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| COMPONENTS OF THE STRATSNAP© STRATEGIC SNAPSHOT PROCESS |
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| Critical Issues Based Strategic Analysis |
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| The JAR&A STRATSNAP© Strategic Snapshot process is a Critical Issues based strategic analysis process and toolset that has evolved over more than a decade to provide a concise, results orientated, goal directed process across a diverse spectrum of client and project applications. |
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| Strongly Numeric and Objective |
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| STRATSNAP© provides a mechanism to collectively assess overall team concerns and objectives in order to develop an integrated, holistic and coherent view of the Strategic Direction of the organization. STRATSNAP© is strongly numeric and objective and draws extensively on engineering, military and strategic marketing principles |
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| Solid Set of Parameters, Objectives and Action Steps |
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| STRATSNAP© is designed to assist all delegates to focus on the issues which are REALLY CRITICAL to the success of the organization and quickly and effectively identify meaningful action steps for the future. It provides delegates and the client corporation with a solid set of parameters, objectives and high level action steps to take away at the end of the workshop. |
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| Outputs |
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| The outputs from the STRATSNAP© process can be fed into subsequent stages of the overall long term STRATPROC© Strategic Planning Process. |
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| The components of the Standard STRATSNAP© process comprise: |
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- Briefing, interviews and focus determination.
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- Selection, calibration and tailoring of presentation and tool set.
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- Extension or expansion processes
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| These components are discussed in more detail below: |
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| BRIEFING, INTERVIEWS & FOCUS DETERMINATION |
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| With the exception of the low budget generic Mini STRATSNAP©, every intervention commences with a one or two day on-site briefing, interviews and focus determination. |
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| Initial Briefing |
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| This comprises an initial formal briefing by the client executive who is the sponsor for the intervention. This briefing will summarize the client objectives, concerns and issues that have given rise to the assignment. A representative selection of areas of emphasis historically encountered on previous assignments are included in the appendix. |
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| Spectrum of Interviews |
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| This is followed by interviews with a spectrum of personnel across all aspects of the business that will be involved in the process in order to gain a broad understanding of the business, critical issues, etc. |
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| On completion of the interviews a wrap-up meeting is held with the Executive Sponsor to agree the focus for the overall workshop and particularly the primary focus of the first day and to draft an agenda for the entire process. |
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| Maximizes Benefit and Efficiency |
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| The above process is followed whether the client has elected to purchase a one day, two day or three day workshop process. This is in order to ensure that the workshop itself maximizes client organization benefit and efficiency of utilization of client personnel. |
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| In the case of the generic one day Mini STRATSNAP©, this process is limited to a short telephonic briefing. |
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| SELECTION, CALIBRATION AND TAILORING OF PRESENTATION AND TOOL SET |
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| Over the years we have developed a number of presentations with distinct areas of principal focus from which we assemble a presentation specific to every assignment. A representative sample of areas of emphasis are contained in the appendix. |
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| All Areas of Relevance |
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| It must be stressed that every process will incorporate ALL areas of relevance, no matter what the primary point of departure may be. |
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| Focus May Shift |
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| On occasion the early stages of the process may identify that the most pressing focus area is distinctly different to that which was initially envisaged. In such cases the process can adapt to rapidly accommodate the change in emphasis. On occasion we have introduced a second specialist focus presentation at the start of the second day of the workshop. |
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| Close Consultation |
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| All such changes in focus and emphasis take place in close consultation with the executive sponsor for the engagement. |
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| Tailoring of Presentation |
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| The selection, calibration and tailoring of presentation and tool set components entails selecting the base presentation that is most appropriate to the specific needs of the client and then tailoring of the presentation to a sequence and relative emphasis according to the information gleaned during the interviews. Client specific slides are added if appropriate to ensure that the presentation clearly meets specific client needs. |
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| Calibration of Tool Set |
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| The tool set is similarly calibrated and tuned for the specific client situation. |
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| This calibration is standard in all cases other than the generic Mini STRATSNAP© which is not calibrated. |
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| WORKSHOPS |
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| The standard STRATSNAP© process comprises three days of workshops which broadly follow the following agenda: |
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- Day 1 - Presentation and initial critical issues Strategic Snap Shot.
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- Day 2 - Specific focus analysis in accordance with client requirement.
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- Day 3 - According to client requirement, most frequently high level action planning.
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| Day One: |
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| Standard Agenda |
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| Day one follows a standard agenda which has been proven to be highly effective over many years. Content and focus is determined in consultation with the Executive Sponsor during the preparatory interviews and briefing but the process and agenda is standard. |
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| Derivative of Standard Presentation |
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- The Standard Presentation is on "Strategic and Competitive Management" focussed on the "Real Issues in Strategy Development and Implementation" or alternative derivative presentations as listed in the appendix and tailored to client requirements.
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| Focus on Critical Aspects |
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- This presentation is directed at assisting delegates to focus on those aspects of Strategy that are Critical to the long term viability and success of THEIR organization in the specific area of interest.
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| Synthesis of Experience |
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- This is a lengthy presentation which represents a synthesis of experience over many years consulting to corporate and public sector clients in terms of what REALLY matters. The presentation is strongly market (stakeholder) focussed and is based on the presentations that resulted in Dr Robertson being listed in "Who's Who in the World" since 1999.
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| Critical Concerns |
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- Critical Concerns process directed at identifying those critical factors that are highlighted from the presentation as requiring attention in order to ensure corporate viability and profitability. Specific focus as agreed with the Executive Sponsor.
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| Critical Strategic Objectives |
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- Development of Critical Strategic Objectives for the focus area. This process synthesizes the findings of the workshop to identify the specific issues that must be addressed for specific organizational effectiveness in the days ahead.
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| Weighting |
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- Weighting process to gain in-depth understanding of the issues, perspectives of different operating divisions, geographic regions, support departments, etc. This provides an integrated, holistic and numeric view of the organization and it's Strategic context and objectives. This is a consultative and inclusive process although with larger delegate groups there is a time constraint.
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| Independent Numeric Evaluation |
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- All delegates are afforded an opportunity to develop their own numeric evaluation on a private basis and then to present their perspective in a structured, non-threatening process which ensures that all perspectives are made visible and taken into account.
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| Rating Process |
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- Rating process to evaluate current performance and objective and forecast performance in order to identify specific actionable gaps that require attention.
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| High Level Consolidation |
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- High level consolidation to identify critical gaps and action steps.
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| Typical Progress |
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- In cases where there are relatively small delegate groups or a high level of consensus it is sometimes possible to process a number of additional focus questions on the first day. However, experience indicates that this occurs in less than 20% of all workshops. It generally takes a full day to get through the standard agenda.
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| One Day Workshop |
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- In cases where client’s have purchased a one day workshop or a Mini STRATSNAP© the workshop will close with a summing up and review of "Next Steps" in the form of a brief action agenda for client personnel following the workshop.
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| Day Two: |
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| Highly Tailored |
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| Day two is tailored to the exact needs of the client based on the briefing, initial interviews and focus agreed with the executive sponsor prior to commencement of the first day. The agenda for day two is frequently adjusted materially in consultation with the Executive Sponsor after close of the day one workshop. |
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| Typical Day Two agendas can include one or more of the following: |
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| Strategic Environment |
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- Critical Strategic Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis.
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- Analysis of other aspects of strategic context.
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| Marketing Focus |
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- In the case of workshops with a strong strategic marketing focus a variety of market related factors including Critical Market Segmentation Factors, Critical Market Attractiveness Factors, Critical Competitor Rating Factors, Market Critical Success (Buying) Factors, Critical Accounts Under Threat and related factors are assessed.
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| Information Technology Focus |
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- In the case of workshops with a strong information technology focus a variety of technology related factors including Critical System Business Requirements, Critical System Weaknesses, Critical Business Investment Criteria and related factors are assessed. We offer a number of supplementary high impact diagnostic services in this area.
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| Strategic Project Focus |
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- In the case of workshops with a strong strategic project focus a variety of project related factors including Critical Project Business Requirements, Critical Project Weaknesses, Critical Business Investment Criteria and related factors are assessed.
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| Framework |
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- High level development of Strategic and Operational Framework.
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| Other Specific Analysis |
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- Other specific analysis as agreed with the client during pre-planning or during day one proceedings.
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| Gap Analysis |
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- Where the client has purchased a two day workshop, high level gap analysis of Critical Strategic Objectives and Focus Areas identified on day one typically occurs on day two. This may extend into high level action planning.
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| Two Day Workshops |
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- All two day workshops will close with a summing up and review of "Next Steps" in the form of an action agenda for client personnel following the workshop
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| Day Three: |
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| High Level Action Plan |
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| The agenda for day three will be determined in close consultation with the client. The preferred agenda is a detailed gap analysis of the critical aspects identified on days one and two working this through to a detailed high level action plan. |
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| This action plan will, unless specifically agreed otherwise with the Executive Sponsor, include: |
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- Plan actions to close each identified gap.
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- Person responsible for plan action.
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- Specific high level resource estimates.
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- Other information necessary to progress the plan action.
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| EXTENSION OR EXPANSION PROCESSES |
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| Optimum Group Size |
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| Optimum delegate group size for a STRATSNAP© is in the range five to fifteen delegates. The process has been successfully run with delegate sizes up to forty, however the highly interactive nature of the process can then result in very slow progress. |
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| Days Two and Three |
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| Provided this is recognized a delegate group in the range twenty to thirty is perfectly manageable for day one but over about twenty starts to become cumbersome on days two and three when more intensive analysis and planning are occurring. |
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| Mini STRATSNAP© |
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| In the case of the Mini STRATSNAP©, particularly where it is being run as a team building process, delegate groups up to forty can be considered although thirty is a preferable maximum. |
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| Smaller Working Team |
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| On days two and three a smaller working team of from five to fifteen people, provided they are representative of the full spectrum of involved divisions, is a workable number for optimum speed of decision making. |
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| Maximizing Consultation |
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| Where maximum consultation is desired in larger organizations it is preferable to run duplicate workshops for delegate groups of about twenty to thirty at a time rather than to increase delegate numbers above thirty. |
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| In such situation it is recommended that the first day of the workshop be run repeatedly in a systematic fashion such that a smaller team of between five and ten senior personnel representing all the major delegate groups can then work together to synthesize the results of all the day one workshops and take the process further. |
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| Provided internal communications are properly handled this approach has been found to give rise to practical, viable and appropriate plans. Excellent results have been obtained in the past with a team of five. |
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| Increasing Depth of Analysis |
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| Recognizing that there are limits to the amount of analysis that can be undertaken in three days, it is also sometimes necessary to plan further workshops to develop the analysis and design in more detail. Again a team of about five to ten people is more than sufficient for this purpose. Excellent results have been obtained in the past with a team of five motivated and committed managers representing the full spectrum of interests. |
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| Market Validation |
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| In certain cases the primary emphasis of the process is market or customer focused. This can be focused on internal customers as, for example, in the case of an in-house Information Technology Strategy or it can be externally focussed. |
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| Workshops With Customers |
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| In both cases a workshop can be conducted with representatives of the customer. The agenda might comprise: |
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- Present key findings of the process in terms of factors such as "Critical Success (Buying) Factors", "Critical Service Rating Factors", "Critical Procurement Requirements", etc.
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- Customer delegates comment on and suggest changes to the factors and then weight and rate the factors themselves.
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- Present in-house ratings and discuss gaps relative to customer ratings leading to improved understanding of customer attitudes and requirements.
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- Present proposed actions for closing the gaps and obtain customer suggestions for alterations and improvement.
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| Validate In-House Analysis |
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| The objective of this process is to ensure that the in-house analysis accurately reflects customer requirements and, to the extent that it does not, to gain a clear understanding of what IS important. This process will assist in developing a partnership culture with the customer and ensure that strategic and tactical initiatives are aligned with customer priorities. |
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| Increased Expectations |
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| IF such an exercise is undertaken it must be understood that customer expectations will be materially increased and a clear commitment to successful delivery will be vital. |
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| FORMAL REPORT |
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| Improves Probability of Succesful Outcome |
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| While a formal report increases the cost of the service considerably, it has been our experience that where organizations rely on in-house resources to document the findings of the workshop this is often hindered by day to day operational pressures. This results in a seriously sub-optimal overall investment outcome. Inclusion of a formal report is strongly recommended. |
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| Standard Template |
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| The standard STRATSNAP© process includes provision for a formal report. This report makes use of a standard template which provides a structured framework for systematically reporting and summarizing the findings of the workshops and investigations. |
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| Increased Value |
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| These templates provide for additional intellectual property to be incorporated which elaborates on particular aspects of the findings of the process where these correspond to aspects which have been more widely encountered elsewhere. |
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| Numerical and Graphical Analysis |
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| Because of the highly numeric nature of the data acquired during the workshops we are also able to provide various forms of supplementary analysis and graphical presentation of data depending on the direction taken during the process. |
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| Organizational Trends |
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| For example, where delegate groups represent a diversity of disciplines within an organization it is sometimes possible to identify very distinct differences in perspective on a departmental basis. On occasion this can be analysed in such a manner as to permit specific internal communication or alignment action to take place. |
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| Hardcopy and Electronic Report Format |
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| The report is delivered in hard copy form with both a bound and an unbound copy and an electronic copy in Adobe Acrobat pdf (portable document format) form. |
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| OUTCOME, OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES |
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| Single Collective View |
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| At the end of the first day delegates will have a single, common and collective view of the Critical Strategic Objectives for the focus area analysed. |
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| At the end of the second day delegates will have a single, common and collective view of the issues and direction formulated during that day. |
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| Clearly Defined Plan of Action |
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| At the end of the third day delegates will have a clearly defined plan of action in accordance with the agreed agenda. |
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| High Level of Buy In |
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| Experience indicates these findings, action plans and objectives will have a high level of delegate "buy in". |
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| Outputs |
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| The outputs are recorded on printed worksheets at frequent intervals during the process. |
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| Delegates will also have a printout of the initial presentation for future reference. An electronic copy of the presentation in Adobe Acrobat pdf format will be supplied together with the report. |
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| Video / Audio Record |
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| The presentation and key aspects of the workshop may be recorded on video or audio if the client desires thus providing a record of the more in-depth discussion for future in-house reference. |
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| STRATSNAP© Tool |
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| The final results are also delivered electronically together with the report in a copy of the STRATSNAP© Tool which can be used by the client for further analysis and in-house facilitation. |
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| FACILITIES |
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| The workshop process requires a venue in which the lights can be dimmed sufficiently to make use of a data projector such that text is clearly legible by all delegates. |
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| A data projector, eight page per minute or faster laser printer, white board, flip chart and pens are also required. |
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| All facilities to be arranged by the client at client expense. |
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| Should the client want to record the presentation such arrangements will be for the client’s account. We can quote to provide video equipment and a camerman |
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| As an option, we can supply a video feed in S-Video (TV) format of the digital signal of the presentation direct from the computer for input to a video recorder together with an audio signal. |
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| CONCLUSION |
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| It is hoped that the above technical overview of the STRATSNAP© process adequately explains the process. |
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| Should you have further queries please do not hesitate to contact us. |
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| We look forward to making a real impact on your organization using STRATSNAP© in the near future. |
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| APPENDIX A |
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| TYPICAL STRATSNAP© AREAS OF EMPHASIS |
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| Diverse Application |
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| Over the years the basic STRATSNAP© process has been effectively applied in a diversity of areas of emphasis across a wide spectrum of private corporations and Government departments. |
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| Address ALL Facets of Corporate Operation |
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| Strategy, of necessity, MUST address all possible facets of corporate operations and must be strongly market focussed. Effective use of Information Technology plays a significant role in strategic planning of most corporate entities and management of strategic projects is frequently a major challenge. Accordingly, over the years specific variations of the STRATSNAP© presentations and tool-set have evolved to cater for these different areas of emphasis. |
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| Every Engagement is Different |
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| The following are offered as guidelines only. We typically find that every engagement is DIFFERENT because EVERY CLIENT is different! For this reason the preliminary interviews and briefing and tailoring of the presentation and tool-set to the specific requirements of every client is a VITAL component of the STRATSNAP© solution. |
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| Areas of emphasis include: |
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| 1. CORPORATE STRATEGY |
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- Corporate strategy development
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- Sub-division strategy development
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- Diagnosis of sub-optimal strategy implementation or implementation failure
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| 2. STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANNING |
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- Market segmentation factors, market attractiveness factors, etc
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- Customer critical success (buying) factors
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- Critical competitor analysis
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- Critical market / critical customer analysis
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- Market portfolio analysis
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- Workshops with customer / stakeholder groups
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- Strategic marketing plans
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- Critical accounts under threat
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- Tactical customer acquisition / retention plans
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| 3. STRATEGIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT |
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- Information technology in strategic and competitive management
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- Diagnosis of sub-optimal information technology investment outcome or investment failure.
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- Strategic requirements for information technology investment including strategic measures of performance
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- Strategic requirements for information warehousing including strategic measures of performance
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- Executive level business requirements specification
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| 4. STRATEGIC PROJECT INITIATION |
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- Strategic investment business requirements and performance measures
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- Diagnosis of sub-optimal project outcomes or project failures
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- Initiation of strategic projects
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Request Your STRATSNAP© Proposal Now
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