The Importance of An Execution Software System in Strategy Execution

The primary role of the execution system component is to help organizations get the right things done. To do this requires identifying execution problems as early as possible and addressing them.

Think of an organization as a system for deciding what to do (a strategy, a plan) and the managing the execution of that plan. When the system (the business) makes an error, choosing to do the wrong thing or forgetting to do something that is required, the problem must be corrected. The longer it takes to detect the problem, the more it costs to fix. If the business has no system in place to set, manage and monitor strategy execution, the process is not only error-prone, it’s a huge disaster just waiting to happen.

Without such an execution software system, an organization becomes unpredictable at best and eventually declines in its ability to execute, especially as it grows. That is why it’s important that an execution software system enables an organization to focus on learning as early as possible.

BOTTOMLINE:

• An execution software system enables an organization to focus on learning to identify
  execution problems as early as possible.


• There are five primary types of organizational errors or causes for execution failure
  within an organization: change, clarity, dependency, estimation and availability.


• An execution software system needs to include the following elements: methodology
  automation, time management, real-time activity alignment, weekly external review
  cycle, total organizational engagement and execution management.

(Excerpted from Chapter 9, Six Disciplines Execution Revolution, by Gary Harpst)