Implementation Strategy Committee - From Vision to Action

The journey across the vision to action gap requires organizations to take the following seven steps (IS31-1, p. v):

Step 1: Preparing to Cross

• Cultivate Management Buy-In
• Develop Vision for Implementation

Step 2: Getting on the Bridge

• Define Statement of Necessity (Why Implementation is Needed)
• Establish Metrics for Evaluation of Implementation

Step 3: Starting the Journey

• Gather Team and Resources

Step 4: Checking the Supports

• Confirm that Cultural, Managerial, and Technical Support is Available

Step 5: The Main Crossing

• Ensure Implementation Plan and Roadmap are Defined

Step 6: Addressing the Barriers

• Identify Possible Barriers to Implementation
• Evaluate Preparation for Addressing Barriers

Step 7: Exiting to Action

• Ensure Communication

The first challenge for anyone seeking to improve existing paradigms within EPC organizations is to capture the imagination of executives, and the IS-31 team developed the short-form “Hot List” resource for this purpose (IS31-1, p. vi).

Download IS31-3, the Vision to Action Hot List.

The IMPACT Assessment Tool was designed to give organizations three essential review elements for generating and implementing ideas (IS31-1, p. 27):

1. Quantitative assessment of organizational readiness for implementation
2. Qualitative indicator of potential weaknesses for implementation
3. Recommendations for improving probability of implementation success

Download IS31-2, the Impact Assessment Tool.

The key learning from this field of study is that a coordinated plan is essential to undertaking any change effort. Specific models vary, but the underlying message remains constant: have a plan and a realistic timeline with dedicated resources (IS31-1, p. 12).

The main challenge to the vision to action process is that organizations are not monolithic entities, but rather groups of individual “colonies” that collaborate to achieve common goals (IS31-1, p. 2):

1. Groups within the organization collaborate to achieve common goals.
2. Cultural and geographic differences between “colonies” challenge implementation.
3. Communication is necessary within and between organizational groups.
4. Individuals must cooperate to achieve implementation success.

The respondents to the study clearly expressed their perspectives on the critical roles of senior leadership (IS31-1, p. 16):

1. Management must visibly support the implementation initiative.
2. Senior leadership support improves likelihood of success.

IS31-2, IMPACT Assessment Tool

Helps the implementation team to evaluate organizational readiness for implementation and to identify opportunities to improve the likelihood of success.

IS31-3, The Vision to Action Hot List

Sets out 10 key steps for leaders to execute in the vision to action process.