direction to improve operations.
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Measurement
• Project metrics vs. strategic metrics
• Qualitative vs. quantitative
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Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Strategy
Tactics Metrics
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Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Strategy
Tactics Metrics
Project ProjectProject
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Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Strategy
Tactics Metrics
Project
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Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
Project ProjectProject
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Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement
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EVALUATING STRATEGY, TACTICS, AND MEASUREMENT
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Evaluation—Good Strategy
• Statement of the problem
• Support material
• Statement of the solution
• Tactical project list
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Evaluation—Good Tactics
• Agnostic with respect to goals
• Methodology
• Integration into operations
• Realistic
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Evaluation—Good Measurement
• Quantified
• Simple
• Tied to larger goals
• Trackable in near real-time
• Automatable
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Evaluation—Connectedness
• Overarching goals strategy
• Strategic tactics list tactics
• Strategic goals measurement
• Tactical execution measurement
• Overarching metrics measurement
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CONCLUSION
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Questions• If strategies guide tactics, does this mean that a strategy never (or shouldn’t
change) during the tactical phase?
• Is a robust project management process, tools, etc. required to even begin strategy or tactics?
• What if we’re already in the middle of all this? Is there a way to get “back on track” without starting over?
• Do we need to staff a strategist on tactical projects?
• Were you serious about that project manager remark?
• Strategies influence tactics. But, is there any way that tactics “influence” strategies?
• I already did, or paid for, a strategy that now I realize isn’t helping me. I can’t go back and redo it, so what should I do?
• What if I have a strategic question during tactics that isn’t answered by the strategy?
• Can you really convert any qualitative goal into a quantitative goal?