4 keys for a 'good' strategic question

The objective of setting an initial question is to stimulate a robust, action-oriented and risk-aware solution to a strategic problem. The problem faced should be deep and meaningful, something difficult to overcome and which fundamentally impacts the owners as well as the organisation itself. Because of its complexity it also requires a long-term plan if it is to be overcome. So what are the 4 key considerations that make up a good strategic question?

Firstly, it is essential to consider why is there a problem. For instance, some years ago we would have been able to say that e-commerce could have a significant impact on retail sales. Then we need to consider what is to be achieved? As a high street retailer, we may have wanted to grow our market share. When? is the next question. In other words, what is the time horizon that we are considering? If we had not framed this question some 5-10 years ago, quite frankly we are almost certainly too late. Finally, we should ask ourselves how is this problem to be solved, for example by building a robust, risk-aware and action-oriented plan that is tailored to our why, what and when?

Once framed, it is essential that it stays visible to the team throughout the development of the strategy. Throughout the process it is important to return to the question to see whether it is still relevant or whether it needs refining. The question acts as a torch beam for the strategy-setting process, and without it, it becomes next to impossible to evaluate and assess the quality of the strategy. It also keeps the focus on the inputs you choose to manage rather than the outcomes you hope to report.

Simply put, if you do not know what the problem or question is, how can you determine a way forward and know whether what you have done provides an effective answer?

Steve Jobs once said, “If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution.” That alone is worthy of spending quality time and effort in trying to define a suitable question.