Why Most Plans Fail and the 3 Execution Drivers that Break the Cycle

Research shows that 60% to 90% of business strategies fail. This is not due to being poorly crafted, but mostly because they never made it through the implementation journey

Over the last decade working with teams and organisations to execute strategy effectively, I realised that, coming up with winning strategies and translating these into actions that drive the needed result is no guarantee for success. Success might kick off with these but it happens through embedding three key activities.

1. Co-create the plan

Frameworks and neatly articulated slides don’t achieve results. People do. Unless the plan is rooted in real insight, co-created by those expected to deliver it, and backed by the right capabilities, it risks becoming just another glossy presentation collecting digital dust.

Successful implementation begins by involving the people expected to drive results and capturing diverse perspectives. The sales staff doesn’t just have a closer and deeper insight of the customers, but unique insights into their pain points and needs that can elude even the best researcher or intelligent executive.

2. Embed the plan into everyday work

Plans shouldn't live on a slide deck or excel sheet. It should be woven into the fabric of everyday work life. When daily tasks align with strategic goals, the execution gap narrows. Core to this is that every Responsibility Owner has clarity of the role they play in the overall plan and their tasks are understood. It’s easy to personalise a plan when tasks are distilled clearly. Inaction feasts on ambiguity.

3. Design for change

We live in a VUCA* world! The best plans aren’t set in stone. They're responsive, resilient, and ready for reality. From planning through to implementation, build in agility to adapt as markets shift, customers evolve, and the unexpected becomes normal.

Let change not deter, but make implementation better. Build a culture that employs change for improvement of processes and tasks. This can be entrenched through active communication. Let everyone be on the same boat as we journey through implementing our plans. If there’s a looming change, acknowledge it. When it becomes inevitable communicate –> plan –> communicate –> take action –>communicate –> evaluate –> communicate –> monitor –> communicate –> improve–> communicate –>.

*VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Originally coined by the U.S. Army War College in the late 1980s to describe the unpredictable and rapidly changing geopolitical landscape after the Cold War.