WHAT IS A ONE-PAGE STRATEGIC PLAN (OPSP) AND WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS ONE

Every business needs a One-Page Strategic Plan (OPSP) to make the most of opportunities, promote growth and achieve success. Is another, better tool out there than a traditional, complex strategic business plan? According to Verne Harnish, author of “Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)“, the guru for fast-growth companies, “if you want to get everyone in the company on the same page, then you need to literally get everything on one page.”

Leaders need to step through seven deceptively simple questions who, what, when, where, how, why and then decide what not to do – often the hardest question. This is how to run your long term strategic planning process.

The One-Page Strategic Plan (OPSP) is a pivotal framework designed to streamline business strategies into a concise document. This tool empowers organisations to chart a clear path towards growth and transformation with its robust yet succinct structure. Dive into strategic planning efficiency with the OPSP, simplifying complexities and driving tangible results for your business.

• • Set and communicate a clear one-page strategy for your company
  • • What are your three brand promises with guarantees?
    • • Focus and align your entire team with your core values, core purpose and BHAG (big hairy audacious goal)
      • • What is your profit/x? What one number explains your economic model? How do you make your boat go faster?

        A One-Page Strategic Plan (OPSP) can help your business achieve incredible long term results as a result of alignment, accountability and execution.

        

        Click here to download the full PDF version of the OPSP template.

        Click here for a filled-in example of the OPSP template for inspiration.

        Getting started on your OPSP – One-Page Strategic Plan

        1. Core Values or Beliefs (should and shouldn’t)

        As your company grows and your culture evolves, you’ll start to need a framework to retain control over your beliefs in the long term. And this is where your core values come in. Values are the definition of your company’s culture. They’re a shorthand way of capturing behaviours that you see as non-negotiable in your business. A strategic plan may be necessary but the right people doing the right things is essential.

        How to create core values with value? That’s the question I am often asked by clients. I recommend using the process outlined by Jim Collins called Mission to Mars. You don’t need some generic values posted on your wall. You need a behavioural framework you can hire with, promote with and fire with.

        Once you have your core values, you need to put them to work. It’s important to put time and effort into this. So important that it’s the seventh of the Rockefeller Habits, the execution framework for scaling up designed by Verne Harnish. So how do you bring these game-changers to life in your organisation? A strong set of behaviours linked to core values can be used to catch people doing the right thing. Then managers can give specific praise in the context of the one-page strategic plan. You’ll find it gives them a fantastic vocabulary for coaching conversations.

        

        How can you bring core values and purpose to life in business?

        Learn how to apply the Seventh Rockefeller Habit in your organisation.