The Strategy Choice Cascade concept was introduced by the Harvard Business Review in 2013 as a framework for developing business strategy. By following the following steps in an integrated manner, companies can develop a robust and actionable strategy.
1. What to achieve
- Action: Set your vision, mission and goals.
- Explanation: Define what success looks like for your company.
2. Where to play
- Action: Pick your battles.
- Explanation: Choose the markets, customer segments and geographies in which you will compete, as well as your value chain and brand positioning.
3. How to win
- Action: Choose your approach.
- Explanation: Determine the unique approach that will make you better than your direct competitors (i.e., value proposition, go-to-market, pricing, innovation, etc.).
4. How to configure
- Action: Gather your tools.
- Explanation: List the resources (i.e., skills, capabilities, assets) you need to win. Make sure you either have them or can get them.
5. How to get it done
- Action: Build your engine.
- Explanation: Create the internal systems and processes that will help you execute your strategy in an efficient way.
This cascade model encourages businesses to make these strategic choices in a simultaneous, interconnected manner rather than one at a time.
