A Plan Is Not a Strategy – Harvard Business Review.

The statement “A plan is not a strategy” is a reminder that there is a difference between having a plan and having a strategy. A plan is a set of steps or actions that you plan to take to achieve a goal. A strategy is a broader approach to achieving a goal, which takes into account the competitive environment and the overall direction of the organization.

A good strategy should be:

Clear: The strategy should be easy to understand and communicate to all stakeholders.
Concise: The strategy should be focused on a few key goals and objectives.
Differentiated: The strategy should be different from the strategies of competitors.
Feasible: The strategy should be achievable with the resources that the organization has available.
Adaptable: The strategy should be adaptable to change in the competitive environment.

A plan is an important part of any strategy, but it is not the same thing as a strategy. A plan is a roadmap for how you are going to achieve your goal, while a strategy is the overall approach to achieving your goal.

Here is an example to illustrate the difference between a plan and a strategy:

Plan:

Launch a new product in the next quarter.
Set a sales target of $1 million for the first year.
Hire a new sales team to promote the product.
Invest in advertising to create awareness of the product.

Strategy:

Enter the market for high-end smartphones.
Differentiate our products from the competition by focusing on design and innovation.
Target affluent consumers who are looking for the latest and greatest smartphones.

The plan is a set of steps that the organization will take to launch the new product. The strategy is the overall approach to entering the market for high-end smartphones and differentiating the organization’s products from the competition.

In today’s rapidly changing world, it is more important than ever for organizations to have a clear and concise strategy. A good strategy will help organizations to stay focused on their goals and to adapt to change.

Business Strategy Quotes

“You cannot be everything to everyone. If you decide to go north, you cannot go south at the same time.” ~Jeroen De Flander
“The natural strategic orientation of many companies is toward retaining existing customers and seeking further segmentation opportunities. This is especially true in the face of competitive pressure. Although this might be a good way to gain a focused competitive advantage and increase share of the existing market space, it is not likely to produce a blue ocean that expands the market and creates new demand.” ~W. Chan Kim, Blue Ocean Strategy
“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” ~Michael Porter
“To be strategic is to concentrate on what is important, on those few objectives that can give us a comparative advantage, on what is important to us rather than others, and to plan and execute the resulting plan with determination and steadfastness.” ~Richard Koch
“Objectives can be compared to a compass bearing by which a ship navigates. A compass bearing is firm, but in actual navigation, a ship may veer off its course for many miles. Without a compass bearing, a ship would neither find its port nor be able to estimate the time required to get there.” ~Peter Drucker