Do you recognize this? A thick strategic plan, neatly detailed in dozens of PowerPoint slides. Everyone nods in agreement during the presentation. And three months later? Is that plan somewhere in a drawer, while your teams are working in all directions except the right one.

You are not alone. We see it every day: organizations struggle with strategic plans that are simply too complex to execute. The result? Teams that get lost in a jungle of 30 to 100 slides full of abstract goals and vague promises.

The problem with traditional plans

That thick stack of PowerPoints seems impressive at first. But without concrete action points, it's just nice words. Your teams lose the overview and soon your carefully developed strategy ends up in the bottom of a drawer.

Everyday reality is different. You are mainly busy with:

The real costs for your organization

This costs you more than you think. Immediately you can see:

The hidden costs outweigh even more:

It doesn't have to be that way. An effective strategy fits on one page. No fine print, no complicated schedules - just a clear plan that your entire organization understands and uses.

The OGSM method: Simplicity and focus

OGSM brings each strategy back to four essential questions:

Compare it to a mountain climb. Your Objective is the top. Your Goals are the base camps along the way. Your Strategies determine which route you take. And your Measures tell you if you're still on track.

The power of OGSM? Everything fits on one page, in font 7 or 8 - no smaller. Because if it doesn't fit on one page, it's too complex. No footnotes or attachments required, just a crystal clear overview that immediately shows what needs to be done.

From MT to the workplace

An OGSM plan only works if your entire organization can do something with it. That's why we're making the transition from boardroom to workplace. We call that cascading: each team creates its own OGSM that contributes to the bigger picture.

The MT sets the framework: what do we want to achieve? Teams then decide for themselves how they contribute to this. They make their own plan within those frameworks. This works so well because everyone immediately sees their contribution to the big picture. Teams know exactly where the organization is going, while they have the freedom to decide how to get there.

In cascading, each team creates its own OGSM that matches the main plan. This creates a natural coordination between all levels in your organization. The result? A clear structure where everyone knows what needs to be done, why it's important and how to measure whether it works.

Getting started with OGSM

How do you get started? Not with a lengthy analysis, but with a practical quick scan. In one session, together with your core team, we will map out the current situation. No thick reports, but straight to the point: what's going on, what's not, and where are your chances?

This is followed by a workshop where we and your team:

With the OGSM template, we make it tangible. Together with your team, you fill in the four elements. Not a word too much, no detail too little. Everything that matters, nothing distracting.

Because what we see too often are PowerPoint presentations of 30 to 100 slides full of abstract promises. Teams lose themselves in endless details while the essentials disappear. The result? Plans that end up in a drawer while departments continue to work side by side.

That approach costs your organization more than you think. Immediately, you lose valuable time on meetings that lead nowhere. Decisions are postponed. Market opportunities are passing by. And your budget disappears in projects without a clear focus.

Even more costly are the hidden effects: teams become demotivated because they see no progress. Your market position weakens while you are standing still. Stakeholders are losing patience. And the growth you had in mind? It stays out.

Lastly

You don't need 100 slides to move forward. What you need is a plan that works. OGSM brings your strategy back to the core: one page that your team understands, uses and really helps you move forward.

An effective OGSM ensures:

With cascading, you can translate it to any team. The MT determines the 'what', teams fill in the 'how' themselves. This is how you create ownership and keep in touch with your main goals. By regularly coordinating, you stay on track and you can immediately see where adjustments are needed.

Start small. Choose one important goal and create your first OGSM for that. Test it, refine it, and then build it out. Because a working strategy grows with you.

Your teams want to move forward. They want to know what they're contributing to and how they can do it. With OGSM, you give them exactly that: a clear plan that fits on one page. No superfluous details, no vague promises - just a clear direction that everyone supports.

Do you want to experience for yourself how OGSM helps your organization? We are happy to share our approach in a personal conversation. After all, it's not about the plan itself, but about what you achieve with it.

‍