PART V: Turning Strategy Into Action

"A great strategy is only valuable if the organisation can make it happen."

A case competition solution is not finished when you have selected the best alternative. It is finished when you can explain:

What should the organisation do?

How will they do it?

Who will make it happen?

When will it happen?

What will it cost?

What could go wrong?

How will we know it is working?

These are not implementation questions that come after the strategy. They are part of the strategy. One of the most important lessons from case-solving competitions is that a theoretically attractive recommendation is not necessarily a winning recommendation. Judges want to know whether your solution is:

realistic;

feasible;

financially sensible;

aligned with the organisation;

implementable;

measurable;

· resilient to risk.

Winning solutions are not simply logical; they are specific, realistic, feasible, and implementable. This is where your solution moves from "this is what we should do" to "here is exactly how we are going to make it happen.