Strategic planning, how to implement it to obtain a competitive advantage

Some indications from Axiante

by Giovanni Mazzucato, Axiante's Project Leader.

In an unstable market, doing business is not easy. The scenario in which companies operate today is increasingly complex and requires careful balance between the economic dimension, in relations with customers and suppliers, and the financial dimension, with investors. To be able to impose and earn market shares, organizations must set a strategy that takes into account the context in which they move and be able to implement it.

The corporate strategy indicates the long -term direction that the organization aims to follow to obtain a return and satisfy both the needs of the markets and the expectations of the investors. The first step to implement the corporate strategy is, first of all, to communicate it to those who work within the organization, so that it is involved in achieving the objective.

It is then necessary to make it concrete, starting to set for each team objective and key result, that is, result objectives and indicators that allow to monitor the progress in the execution of the strategy. In this way, as the implementation proceeds, it is possible to check the realization of the expected results.

Unify design and financial dimension

To do this, the right tools are needed. Traditionally, companies have always used two different types of solutions: on the one hand, project planning software, functional to plan, coordinate and perform every aspect of work and useful for the management of time and resources dedicated to the project; On the other, the project financing solutions, which take into account all the numbers relating to the project: stocks, stocks of goods in the warehouse, but also due taxes, credits, insurance and annual finals, all information included in a variety of prospects.

These two dimensions - one more purely operational and an economic and financial - have long been separated, in a proliferation of spreadsheets, making the necessary connection losing between the corporate strategy and the daily activity implemented by the organization.

However, to deal with the instability of the markets, it is necessary to understand how the organization's business models can adapt to these situations. It is important to define the Macrovariabili and the growth objectives, make simulations on the margins and plan investments, provide for any financial needs and define possible covers.

Axiante's approach to strategic planning

In fact, as the strategy unfolds, that is, it is necessary to maintain control of the accounts connected to the different operations. The complex the strategy, the more it is necessary to use a structured and simple tool that accompanies the strategy and guarantees full control by the company.

Axiante is able to support organizations, reuniting all elements of the company strategy in a single tool. This allows you to facilitate communication between the teams and save the time otherwise used in the exchange of emails, but above all it allows you to understand the progress of the projects and to monitor the achievement of the key results.

A solid strategic planning process is the approach to follow to resolve the complexities of long -term programs, involve all the interlocutors in the process and obtain a real competitive advantage, allowing the organization to adapt to volatile environments and in constant evolution.