Strategy
Strategy concerns the course of action adopted to pursue a purpose in particular circumstances. It connects an understanding of the situation with choices about what to pursue, how to proceed and where to commit effort and resources.
Who it is for
This framework is for anyone interested in understanding or improving strategy, including those who develop, assess, or carry out an organisation’s strategy.
Purpose and objectives
- Describe a strategy clearly.
- Examine its purposes, proposed actions and means.
- Explain the reasons for adopting, continuing or changing a course.
Method
Use concepts and their connections to describe the situation. Apply principles to the circumstances before reaching a judgement.
Concepts serve as models for this examination. Sentence patterns represent the models by making their elements explicit.
Principles
Identify what is being examined and for what purpose
Identify the strategy, proposal, action or decision being examined and what the inquiry is intended to establish.
Make purposes and choices explicit
Establish what is intended, what it is for and how the proposed actions and means connect.
Use clear concepts and examine their relationships
Distinguish what was intended, what was done, what followed and what was appropriate.
Take circumstances and evidence into account
Consider the people, information and means involved, and the descriptions the evidence supports.
Test the account against cases and failures
Examine whether the description captures what matters, including where the course encounters difficulties.
Give reasons and keep them in mind when changing the strategy
Explain the grounds for adopting a course and how changed circumstances bear on those grounds.
Using the approach
Describe the proposed or actual course, examine its connections and the relevant evidence, and give reasons for the judgement reached.