Question. What is the fix, perform and avoid approach and how can I apply it?
A: This is a three-question approach to help your organization think about what will be different in a year as a result of the strategic planning process.
Strategic planning can be overwhelming and intimidating. First-time strategy leaders and organizations often don’t know where to start. This is where the fix, perform or avoid approach comes in.
Fix, Do or Avoid is essentially a framework that offers 3 different dimensions or perspectives to strategic planning. This answers the broad question. “What do we need as an organization to do better or differently?”
This approach is a useful framework for organizations to identify areas for improvement. It provides direction for creating an initial strategic plan and guidance for the ongoing management process.
Distribution of each question
Different people resonate with each of these (or all three) dimensions, and using this framework can lead to more specific, actionable, and meaningful responses.
What are we trying to fix?
What is currently? does not work In your organization or strategy? What do you need to improve, change or develop to reach your future desired state?
What are we trying to achieve?
What do you need to do to achieve your bold vision for the future? You can use this from both a long-term and a short-term perspective. What needs to be done in 1 year? This quarter. This month?
What are we trying to avoid?
This question helps your team decide what they are I don’t want to do it. Strategic planning is about making choices, and this question turns on what you are won’t do. Consider this to eliminate options in a sea of choices, whether it’s market segments, customer segments, or choosing between your best options.
Pro tip:
Narrowing down the broader question to 3 simple mini-questions: “What do I want to fix?” “What do I want to achieve?” “What do I want to avoid?” it makes the process more manageable.
What are the results of this exercise?
- Defining the organization’s goals and initiatives. Answering these questions can help your team articulate what you need to accomplish and address to achieve your desired future state.
- Building consensus on your future with your team. This exercise is about defining things that will be different in the future. Answering this question can help align your team with where you should go and why.
- Organizing the strategic process into manageable parts. These three questions can make it more manageable to begin the planning process while assessing your current situation.
- Letting go of past failed endeavors. Aligning your team with what is different about this effort will alleviate the baggage of past failed efforts.
Pro tip:
The most important way to answer these questions is to clarify how your organization will be different from today.