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May 02, 2005

M.O.S.T. Analysis

Although I don’t personally recommend using third-parties to replace or substitute for the “Intellectual Capital Building Process” within an organization … these guys do articulate well our approach to business strategy — cgm

M.O.S.T. Analysis from Strategy Consulting, corporate strategy, business planning and strategic plans

M.O.S.T. Analysis

One of the key tools used in Strategic Planning is the M.O.S.T. Analysis. This helps to clarify where the business intends to go (Mission), they key goals which will help to achieve this (Objectives), analyses what options there are for proceeding forward (Strategies) and how these strategies are going to be put into action (Tactics).

The key is for this whole process to hang together from top to bottom and also in reverse. From the top, clarifying the mission drives the objectives which creates strategic options which forces tactical actions to be taken. From the bottom, every action at tactical level should help to make the strategies work, all strategies should help to achieve the objectives, and all the objectives should take the business towards the mission.

Businesses fall into many traps by attempting to tackle strategy internally -

  • Getting distracted from moving the business forward by day-to-day actions or demands from customers, suppliers and competitors

  • Failing to clarify where it wants to get to and in what timescale

  • Omitting to get Board and management agreement to this mission

  • Not clarifying the key objectives that need to be reached (and in what timescale) for the mission to be successful

  • Not getting external and objective assistance in analysing the strategic options available to satisfy the key objectives

  • Missing out the strategy stage altogether by going straight from objectives to tactics which leads to a lot of "dead ends"

  • Not ensuring that everything done at tactical level helps to ensure success of the stategies

  • Failing to properly define timescales, responsibilities, monitoring and control procedures to ensure that implementation moves forward at the necessary speed

    External Strategic Planning helps companies avoid these traps and keeps the business moving forward with a sense of urgency and in a clear direction which "hangs together" from Director to shop floor level.

    More information? More information? Ask us here.
    Strategy Consulting Limited
    21 Dapps Hill, Keynsham, Bristol BS31 1ES, UK.
    Tel: 0117 9078034
    Email: info@strategyconsultinglimited.co.uk
    Fax: 0870 1369549

    • Posted by cmayaud at 06:52 PM | Permalink| Comments (0)
    Del.icio.us Tagging | Digg This | Posted to Business Strategy | Venture Capital Process

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