Matthew has written his mission, vision, and value statements. He has completed his organizational assessment. What is his next step?
maintain strategic control
formulate functional strategies
strategy implementation
conduct a feedback loop
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: Strategy Implementation
Explanation:
After Matthew has written his mission, vision, and values and has completed an organizational assessment, the next logical step in the strategic planning process is strategy implementation.
Strategic planning involves a sequence of well-defined steps:
- Establish mission, vision, and values: These statements define the organization’s purpose, its long-term aspirations, and the core principles guiding decisions.
- Conduct an organizational assessment: This typically includes a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), evaluation of internal resources, market conditions, and competitive positioning.
- Set strategic goals and objectives: Although not explicitly mentioned in the question, goal setting is often part of or follows the organizational assessment.
- Strategy formulation: At this stage, leadership identifies broad approaches to achieve the mission and objectives. It may include corporate, business, and functional strategies.
- ✅ Strategy implementation: This is the next step after assessment and strategy formulation. Here, plans are put into action through resource allocation, organizational restructuring if necessary, development of policies and procedures, and assigning responsibilities to departments or individuals.
- Maintain strategic control and conduct feedback loop: These are ongoing steps to ensure the strategies are producing the intended results. Performance is monitored using key metrics, and adjustments are made as necessary.
Since the question specifies that Matthew has completed the mission, vision, value statements and the organizational assessment, it implies that he has already formulated or is ready to formulate strategies. Therefore, the next action is to move toward implementation of those strategies in real-world terms — deploying plans, mobilizing teams, and executing initiatives.
In summary, strategy implementation is the correct next step as it transitions the organization from planning into action, turning strategic intent into operational reality.