In a general sense, a strategic approach is a structured process that consultants often use when consulting with their clients. Typically, they use the exact same process with each and every one of their clients.

At Strategic Voyages, The Strategic Approach is a term we’ve coined to mean the results oriented, client focused, “has to work” mentality we bring to every engagement. All of the consultants that work with our clients and on our projects have this mentality. Often, they ask questions like, “Will solving this problem really get them to their goal?” And, “How does fixing this issue align with the bigger picture?”

It’s a holistic mentality that we’ve adopted to mean all the parts of a business are connected; the marketing, the finances, the operations, the human resources, the technology, and the legal aspects. They’re all connected. And. They all need to work in perfect harmony for a business to be firing on all cylinders. The Strategic Approach doesn’t solve problems in a vacuum. It works to ensure that any problems are approached in such a way that they ensure all impacted parts of the business will jive.

In this article, Forbes gives 5 simple steps to creating a Strategic Plan; Determine where you are now, identify what’s important, define what you’re trying to achieve, determine who’s accountable (probably you), review and modify. Simple to type out and read, a little more challenging to do, especially alone. Typically these types of plans need an outside influence; a strategic advisor. Someone who can collaborate with you about your goals and help hold you and your team accountable for your tasks getting there.

The team at Strategic Voyages modified Forbes’ 5 steps and created our Strategic Voyages Analysis (AKA the SV Analysis), which is the first step in any engagement we have. We simply cannot and will not begin any engagement without going through this process. It’s from this process that we’re able to take a step back from whatever the client may be telling us is “the problem” and uncover the root cause that needs to be fixed to move forward towards accomplishing financial and operational goals.