Strategic Planning Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

How Does Monitoring Progress Towards Strategic Goals Result In Better Implementation?

Obviously monitoring progress towards the achievement of goals is important and valuable. Monitoring allows correcting before it's too late, and allows uncovering drift away from the goals, or costly "repairs" if the goals aren't being achieved. Apart from that, monitoring progress towards the strategic goals has another function.

It helps address a common problem -- the perception on the part of managers and employees that the strategic plan is really part of an academic exercise that is irrelevant to them. In fact, a major part of the strategic plan implementation process is to get across to everyone in the organization that "we're really really serious" about the plan and expect it to be used, and not forgotten.

When a company periodically monitors and assesses progress towards strategic planning goal attainment, it sends the message that it is serious. Without any monitoring, people don't get that message very well.