team-strategy-checklist

Team:
15-Point
Checklist

The 9 Drivers of Exceptional Teams
Driver #2
Exceptional Teams have a clear and simple strategy that answers the 4 key
strategic questions of Who are we? Where are we going? How will we get
there? How will we measure progress? Leaders of Exceptional Teams
ensure that team members are emotionally connected to the strategy and
refer to it frequently so that everyone is crystal-clear about their roles, goals,
expectations and progress.
How does your team rate?
Complete the 15-point checklist and rate yourself against:
4 Key Questions of a Crystal Clear Strategy (Outputs)
• The 4 key questions you need to develop the answers for.
9 Drivers of a Crystal Clear Strategy (Inputs)
• The mindsets, behaviours and practices that help you answer the 4 key
questions.
Complete the Team Strategy Checklist and discover your leadership
strengths and areas for improvement. Capitalise on your strengths and
work at improving your deficit areas and you’ll be well on your way to
creating a crystal clear strategy that gets your people focussed, aligned
and accountable.
www.exceptionalteams.com.au

Team Strategy Checklist
for _____________________________________________________
The 4 Key Questions of a Crystal Clear Strategy (Outcomes)
A. WHO ARE WE?
Does your team have a clear understanding about who they are as a team? Are they clear about the team’s purpose and understand why it exists? Do you have well communicated
values that outline expectations of behaviour? Do people understand the different roles that make up the team and recognise the different strengths people have in those roles?
No Idea About
Who We Are
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Understanding
About ‘Who We Are’
B. WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Does your team have a clear understanding where they are going as a team? Do you have a clear vision that keeps everyone focussed on reaching an exciting destination in the future?
Are team members clear about team goals and objectives?
No Idea About
Where We Are Going
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Understanding about
‘Where We Are Going’
C. HOW WILL WE GET THERE?
Does your team have a clear understanding of what needs to be done to achieve the team vision, goals and objectives? Do you have a clear mission that describes what everyone has to
do every day to fulfil the team purpose? Does your team have strategic priorities that keep them focussed? Do they recognise the critical activities that are vital for team success?
No Idea About
How we will get there
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Understanding about
‘How we will get there’
D. HOW WILL WE MEASURE PROGRESS?
Does your team have a clear understanding about how you measure progress? Do you have clear targets that indicate how well the team is performing? Do you have benchmarks and
milestones so that people have reference points for progress? Does your team have individual key performance indicators to keep people focussed and accountable?
No Idea About
How We Measure Progress
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Understanding about
‘How We Measure Progress’
The 9 Drivers of a Crystal Clear Strategy (Inputs)
1. STRATEGIC MINDSET
1.1 Desire to Plan
Does your team recognise the importance of planning and allocate an adequate amount of time, energy and resources for planning?
Little Time and
Resources for Planning
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ample Time and
Resources for Planning
1.2 Desire to Measure
Does your team value the use of relevant metrics to set, track and monitor individual and team performance?
No Desire to Measure
and Track Performance
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Strong Desire to Measure
and Track Performance
1.3 Desire to Improve
Does your team demonstrate a desire to improve performance and results?
No Effort to Improve
Strategic Planning
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Strong Desire to Improve
Performance and Results
2. DATA CAPTURE
Does your team have processes to capture data for developing your strategy (SWOT Analysis, market research) and for monitoring its progress? (performance reports, pulse checks, surveys).
Rarely Assess
Current Situation
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Regularly Assess
Current Situation
3. STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS
Does your strategy have clear strategic directions that include a purpose, vision, mission, key goals, strategic priorities and values that demonstrate the ‘direction’ your team is heading?
Unclear Goals and
Strategic Objectives
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Strategic
Directions
4. PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
Does your strategy include a ‘Balanced Scorecard’ with clear targets and key performance indicators for the organisation, teams and individuals. Are links to the purpose, vision, mission and
key goals clearly demonstrated? Do you have data that provides benchmarks to illustrate the gap between current performance and targets?
Unclear
Expectations
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Performance
Expectations
5. BEHAVIOURAL EXPECTATIONS
Does your strategy articulate clear expectations of behaviour though meaningful values, ground rules and mantras. Are people held accountable to those behaviours?
Unclear Expectations
of Behaviour
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Clear Behavioural
Expectations
6. ACTION PLANS
Does your strategy include clear action plans for each strategic priority that describe ‘who does what action, by when?’ Are there scheduled times to check-in on progress of the plans?
No Action
Plans
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Active Action
Plans
7. COMMUNICATION
Does your team get regular feedback about organisational, team and individual performance and results. Are there processes in place to recognise successful outcomes and processes
for improvement to address poor outcomes?
No Communication
of Strategy
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Excellent Communication
of Strategy
8. CONNECTION
Does your team have a programs of events and activities that get people engaged, motivated and excited about the team strategy? Are all aspects of your strategy (vision, mission,
values, key goals and metrics) communicated through a wide range of communication channels? Does every team member know the key elements off-by-heart?
People Not Connected
to the Strategy
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
People Well Connected
to the Strategy
9. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Does your team have a system in place to reflect upon the effectiveness of your team strategy and for developing processes to improve it?
No Improvement
Processes or Activities
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Processes for Evaluating and
Improving Strategic Planning
www.exceptionalteams.com.au

Free Online Assessment
Take your FREE Online Team Strategy Assessment and get
a printable report that will highlight your strategic planning
strengths and indicate areas for improvement.
Click on the link below
http://pages.davidkoutsoukis.com/online-team-strategy-assessment-offer
Check out the Talking Teams blog and discover tools,
tips and tactics to help you build an Exceptional Team.
blog.exceptionalteams.com.au
www.exceptionalteams.com.au