Strategy & Action Plan

To discuss, evaluate, and plan your goals, objectives, metrics, and your action plan after discussing your business strategy.

Steps
6
Last edited
Aug 26, 2026
Created by
Nova

About this process

Discuss, Evaluate and plan your goals, objectives, metrics and your action plan after discussing your business strategy. During this session, you will be using our online whiteboard. Duration: 1h to 8h Designed by: Ro Fernandez

The process in detail

6 steps
  1. 1

    What's your current goal?

  2. 2

    What's your objective?

  3. 3

    On-going investment

  4. 4

    Other strategies

  5. 5

    Fill Out Follower Strategy (Attack & Niche)

  6. 6

    Plan your strategy

Read the full text
1. What's your current goal?

Try to be specific. When you say: "we want to grow our business" define "grow your business"

A goal is a general statement of what you want to achieve in a specific time and for a specific reason. Examples of good business goals are:

•Increase profit margins
•Increase efficiency
•Provide better customer service
•Reduce carbon emissions
•Reduce cost by improving our employee training
•Increase our number of sales per year
•Increase the number of times clients buy from us
Write a note
2. What's your objective?

A Business Objective helps turn the goal into a specific and quantifiable statement of what is going to be achieved and when it will be achieved.

Example:

•Increase market share by 15% over the next year.
•Reduce the call-back time of customers inquiries and questions to 8 hours or less.

These objectives are providing information about how are you going to measure success.

Write a note
3. On-going investment

Start by choosing your primary posture: populate Leadership Strategy if defending market share or driving industry standards, or Follower Strategy if disrupting incumbents, capturing a niche, or optimizing unit economics.

Step 1: Set Strategic Posture

•Market Leader: Focus on R&D, category expansion, authority, and high-level PR.
•Follower / Challenger / Nicher: Focus on speed, cost efficiency, high-touch client relationships, and targeted distribution.

Step 2: Fill Out Leadership Strategy (Defend & Expand)

On-Going Investment (R&D and Marketing)

•Branding & CSR: List ESG goals, category-defining brand campaigns, or purpose-led initiatives that build long-term trust.
•Increase Productivity: Define internal operational upgrades, AI automation projects, or cost-reduction mechanisms.
•New Synergies & Partnerships: Identify co-marketing initiatives, tech integrations, or M&A targets.
•New Product Applications: Note how core intellectual property can address adjacent user needs or industries.
•Innovation & Product Development: Define breakthrough R&D initiatives for next-generation offerings.
•Explore New Markets / Segments: Outline geographic expansion or transitions into new customer verticals.
4. Other strategies

Define the following strategies

•PR & Social Media Strategy: Detail executive thought-leadership plans and tier-1 press outreach.
•Promotions: List premium incentive structures or enterprise pilot programs.
•Awards: Target major industry recognitions to validate market leadership.
•Events, Tradeshows & Sponsorships: Identify keynotes, proprietary conferences, or primary event sponsorships.
5. Fill Out Follower Strategy (Attack & Niche)

Vertical Integration & Price

•Vertical Integration: Identify upstream or downstream processes to bring in-house to reduce margins.
•Price (Economy of Scale & Team): Define pricing leverage points gained through lean operations or specialized domain expertise.

Distribution Channels & Location

•Partnership Agreements & Affiliates: List revenue-share deals, reseller channels, or strategic integration partners.
•Pay-Per-Click (PPC): Outline high-intent, long-tail search terms and targeted performance campaigns.
•Delivery & Packaging: Specify friction-free delivery methods or unboxing/onboarding experiences.

Relationship with Clients

•Customer Success & Direct Comms: Detail high-touch support models and feedback loops.
•On-Boarding Process: Define immediate time-to-value steps for new sign-ups.
•Loyalty Programs & Reduce Friction: Note retention incentives, usage rewards, and churn prevention workflows.

Product / Service

•New Product / Applications & Customization: List bespoke feature additions tailored to high-value niches.
•Branding (Perception): Position your brand directly against incumbent weaknesses (e.g., "faster, simpler, flexible").
•Innovation (UX, Features): Focus on micro-innovations that solve precise pain points leaders ignore.
6. Plan your strategy

Think of this board as your bridge from strategic intent to ground-level execution. We're moving from left to right, sharpening broad ambition into explicit ownership and immediate daily bets.

Goal (The Direction)

Start with the high-level outcome that moves the business needle—whether that's expanding profit margins, elevating client retention, or scaling monthly sales. Don't overcomplicate it.

Ask yourself: If anyone on the team reads this, do they instantly grasp where we are heading? Does it align with our core values?

Make sure it's clear enough to guide decisions, yet flexible enough to adapt if market conditions shift.

Objective (The Target)

Now, turn that broad intent into an explicit commit. A goal tells us the direction; the objective defines the exact boundary lines: what specific result is expected, when it must be completed, why it takes priority, and who holds ultimate accountability. Ensure the owner actually has the budget, tools, and team buy-in required to pull it off. If no single name is attached here, nobody owns it.

Metrics (The Scoreboard)

Define how we measure success without ambiguity or vanity metrics. Pick 1 to 3 key performance indicators that give you an objective, unfiltered view of progress—for instance, net revenue retention percentage, monthly qualified leads, or sprint velocity. Establish the baseline and the target number so the team shares one single source of truth.

Action Plan (The Execution Engine)

Map out the tactical initiatives that bridge the gap between where you are today and your target metric. List the concrete projects, experiments, or process changes required to win—such as running a specialized training program or conducting deep user interviews. Keep these focused and operational so your team knows exactly what needs to be built, tested, or executed this week.

What is the primary strategic goal you are looking to run through this framework right now?

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Created byNova·Official process
Last edited Aug 26, 2026·6 steps