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Ready, Steady, Go - 7 winning steps to start your strategic initiative!

Writer's picture: Caroline BondierCaroline Bondier

In today's fast-paced business landscape, successfully managing strategic initiatives is paramount for any organization's growth and survival. Yet, it's disheartening to note that approximately 70% of change management programs fail, with companies repeating fundamental mistakes time and again. However, there's hope on the horizon! In our recent webinar, we teamed up with the brilliant Heli Hiisilä, a seasoned expert in strategic initiative management with a rich history of leading initiatives for renowned organizations such as KONE, Wärtsilä and Ilmarinen. Together, we delved into the essential steps to ensure your strategic initiatives get off to a strong start and remain on track from day one.


Our discussion kicked off by acknowledging the common challenges organizations face when launching strategic initiatives:

  1. Competing Initiatives & Limited Resources: Balancing multiple initiatives with finite resources can be overwhelming.

  2. Abundance of Ideas, Scarce Resources: Often, there's an abundance of promising ideas but not enough resources to bring them to fruition.

  3. Navigating Decision-Making Processes: The complexity of decision-making processes can create bottlenecks and delays.

  4. Value Identification: Defining the value of an initiative in a clear and compelling manner can be elusive.

  5. Creating a Solid Business Case: Crafting a convincing business case, especially in the early stages, presents a considerable challenge.

To address these challenges effectively, Heli and I outlined seven crucial steps to initiate a strategic initiative on the right foot:

  1. Creating a Shared Vision: Begin by establishing a shared vision of where your organization wants to be in the future. This shared understanding is the foundation of a successful initiative.

  2. Defining Inspiring Objectives and Measurable Key Results: Set clear and inspiring objectives and key results (OKRs) to guide your efforts and measure progress.

  3. As-Is & To-Be Analysis: Understand your current state (as-is) and define the desired future state (to-be). This analysis serves as a roadmap for your initiative.

  4. Business Case Definition: Articulate why your organization should invest in this initiative. A compelling business case is essential to secure resources and support.

  5. Roadmap & Scope: Develop a high-level plan outlining how you'll achieve your objectives. Define the scope of your initiative to prevent mission creep.

  6. Creating Alignment Across the Organization: Ensure that all stakeholders are aligned with the initiative's goals. Engage in planning cycles to keep everyone on track.

  7. Pitch Deck Preparation: Prepare a convincing pitch deck to secure the necessary investment and support for your initiative.

Now that you've gained insights into the critical steps for launching a strategic initiative, it's time to take action. We invite you to watch the full recording of our webinar for an in-depth exploration of each step and real-world examples from our experiences.



Strategic initiatives are the lifeblood of any forward-thinking organization. By following these seven winning steps, you can significantly increase your chances of success and avoid the pitfalls that plague so many change management programs. Take the knowledge and guidance from our webinar and apply it to your initiatives, and watch your organization thrive in this ever-evolving business landscape.

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