Strategy Tool for Successful Business Growth: Scaling up with Verne Harnish's "One Page Strategic Plan" (OPSP)

DieProduktMacher |

29. Nov 2021 |

- min Lesezeit

Strategy Tool for Successful Business Growth: Scaling up with Verne Harnish's "One Page Strategic Plan" (OPSP)

Growth is complex - especially in today’s rapidly changing digital world. Thus, fast-growing companies face the challenge of managing a business that is not only becoming more profitable but also more complicated. It then becomes a crucial management task to focus on the market-facing activities necessary to support business growth while at the same time introducing new processes and getting everyone aligned to not lose sight of long-term strategic goals.

How we at DPM use the OPSP as a strategic guide for sustainable business growth

At DPM, we introduced Verne Harnish’s One Page Strategic Plan* (OPSP) a year and a half ago to visualize our business strategy and break it down into specific goals that we can regularly share with the team.

“

The culture of your company is now your place of work.

“

Leandro Herrero CEO of The Chalfont Project

The OPSP as the basis for establishing a strong corporate culture

At DPM, the “Why” has always been at the heart of all our business activities as the overarching vision that defines our company’s identity. With the introduction of the OPSP, we have concretized our values and the overarching purpose of our organization. Our values define the way we work together as a team and form the basis for our collaborative and trustful client relationships. They are the foundation of a strong corporate culture that Harnish sees as the foundation for sustainable growth.

In short: That is what makes our company one of a kind, beyond our service offering.

Strategic alignment through quarterly targets

Unlike a complex business plan, the OPSP condenses a company’s overall strategy into its simplest form:

“If you want to get everyone in the company on the same page, then you need to literally get everything on one page.” (Verne Harnish)

Using the OPSP, short- and medium-term goals can be derived from long-term strategies. Breaking down long-term goals help us to define what kind of capacities we need to develop within the next 3-5 years.

Concrete annual goals and actionable quarterly targets ensure that the entire company is aware of our current number one priority. Only with a clearly defined and communicated target in mind, team members can prioritize effectively and make smart decisions that contribute to our overall business strategy.

Quarterly themes foster employee involvement and motivation

Each quarterly goal is directly related to a theme that can be defined together as a team. There are no limits to the imagination - from meaningful themes to simply fun, possibilities are endless. Our theme celebrations not only engage the whole team but also give each goal a definitive finish line which increases motivation. Our last themes included a cocktail delivery directly to our employees’ homes, a flat cleaning at company expense for all team members, and most recently our employees decided to donate the joint prize to Bellevue du Monaco (insert link to Linkedin post), a cultural center for refugees in the heart of Munich, and Frauenhilfe München (insert link to Linkedin post), a local women’s shelter and counseling center. This quarter, by the way, it’s all about gaming – so make sure to stay tuned.

A quick guide to creating your OPSP “One Page Strategic Plan”

The OPSP is a succinct way to communicate your vision and action-oriented strategic plan to align every employee in your company. It focuses on people, strategy, execution, and money.