The authors also provided,“The Ten Tests of Strategy” which comprise a set of provocative questions designed to help you assess the quality and robustness of your strategy. They intentionally set a high bar to reveal a strategy’s weaknesses and blind spots.”

1. Will your strategy beat the market . . .

. . . or are you just playing along?

2. Does your strategy tap a true source of advantage . . .

. . . or is it based on a misplaced diagnosis of why you earn returns?

3. Is your strategy detailed enough about where to compete . . .

. . . or are markets defined generically, failing to allocate resources to match opportunities?

4. Does your strategy put the enterprise ahead of trends and discontinuities . . .

. . . or does it assume continuation of the status quo, not reacting to change until it’s too late?

5. Does your strategy embed privileged insights and foresight . . .

. . . or does it rely on common analysis of common data to yield common wisdom?

6. Is uncertainty properly defined and accounted for . . .

. . . or is it being ignored or inducing paralysis?

7. Does your strategy balance commitment-rich choices with flexibility and learning . . .

. . . or is there too much planning and too little focus on choices that can unfold over time?

8. Have you evaluated alternatives without bias or false inference . . .

. . . or does your strategy fall victim to biases and faulty logic in the way that decisions are made?

9. Do you have conviction to act . . .

. . . or are the old beliefs behind the new strategy left unchanged?

10. Have you translated your strategy into clear actions and reallocation of resources . . .

. . . or is it a vague statement of intent that doesn’t connect to new actions?”

For deeper insights into each test,

Strategy as Part of the Baldrige Excellence Framework

Item 2.1 focuses on your Strategy Development Process.  It asks critical questions about how your strategic planning process (SPP) addresses the potential need for change, prioritization of change initiatives, and organizational agility and resilience. It helps define the various inputs or strategy considerations for your SPP, including potential blind spots.  It addresses the concepts of strategic opportunities and intelligent risks, and it asks you to consider what key processes are important for you to keep internal and which could or should be outsources to external suppliers, partners and collaborators. In addition, it asks how your strategic objectives address your strategic challenges and leverage your core competencies, strategic advantages, and strategic opportunities.

Item 2,2 focuses on Strategy Implementation. This set of processes ensures that you can execute your strategy to achieve your strategic objectives and goals by establishing related action plans and measures, allocating required resources, and monitoring progress.  In support of resilience and agility, it asks how you recognize and respond to shifting circumstances that require rapid execution of new plans.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road – Results

In Item 7.5, you’re asked, “What are your results for the achievement of your organizational strategy, along with the results for key measures of strategy and action plans?”  It also asks for measures or indicators of your innovation efforts.  How would you respond to these questions, or do you view strategic planning as a static event, a document put in a drawer or high on a shelf?

One of a leader’s key roles is defining the direction for the organization and facilitating the planning of how to move forward.  Constant communication and reinforcement of alignment are also required.  How well do all of your employees know where you want to go and how you plan to get there?