When I see a strategy map, my favourite question is “Where’s the strategy?”.
Just because you have a strategy map, doesn’t mean that you have a strategy. A strategy map often looks fancy but mostly it’s a lot of ‘map’ and very few ‘strategy’.
BEYOND THE FANCY POWERPOINT
I like a written strategy document in Word format, with all the hypotheses clearly explained. I like a document where there is no hiding behind an arrow and people saying ‘But that’s what that arrows means’ when you point out something that isn’t clear.
DO IT RIGHT, AIM FOR CONTENT
I’m not against strategy maps at all. In fact, they can be quite useful to communicate strategy and create involvement. But I’ve seen too many sexy PowerPoint presentations that look strategic from a distance, but are far from strategic if you take a closer look and start questioning the content. So I advocate prudence. Each strategy map should include a written two or three-page Word document that captures customer and industry insights and the choices that you have made based on this information (the Who), plus a clear overview of the way you deliver unique value to your customer (the What) using your value chain.
