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Strategy Survival GuideAs a rule, the best strategies in the public sector are:-• Clear about goals and relative priorities• Underpinned by a rich understanding of

causes, trends, opportunities, threats and possible futures

• Based on a realistic understanding of the effectiveness of different policy tools and the capacities of institutions

• Creative: designing and discovering new possibilities

• Developed with, and communicated to, all those with a stake in the strategy or involved in implementation.

www.strategy.gov.uk

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Strategy Survival GuidePublic sector strategies tend to:-• Be more complex (than private sector)• Involve multiple goals rather than single bottom

line• Focus less on competition and zero-sum

games• Use policy levers including laws, taxes and

services• Be shaped by politics, driven by politicians and

public value• Need to be more visible and accountable

www.strategy.gov.uk

Realised strategies tend to be more emergent than deliberate.

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Strategy Survival Guide

Different public sector strategies can be :-• “…an end to end process from the definition of

goals to implementation” p5.• Precisely defined• Imposed, top-down, through organisational

hierarchies• Co-operative• Emergent and evolutionary, through

experiment, experience and learning.

www.strategy.gov.uk

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Strategy Survival Guide

www.strategy.gov.uk

DeliveryStrategic Direction

PolicyDesign

Outcome

•Public and user feedback•Choice and engagement

•Measurement and analysis•Testing, piloting and continuous learning

High levelgoals

Trends andfutures

Context andconstraints

Vision

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Planning DeliveryChange managementInstitutional change

Implementation planning

Evaluating OptionsMulti-criteria analysisCost-benefit analysis

Rationale for intervention

Building EvidenceSurveys

Market analysisModelling

BenchmarkingScenario development

Forecasting

Structured ThinkingSWOT

PESTLECreativity

Issue trees

Strategy Skills

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Managing Stakeholdersand Communication

Identifying stakeholdersEngaging

Communication planningEvaluating communication

Managing People and ProjectRecruitment

Team BuildingPerformance Management

PlanningManaging risk

Evaluation