One-Page Strategic Plan
Column 1: Core Values / Beliefs
These are your “shoulds/shouldn’ts”. It will list a handful of rules defining the boundaries for decision making. These core values will help you answer the question: “But should we or shouldn’t we?”
Column 2: Purpose
This is your why. It expresses the impact your company wants to make. It requires two main decisions:
Purpose: often referred to as the “company mission”
BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal): the measurable piece of the Purpose that the business can achieve in the next 10 to 25 years
Column 3: Targets (3-6 years)
This defines where your company is headed in the next three to six years. It includes measurable Brand Promises to your customers and also summarizes a handful of major Capabilities and Key Thrusts your company must pursue.
Column 4: Goals (1 year)
This describes what results need to be achieved in the next 12 months.
Column 5: Action (Quarter)
This details how your company plans to achieve its vision, focused on a measurable “next step” 90-day time frame.
Column 6: Theme
This describes the theme, celebration, and rewards associated with the #1 priority for the quarter or year.
The theme celebrations give everyone a definitive finish line and a chance to have some fun.
Column 7: Your Accountability
This delineates who is accountable for various aspects of the OPSP.
Lastly, the “when” question is represented by each column’s time frame.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Trends
Along the bottom of the OPSP, you will summarize your company’s top three inherent Strengths/Core Competencies and Weaknesses. There is also room to highlight the top six trends likely to hit your company and the industry you’re in like meteors.
The Strengths, Weaknesses and Trends (SWT) serve as the foundation upon which your Vision is built. It is an updated approach of the traditional SWOT analysis, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity and Threat.
While the traditional SWOT analysis has its place in the strategic planning process, its introspective focus isn’t the right tool to spot trends in other industries and distant markets. The SWT in section the OPSP helps you factor trends into your plans.
Final Steps: Tips To Fill Out Your One-Page Strategic Plan
The OPSP tool is designed to align both horizontally and vertically, providing a logical framework to organize your strategic vision and guarantee you have all the pieces to make it whole. The physical structure of the OPSP forces prioritization and simplicity. There’s not a lot of space to write, so you must be concise.