STAR
Metis Strategy’s Strategic Translation, Alignment, and Refreshment (STAR) Methodology is a strategic planning and project and portfolio management methodology that has been used by many global corporations for over ten years. It has been implemented across a variety of industries within companies of different sizes.
- Step 01 STAR Framework
- Step 02 Identification of Strategic Objectives
- Step 03 Translation of Objectives into Tactics
- Step 04 Alignment of Projects with Objectives
How it Works
Objective Identification
The purpose of the Objectives Identification step is to devise or validate an organization’s strategic Objectives. Existing Objectives are either validated, highlighted to be revisited, or potentially removed, based on whether or not the Objectives align with the themes emerging from the SWOT analysis. New or missing Objectives can be derived from SWOT analysis themes.
Strategic Framework Creation
The cascading Objectives, Goals, Tactics and Measures (OGTM) framework forms the backbone of the refreshable process under the STAR Methodology. Once all strategic Objectives are finalized, Goals, Tactics and Measures for each Objective are identified aligned to form a strategic framework. Goals are quantifiable metrics for each Objective, Tactics are a brainstormed list of actionable ideas aligned with each Objective and Goal and Measures are quantifiable metrics for each Tactic. Each Objective may have multiple Goals, which may be pursued through multiple Tactics, each of which will have unique Measures to gauge progress.
Project Analyses
Following the strategic OGTM framework creation, a comprehensive and more tactical analysis of an organization’s projects will be conducted. Individual initiatives at the corporate or business unit level are assessed against a universal set of criteria, such as strategic linkage (by linking projects to the OGTM), cost/benefit, risk and required change.
Portfolio Analysis
Following the project analyses, logical or desired groupings of projects (portfolios) are formed. While the project analyses focus on individual projects, the portfolio analysis assesses portfolios holistically and monitors progress at the portfolio level. In addition to the criteria used for the project analyses (strategic leakage (by linking projects to OGTM), cost/benefit, risk, required change), the portfolio analysis extends the assessment to include strategic importance, resource requirements, opportunity gaps and project interdependencies. By using the aforementioned criteria, a true 1-n prioritization of projects within and across division of the organization can be established.
