The Strategy Execution Gap Analysis (SEGA) subjectively measures your organization's current strategy gap. Completing the SEGA is a great exercise for any organization's management team, as long as they are willing to be honest with themselves.

Our experience has shown that management teams readily identify numerous symptoms that certainly suggest they have a strategy execution gap that needs closing. However, when these same management teams complete their SEGA, their subjective self-ratings do not indicate much of a gap. Management teams, especially when the boss is present typically are not very objective or self-critical.

Effective strategy execution begins with viable strategy. A viable strategy is concisely defined, within the organization's core competencies and achievable based on their available resources. The viable strategy must be translated into specific tasks and resource plans that each associate in the organization is held personally accountable for achieving.

If your organization has strategy execution symptoms, but a relatively high SEGA rating by the management team, we suggest expanding the SEGA to a representative cross section of the organization's associate population. Assuming you can obtain candid feedback without fear of retaliation, the expanded SEGA results will probably confirm the existence of a much greater strategy execution gap.

Cascading Goals (columns)
The key to strategy execution is to get everyone in the organization on the same page. The columns on the SEGA spreadsheet are reminders that the company strategy must be translated and cascaded to lower level department tactics and associate level goals throughout the organization. Associates must know how each of their assigned goals relates to and supports their department and their organization's strategy.

Achieving Accountability (rows)
The rows of the spreadsheet identify the primary elements of a formal strategy execution process that must be in place for it to function properly. The formal strategy execution process begins with communication, followed by the assignment of responsibility, the management of accountability and finally the confirmation of the hoped for performance achievement.

Working individually or as a team rate your organization's effectiveness based on these parameters. You can use your own rating scale or the one suggested below the table. Any area rated less than great presents an opportunity to close your organization's strategy execution gap bringing you closer to achieving your potential by translating your Vision2Reality.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about taking the SEGA or interpreting your results, feel free to "Ask the Practitioners".