Strategy Implementation and Evaluation: formula sheet

Key formulas

Formulation vs implementation (core idea)

Formulation = positioning before action; Implementation = managing action

Formulation is mainly intellectual and decision-oriented. Implementation is mainly operational and people-oriented.

Fit idea for implementation

Strategy + Structure + Resources + Systems + People + Culture must be aligned

Use this as a checklist when a question asks why implementation failed or what must be done.

Process position

Formulation → Implementation → Evaluation and Control

Implementation sits between choosing strategy and measuring results.

Resource types

Resources = Financial + Human + Physical (+ technological and informational, where relevant)

Use this as the base structure of any definition answer.

Allocation principle

Strategy first → priorities → resources → budgets

Resources follow strategic priorities; do not allocate by past practice alone.

Key factors to recall

Strategy, scarcity, objectives, organisation structure and culture, competition, risk, timing, availability of resources

Phrase these in your own words and link each to the case facts.

Key challenges to recall

Scarcity, conflicting demands, overprotection of resources, vague strategic targets, reluctance to take risk, too much short-term focus

Pick those that fit the scenario given.

Structure follows strategy

Strategy change → structure change

Core principle. Write it as a principle, not a law that works one way only; structure can also limit strategy.

Structure fit guide

Small, single product → Simple; Single or related business → Functional; Multi-product or multi-region → Divisional; Many diverse businesses → SBU; Complex projects needing dual skills → Matrix; Outsourced activities → Network

Use as a quick mapping, then justify with the case facts.

Matrix reporting

Employee → Functional boss + Project/Product boss

Dual authority is the defining feature and the source of its main problem.

Lewin's three-stage change model

Unfreezing → Changing (Moving) → Refreezing

Unfreeze builds readiness, change introduces the new way, refreeze fixes it in place. Write all three stages with one line each.

Approaches to deal with resistance to change

Education and communication | Participation and involvement | Facilitation and support | Negotiation and agreement | Manipulation and co-optation | Explicit and implicit coercion

Learn this list in order. Match each approach to a situation in the case. Coercion is the last resort.

Roles of strategic leadership

Set direction | Build capabilities | Shape culture | Develop managers | Balance short and long term | Maintain ethical practices

Use this as a checklist when a question asks what a leader should do during implementation.

Strategy-culture link

Strategy-supportive culture = values and norms that match what the strategy needs

If the culture does not fit, change the strategy or change the culture gradually. Never say culture changes quickly.

Four types of strategic control

Premise + Implementation + Special alert + Surveillance

Learn these four names in this order. Each answer should give the meaning and the purpose of each type.

Strategic control vs operational control

Strategic: long term, top level, doing the right things. Operational: short term, lower level, doing things right.

Use this as the base for any difference question. Add basis such as focus, time, level, and tools.

Implementation control sub-types

Strategic thrusts or projects + Milestone reviews

Implementation control is exercised by monitoring strategic thrusts and by reviewing milestones.

Control process

Set standards → Measure performance → Compare with standards → Find deviations and analyse → Take corrective action

Standard sequence for the strategic control process. Keep the order intact.

Strategic evaluation process

Set criteria → Measure performance → Compare with targets → Analyse variances → Take corrective action

Use this sequence as the skeleton of any process answer.

Balanced scorecard perspectives

Financial + Customer + Internal Business Process + Learning and Growth

Each perspective needs its own objectives, measures, targets and initiatives.

Criteria types

Quantitative (ROI, profit, market share, EPS) and Qualitative (Rumelt's criteria: consistency, consonance, feasibility, advantage)

Name examples of both whenever criteria are asked. Consistency means no conflicting goals or policies; consonance means fit with the environment; feasibility means doable with available resources; advantage means a competitive edge.

Benchmarking steps

Select area → Choose best-in-class partner → Collect data → Find gap → Set targets → Implement and monitor

Wording of steps varies; the logic of finding and closing the gap stays fixed.

Quick revision

• Strategy implementation converts the chosen strategy into action; formulation decides what, implementation decides how.
• Project implementation is the process of setting up and executing projects to carry out the strategy; procedural implementation is dealing with the regulatory framework, such as government rules, approvals and licences, that affects how the strategy is carried out.
• Resource allocation means assigning limited resources to strategies and units in line with priorities.
• Structure should follow strategy: a change in strategy often calls for a change in structure.
• Leadership sets direction and motivates; culture is the shared values and behaviour that can support or block strategy.
• Change management plans for resistance and helps people accept new ways of working.
• Strategic control asks whether the strategy itself is still right and whether the environment has changed.
• Operational control asks whether day-to-day actions and short-term results are on plan.
• Strategic control is long-term and top-management focused; operational control is short-term and lower-level focused.
• The Balanced Scorecard is a tool used in strategic evaluation and control. It looks beyond finance: financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth perspectives.
• Strategic evaluation compares performance with targets and leads to corrective action.

Common mistakes

• Treating implementation as the same as planning or formulation. Fix: Remember: formulation decides what to do; implementation makes it happen. Write this contrast explicitly.
• Listing steps as bare headings with no explanation. Fix: Add one line per point saying what the step involves and why it matters. Marks are given for explanation.
• Treating project and procedural implementation as the same thing. Fix: Remember the split: project is building and delivering, procedural is compliance and approvals.
• Writing only a definition with no activities. Fix: Always add three or four concrete activities for each. Marks are given for points, not just a definition.
• Writing only about money and ignoring human and physical resources. Fix: Always state all three resource types, with one example for each.
• Giving a generic list of factors with no link to the case. Fix: Use the company's name and facts in each point.
• Confusing divisional structure with SBU structure. Fix: Remember that SBUs group related businesses with their own mission and competitors, and are used in large diversified firms. Divisions are usually based on product, region or customer.
• Saying matrix structure has no disadvantages because it is flexible. Fix: Always add dual command, role confusion, conflict and higher coordination cost.
• Confusing culture with structure or policy. Fix: Remember culture is shared values and unwritten norms. Structure is the formal arrangement of roles. Policy is a written rule.
• Listing Lewin's stages without explaining them. Fix: Write one line per stage: why people must be ready, what changes, and how the change is made permanent.

Exam tips

• Questions often ask for a difference between formulation and implementation. Prepare at least five distinct points.
• In case-based questions, name the step (structure, resource allocation, culture) and quote the case fact next to it.
• Link this topic with resource allocation, structure and leadership topics. Examiners often combine them in one answer.
• For MCQs, look for keywords: action, resources and people signal implementation; direction and analysis signal formulation.
• There is no negative marking in MCQs, so always attempt every one.
• Expect a short note or a difference question. Prepare a five-point difference in advance.
• In case studies, label each action as project or procedural before writing. It keeps your answer structured.
• Use bullets with one idea each. Examiners can then award marks for each point.