Driving your strategy forward with Linked Actions

Most strategies end up gathering dust on the shelf. Never executed.

Strategy development and execution should be an active process. It's not just about sitting and opining. It is about doing things. Researching, testing, communicating, debating and most importantly, executing.

And StratNavApp.com is deliberately structured to keep you acting in a way that general software like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, or Miro and Mural can't. It's a full GTD (Getting Things Done) solution built right into your strategy, helping you and your team stay focused on the most strategically important things in your business. This also means you don't need to keep your strategy in one tool and your to-do list in another. StratNavApp brings the two together to keep you doing only the things that matter most.

It does so with actions.

You can link an action to most areas of your strategy in StratNavApp.com.

Examples of use

Actions can be actions to develop your strategy, as well as actions to execute your strategy.

There are many ways that you could use this.

For example, you could be looking at a strategic insight and realise that more analysis is required. You could then:

1. create an action to do so,
2. link it directly to that strategic insight,
3. link the stakeholders who need to complete or be otherwise involved in that action,
4. add the action to a forthcoming meeting at which you plan to discuss the action (or its results on completion).

Similarly, you can break a strategic initiative down into the list of actions necessary to complete it. Again, you could attach various stakeholders, in various roles, to each of these actions. And you could attach each action to the relevant meetings at which it needs to be discussed.

The possibilities are endless. But they're all aimed at the same thing. Ensuring your strategy is something which drives thoughtful action.

In one project, a team linked an insight ("Advances in AI will allow for improved customer support") to three new actions, then tied each to stakeholders and meetings, resulting in significantly faster execution.

How to create links to actions

You can create a link between an action and almost anywhere in StratNavApp in 2 ways:

1. From almost anywhere in StratNavApp.com, you can link to an action.
2. From an action you can link to almost anywhere in StratNavApp.com.

In both cases, when creating a link, you can link to an existing action/other item, or to a new action/other item.

Linking to new actions

When creating a link to a new action, simply type the action in plain English exactly as you would say it.

For example, if you would say that "(We've agreed that) Chris will complete the application forms by tomorrow" then simply type "Chris will complete the application forms by tomorrow". (You don't need to say the "We've agreed that" part as it is implied.)

When linking to a new action, StratNavApp.com will examine what you type and attempt to establish:

1. A due date (tomorrow, in this example)
2. Stakeholders (Chris, in this example)

StratNavApp.com will attempt to establish a due date for an action where it finds

• words like today, tomorrow, week, month or year,
• periods like 3 days, 12 weeks, 2 months or 2 years,
• days of the week, like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
  or
• a date entered in your standard system set date format. (See Date formats in StratNavApp.com)

StratNavApp will attempt to identify and link stakeholders when you enter their names in the action title as we've done with Chris in the above example.

If the stakeholder is already linked to the item from which you are creating a new action, then you only need to enter the stakeholder's first name/forename. For other stakeholders, you will need to enter both the first name and surname. 

For example, if you're creating and linking actions to a meeting, then you only need to use the first names of stakeholders who are invited to the meeting. But you'll need to use the full first name and surname for other stakeholders.

StratNavApp.com will also attempt to identify the stakeholder's RASCI role in the action based on the context in which their name is used.

Of course, you can always click on the action to change the due date and stakeholders later if you need to.

Linking to existing actions

To link to an existing action, simply start typing part of the title of the existing action. StratNavApp.com will look for possible existing actions for you to link to and provide you with a list. Then, click on the existing action you want to link to.

Working with actions

Once you've created an action, you can:

• Set, unset or change the due date to manage expectations of by when things will be done. You can also use an action with a future date to remind you to come back to review or progress something at a later date.
• Manage the people involved in the action and the roles they play.
• Link the action to any aspect of your strategy which is relevant to what needs to be done or will be impacted by the output from the action.

Your actions will appear on your project actions list, as well as on your Personal Actions list (if you are recorded as directly involved in the action - see Personal Calendar and Personal Actions)

The system will automatically alert everyone when actions fall due.

Tips for creating and linking actions

1. Keep action titles concise, clear and active. You can add additional information in the action description.
2. Use stakeholders' first names only if they're already linked to the item you're linking to. Otherwise, use their full names.
3. Ensure you set your locale preferences in account settings so that StratNavApp can correctly interpret any dates you enter.
4. Review important actions daily or weekly via the Personal Actions List or Project Actions List.

#stratBot AI support with actions

Did you know that StratNavApp's #stratBot AI can help you actually do your Actions?

Click on the #stratBot icon () on any Action screen and then select:

• Do it for me: If the action is anything which produces a written outcome (write an email, plan a campaign, suggest 5 CRM systems suitable for a small business, etc.) then #stratBot can simply do it for you.
• Tell me how to do it: If the action is to produce anything other than a written outcome (install some software, host a webinar, etc), then whilst #stratBot can't actually do it for you, it can produce detailed instructions telling you exactly how you can do it. 

Of course, sometimes it makes sense to try both options before choosing. Or you can ask it how to do it, and then ask it to do that for you.

Why not just use ChatGPT? You could, of course, just use ChatGPT or any other Generative AI interface. The advantage of using #stratBot is  that #stratBot already know everything about your strategy and is always up-to-date with your latest changes. So the answers you get will be much more contextually relevant. Try it for yourself to see the difference.

Recap of benefits

The many benefits of managing your actions in StratNavApp include:

1. You only need one tool. You don't need one strategy tool and another to-do list tool.
2. Improved governance and accountability for strategy. StratNavApp links the stakeholders accountable and tracks due dates for you.
3. Greater agility and adaptability. Linking your actions directly to your strategy means that when one changes, so does the other.

See also:

• Goals, objectives, KPIs, targets, initiatives and actions

Whatever your strategy, StratNavApp's Actions will ensure you get it both developed and executed.

Why not Sign Up to StratNavApp now to turn your strategy into action?