Strategy Audit

What is it?

A Strategy Audit is a systematic, evidence-based review of an existing strategy (newly written but not yet launched, half-way through, nearing completion). How rigorous is it?  What impact will it / did it have? How well will it be / has it been adopted (by senior managers, by middle managers and front-line staff)? In what ways could it be / have been better?

What does it involve?

Strategy audit can be completed in as little as 4 weeks. It takes a highly analytical approach to reviewing the strategy document, based on the eight elements of strategy design. It includes stakeholder interviews and analysis of key data indicative of strategic performance.

What do I end up with?

The results of a Strategy Audit are typically presented as an in-depth slide presentation with links to documents, spreadsheets etc. You will also have access to Goal Atlas’s proprietary strategy mapping software, which we use for evidence-gathering and analysis during the audit.

What value does it provide?

A strategy audit can provide value in three ways:

1. It provides an independent, best-practice evaluation of strategy, based on current evidence. This covers the strategy itself, its adoption and its measurement.
2. It provides insights and recommendations on how the strategy could be refined or supplemented, how its adoption could be enhanced and how its measurement could be made more robust.
3. It provides evidence, to all stakeholders, that strategy is being taken seriously and undertaken systematically by the institution.