COnference events

Strategy 101: What's strategy and how do I get some?

By Olivia Porcello

Speakers: Dayna Johnson and Kristine Barnes

In their presentation Strategy 101, Dayna Johnson, current societal SWE President, and Kristine Barnes, engineer at General Motors, provided the basics about strategy. They explained that strategy is the “front wheel work” of a project since it includes the mission, values, goals, and direction in that the work should lead. The operations and tactics behind the strategy form the “back wheel work” which includes the plans, budgets, and committees with varying responsibilities. The strategy is ultimately guided by the tactics to accomplish a goal.

Johnson and Barnes suggested that the appropriate path to take when starting a project or task is to assess the situation, then develop a strategy, and finally implement the strategy through tactics and evaluate as needed. They explained the four steps to implement a specific work plan guided by this path. First review and discuss the inputs to the project to make sure enough time is allotted. Second, the key strategic themes that the team or company wants to focus on should be identified. Next, smaller groups of people should be formed to create objectives and focus on subgoals within the overarching goal. Finally, when the initial work is done, any failures should be evaluated, and a new plan should be created to try again differently.

Another helpful tool is to create strategy tiers. This will show how each individual role and group will be contributing to the top goal. While implementing strategic goals, it can be useful to conduct a SWOT analysis to view the existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This can determine what will contribute to the project and what might stand in the way. Overall, when implementing strategies, it is important to align team values, minimize distractions, and form a common vision.