1. It is longer than two phrases or one paragraph
2. It has more than 30 words
3. It is full of buzzwords (for more examples of buzzwords, see this list)
4. You can’t remember it
5. Neither can your staff

I guess these points make you realize what I believe makes a mission statement useful for the staff and the organization, but we will discuss that later.

What is a Mission Statement?

In many occasions (probably during the last 30 to 35 years) the industry has focused on defining What is the Mission Statement. It is commonly said that “A mission statement outlines what the company is now“, or that it is “A statement of purpose an organization is to carry out”, or even worse, The mission statement should be a clear and succinct representation of the enterprise’s purpose for existence. For more definitions, see Wikipedia, Google and BusinessPlans.

The best definition I’ve seen is “The Mission Statement is what the organization does now“.

Now, think of when was the last time somebody explained what is the Mission Statement useful for?

Probably never, right?

In plain English, the Mission Statement should guide the employees in every action they take. It should guide management’s decisions. It should also dictate what NOT to do.

Have you asked yourself this? In theory, the purpose of the Mission Statement is to provide the organization with an identity. In plain English, the Mission Statement should guide the employees in every action they take. It should guide management’s decisions. It should also dictate what NOT to do.

Let’s take a look at a couple of Mission Statements (I highlighted the buzzwords on bold):

1. FedEx

FedEx will produce superior financial returns for shareowners by providing high value-added supply chain, transportation, business and related information services through focused operating companies. Customer requirements will be met in the highest quality manner appropriate to each market segment served. FedEx  will strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its employees, partners and suppliers. Safety will be the first consideration in all operations. Corporate activities will be conducted to the highest ethical and professional standards.

2. Virgin Atlantic:

To grow a profitable airline…
Where people love to fly…
And where people love to work.

Now, let’s suppose you are the CIO for one of these two companies. Based on these Mission Statements, would you know how to act in every case that a new situation arises?

Assuming that you can even remember FedEx’s Mission Statement, the chances are that given its complexity, you wouldn’t even bother trying to see how a new decision would affect the company’s mission.

In the Virgin Atlantic’s case, it should be easier. If the decision does not make or maintain the company profitable, or it makes the flying experience not lovable anymore, or the environment for the employees gets affected, you will probably won’t move ahead. Thanks to its simplicity and clarity, the Mission Statement will tell you whether it is the right decision for the company.

Now that you have experienced this mental exercise, I’m hoping that you decide to go ahead now and revise your organization’s Mission Statement, to make sure it is not worthless but it also helps you guide your I.T. Department to better serve the organization.

Post from: Strategic IT Planning Blog, by Andres Vivas.

Is your Mission Statement worthless?

Technorati Tags: IT Strategy, Mission, Mission Statement

Just write it down!

Well, once the meetings are over and the emails with the 20-page document with that list of goals and objectives is circulated, you probably ask yourself: Now What?

And, if you are the CIO, or the IT Director or IT Manager, the most obvious questions are, How does my team fit in here? What do we do next?

Unless your organization is one where IT and the business are pretty much the same (Think eBay, or Amazon), you probably face the common situation where the IT staff does not have a clear understanding of what their role is in the organization’s strategy.

Even though the question should have a simple answer, this challenge is faced more often than not in today’s organizations.

It is not easy for the IT specialists to understand or accept the fact that IT is a function that exists to support the organization and to help it fulfill its goals. The main goal of my future posts is to talk more about this challenge, and to propose ways to improve this situation and overcome it, bringing real value to the organization in the long run.

(Image by mshades)

Post from: Strategic IT Planning Blog, by Andres Vivas.

How IT fits in the organization’s strategy

Technorati Tags: Business Strategy, Goals, IT Strategy, Mission, Objectives, Vision