As your strategy map tells your interrelated strategy story, your road map shows you mileposts from current to future. Strategic planning is as much about the strategy, as depicted in your strategy map, as it is about the planning, as illustrated in your road map. The road map view is extremely helpful to visualize what needs to be prioritized year-by-year to achieve your vision.
Use the Road Map Worksheet shown in the figure and the following instructions to build your road map.
Label the top row with the planning years relevant to your organization.
Add your long-term strategic objectives to the left-hand column by each perspective.
Add your year one goals to the next column by each strategic objective.
Add year two and year three goals to the columns where they align with the strategic objective.
Ask what you must accomplish in the given time frame to drive your strategic objective.
Most organizations can see the next 12 to 18 months clearly, but past that, the future becomes a little fuzzy. Remember that building your strategic plan is a process, not an event. So if you can’t see the next two or three years, don’t worry. Revisit your road map during your strategy reviews, and you’ll eventually find more clarity.
