People mean many things by “strategy.” At DAA, we mean a set of decisions which together comprise a complete course of action—a plan you could go out and implement. And the way we get there is very different.
We use decision hierarchies to sort the strategic decisions we need to make now from the policy decisions already made and the tactical decisions which—though critical—can be made later. We use strategy tables to understand the full breadth of options, and to develop multiple alternatives, including the option to leave things as they are!
These form the basis for developing and quantifying maps of how the risks and uncertainties relate to the strategic decisions and to value created. Sensitivity analysis reveals which risks and uncertainties have the biggest impact on value so we can take a harder look at how you might estimate or influence their outcome. The last step is to show the total uncertainty in value for each strategy, including the best and worst case scenarios.
The results are deep insights into which strategy is best and why, a robust and defensible plan, and explicit guidance on managing and tracking implementation to assure success.
We invite you to join the many leading organizations who’ve made this approach to strategy their standard.
Decision Hierarchy
Sorting out the policy decisions already made, the strategic decisions we need to make now, and the important tactical decisions which can be made later.
Strategy Table
Exploring the range of alternatives for each strategic decision, and how to combine them into creative and significantly different strategies. In contrast to other methods, we always evaluate the Status Quo option: leave things just the way they are!
Influence Diagram (value and risk map)
Identifying the key decisions and uncertainties and how they relate to drive total program value.
Tornado Chart
Identifying the uncertainties with the greatest impact on total program value—for a number of purposes: improving estimates, increasing total value, and tracking that a strategy is performing as expected.
Uncertainty in Total Value
Both to explore and understand the uncertainty in strategic results (best and worst case scenarios), and to distinguish which strategy is best and when.