Question

You and your team have identified several potential strategies for a project. What is the first step you would take to eliminate candidates?
Select an answer:

Consider whether the strategy fits the organization's culture.

Ask the project customer it there are strategies that aren't acceptable.

Check whether the strategies satisfy all must-have objectives.

Rate the strategy performance for each weighted objective.​

Answer 1

Answer:

An organization that is growing and hopes to sustain that growth needs a set of strategies to guide its program development, build a solid financial foundation, and prepare for challenges that lie ahead. In other words, it needs a strategic plan. Simply put, a strategic plan is a vision of your organization's future and the basic steps required to achieve that future. A good plan should include goals and objectives, desired outcomes, metrics for measuring your progress, timelines, and budgets.

Although the ultimate goal of the strategic planning process is to develop a plan, the value of the exercise often lies in the process itself. Strategic planning affords stakeholders in an organization the opportunity to learn more about the organization, to share their perceptions of its strengths and weaknesses, and to discuss critical issues affecting, or likely to affect, the organization in the future. The process should be designed to generate decisions arrived at by consensus. Single-person planning, while efficient, almost always eliminates the opportunity to distribute ownership of the plan — and, by extension, responsibility for the organization's future — among key stakeholders. In contrast, a consensual approach is likely to ensure that key stakeholders believe in the organization's vision of the future and are committed to achieving it.

Step One: Getting Started. Not every organization needs the in-depth approach required to create a formal strategic plan; in many cases, a two-page action plan to get you through the next eighteen months is sufficient. This is especially true of grassroots organizations, all-volunteer groups, and nonprofits in the start-up phase.

Once stakeholders in an organization have decided that a formal strategic plan is called for, the first thing you need to do is to plan to plan. Form a planning team. The team should include your board chair and/or ranking board leader, your CEO or executive director, key staff members, and, when appropriate, community leaders. You may also want to include other stakeholders such as long-time program volunteers, vendors, and staff or board members from partnering organizations. If possible, choose your team members for their ability to collaborate. Be wary of stakeholders who seem to have an individual agenda, or who hold fast to predetermined notions.

Next, the team needs to establish an agenda for its first meeting. Topics of discussion should include:

1) Why do we need a strategic plan? Maybe you're a still-young organization struggling to gain traction. Maybe you're facing a critical issue or a changed environment for your services. Or maybe you simply want to continue the momentum developed under your current plan. Whatever your situation, before you can plan effectively you need to understand the reason why you are planning.

2) How far out should we plan? Not too many years ago, the typical strategic plan looked out five years or more. Today, many executives and consultants caution against planning more than two years out. I encourage my clients to do what makes sense for them: If you're a new start-up, think about developing a twelve-month plan designed to put your organization on solid footing; if you've been around awhile and have achieved some stability, a three-year plan might make sense; five-year (or longer) plans are not uncommon for public school systems, municipalities, and larger well-established nonprofits with intensive capital needs. Again, the best advice is to pick the time frame that's right for your particular organization and circumstance.

Answer 2

Answer:

The first step you would take to eliminate candidates is - Check whether the strategies satisfy all must-have objectives.

Explanation:

• Strategic thinkers are necessary for every firm.
• In a 2013 Management Research Group survey, CEOs chose to be strategic 97% of the time when asked to name the leadership traits most important to the future success of their firm.
• This is due to the four ways in which individuals who can think strategically generate value.
• First, they aid in making sure that a company is completely ready for an uncertain future by being forward-thinking.
• Second, by tying the pieces together and seeing the connections between different business components, their broad view aids a company in avoiding serious issues and conflicts.
• Thirdly, their external focus keeps everyone informed of new market and sector trends.
• Fourth, they have an international viewpoint.
• Unfortunately, it might be difficult to determine whether a candidate is a strategic thinker.
• If you ask most individuals, they will usually tell you that they are one, and most tests will result in false positives.
• The best chance to precisely distinguish those with this rather uncommon talent from the large pool of applicants who simply have tactical skills is frequently during the job interview.

• The specific problem you requested them to address will determine what you should look for in a response, but there are key steps that must be included in every solution:

1. make a list of possible issues
2. assess the company's and industry's multi-year estimates and the strategic plan.
3. determine and keep track of important economic and environmental issues.
4. determine the main stakeholders across departments and business units and consult them.
5. You may also check for these steps in their response, depending on the question.
6. determine functional areas that are interrelated and connected, including predictive metrics.
7. test potential solutions with your clients
8. after installation, evaluate success and use the information to make changes.
9. Most of the time, skipping a crucial step like consulting the customer would be a deal-breaker for any contender.

#SPJ2