“Applying Strategy Deployment to
Your Personal Goals”
Host: Mark Graban
Senior Advisor, KaiNexus
Mark@KaiNexus.com
Presenter: Jess Orr
Continuous Improvement Practitioner
jess@yokotenlearning.com

Webinar Logistics
• Presentation (45 minutes)
• Q&A (10 minutes)
– Use the GoToWebinar
Meeting Panel to
submit a question at
any time
• Recording link & slides will be sent via email
– Also – see the “Handouts” feature and Chat box

Presenter Background
About Jess Orr:
• Founder of Yokoten Learning (www.yokotenlearning.com)
– Provider of customized training solutions
• Continuous improvement practitioner at WestRock
• 12 years of industry experience, including Toyota and
General Electric
• Six Sigma Master Black Belt
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from
Virginia Tech

Learning Objectives
Understand the advantages of the Hoshin
Kanri strategy deployment approach
Learn the fundamentals of Hoshin planning
and execution for personal strategy
Gain actionable insight on how to apply
Hoshin to your own goals

The Challenge
Challenge: How can we improve the process to achieve better results?
• Hypothesis: Using the Hoshin approach to personal strategy and
goals will improve the results
– Tested hypothesis in 2018
– Result: Achieved over > 80% of goals
• My own resolutions have also had a limited
success rate (no more than 50% achieved)
• Similar challenges apply to organizations
• About 40% of Americans set New Year’s Resolutions,
but only ~8% actually achieve them*
*Per Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-
achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#406dfb8596b2)

What is “Hoshin Kanri”?
Hoshin Kanri - aka compass management, strategy deployment
• Holistic system for strategy development and execution
• High level Plan-Do-Study-Adjust (PDSA) cycle
• Ensures strategic goals are directly aligned with daily work
Hoshin Kanri defines where we’re going and how we’re going to get there

Gaps in Traditional Approaches
Vision
Goals
Daily Activities and
Improvement
Result: Effort and resources not optimized to drive progress toward vision
Lack of system to measure
progress toward goals and
respond to gaps
Overall lack of alignment of
vision down to working level
Goals may be defined,
but not how to
achieve
“Scattershot” approach
to continuous
improvement
Activities not focused
on what will drive
progress toward goals
Main gaps between vision
and current state not
translated to goals

Hoshin Aligns Strategy and Execution
Vision
Goals
Daily Activities and
Improvement
High level vision
cascades down to
daily work level
Daily work drives
results and progress
toward vision
Hoshin emphasizes working on the right things to drive the right results

Key Characteristics of Hoshin
• Begins with the long-term strategic vision
(“True North”)
• Focuses on the critical few goals vs. the trivial many
• Maximizes effort and resources by aligning daily
activities with high level objectives
• Includes ‘catchball’ process to obtain input from all
levels of the organization
• Defines the process by which to achieve the results
• Embeds ‘micro-PDSA’ cycles to evaluate progress
and respond to gaps
• Enables agility by evaluating changing conditions
and deliberate consideration of hoshin adaptation
Plan
DoStudy
Adjust

High Level Hoshin Process
1. Set the Vision
2. Scan the Situation
3. Identify the Targets
4. Build the Road Map
5. Work the Plan
6. Review and Adjust
Study /
Adjust
Plan
Do

Define your long-term (i.e. 10-year) vision
Example 1:
Example 2:
A strategic vision sets the direction, gives inspiration, provides motivation
A Vision:
• Defines the long-term destination (“True North”)
• Drives intermediate and short-term goals
• Should be large enough that it creates obstacles

• Compare the elements of your vision to your
current situation
• Identify the primary (i.e. 2-3) gaps for focus
Identify the main gaps between current state and vision
VISION
(TARGET CONDITION)
CURRENT CONDITION
GAP
Example 1:
Example 2:
The gap between the future and current state drives the areas of focus

Identify current opportunities
• What external opportunities are currently available that would
help close the gaps progress toward the vision?
• Identify opportunities with the highest potential impact
Example 1:
Example 2:
Understand what opportunities might accelerate progress toward vision

• What are the intermediate goals to achieve within 3-5 years that
will help close the gaps and take advantage of opportunities?
• Generally no more than 2-3 Objectives
• Do not define how you will achieve these objectives yet
Determine your 3-5 year Objectives
Example 1:
Example 2:

• Develop Goals for this year that will progress you
toward your Objectives
• Generally no more than 2-3 Goals - ensure feasible scope
Strong alignment
Partial alignment
Set the Annual Goals
Example 1:
Example 2:
• When possible, quantify
desired results
• Verify alignment of Goals
with Objectives

• Brainstorm ideas for activities
that will enable you to meet this
year’s goals
• Consider your current
Opportunities
• Recommend soliciting input to
generate a broader span of ideas
• Do not yet evaluate or select
activities – brainstorming only
Brainstorm possible activities to achieve Goals

Evaluate and rank ideas based on:
Evaluate and select Activities
Activity
Benefit
1=Low, 3=High
Effort
3=Low, 1=High
Total
Score
Train for a 5K race 2 2 4
Go on low-carb diet 2 1 3
Potential tools to use:
• Using ranking as a guide, disposition each activity -> Yes, No, Maybe
• Select final activities – lean toward selecting fewer activities to execute well
Benefit / Effort matrix
Numerical scoring system:
1. Overall benefit and alignment to goals
2. Amount of effort/resources required

Create a plan, monthly targets, and ‘triggers’
• Develop a timeline for activities
• Consider schedule constraints and try to ‘even the workload’
• Set incremental (i.e. monthly) progress targets for both
activities and Goals
Example:
Tracking progress to target allows quick identification and response to gaps
• Decide how to measure and
track progress
• Determine ‘triggers’ – level
where response is needed
Trigger for
action

Purpose: For ease of communication and
ongoing review
Document the hoshin plan
X matrix template
2. Strategic A3
• More accessible and easier to use – ‘tells the story’
• Alignment may not be as clear – make sure to confirm
1. X-Matrix
• Traditional template for hoshin planning
• Clearly shows cascading alignment from vision down to tactical level
• Complex and can be difficult to understand – more appropriate after
more advanced Hoshin experience
Main types of template structures:

Strategic A3 Example

• Solicit input from trusted advisors and ‘stakeholders’
– i.e. mentors, coworkers, family, friends
• Questions to ask:
– Am I focusing on the right things?
– Do you see any concerns?
– What might I missing?
– What additional ideas do you have?
Catchball – the process of reviewing hoshin with others
and modifying based on feedback
Pause and ‘play catchball’
Playing catchball improves the quality and robustness of the hoshin plan

Execute the plan and check progress
• Check overall progress toward target monthly and flag any gaps that have
reached the trigger level
• Attempt to identify true root cause for gap (Why-Why analysis, etc)
o Note: If trigger was reached for gap in progress toward Annual Goal,
may need to re-evaluate if activities should be adjusted
• Track corrective actions and monitor results
Example: Trigger not reached Trigger reached
Month trigger reached Root cause Countermeasure Result
June 2018 Missed reading target
->Why? Did not have books available
->Why? High travel month – don’t like to pack books
Purchase and
load books onto
e-reader
OK
Trigger: 2 consecutive months of missing target

Evaluate overall Hoshin status
• Questions to ask:
ü Am I still aligned and making progress toward my overall vision?
ü Do I need to adjust, eliminate, or add any goals and/or activities?
ü Have there been any environmental changes (i.e. obstacles or
opportunities) that I need to adjust for?
Goal 1: “Obtain promotion to Master Black Belt and develop competency in role”
Changing condition: Need to support younger sister – MBB role too demanding
Adaptation: Pursuing Practitioner promotion instead – updated Goal and Activities
Plan
DoStudy
Adjust
• Regular (i.e. quarterly) deeper reflection and
adjustment if needed
Hoshin is a dynamic process- deliberately reflect and adjust as needed
Example:

Reflect on Hoshin at the end of the year
Take time to deeply review your hoshin process and results
• Questions to ask:
ü Did I meet all of my annual goals? Why or why not?
ü What went well?
ü What challenges did I have?
Reflect to continuously learn from and improve hoshin practice each year
ü How can I improve my
Hoshin process next year?
ü Do I need to reevaluate my
vision and/or 3-5 year
objectives?
Example:

How You Can Apply Hoshin
• Take an experimental yet committed approach
• Reflect deeply throughout development process
• Start small (i.e., 1-2 annual goals)
• Take an experimental approach to activities
• Be disciplined in tracking, reviewing, and
responding to progress
• Periodically evaluate overall Hoshin during the
year and adapt as needed
• Aim for progress, not perfection
Hoshin – a powerful approach to accelerate the achievement of your vision

Key Takeaways
• Hoshin Kanri – a high level PDSA approach to strategy
• Starts with defining the vision (“True North”) – where
we are going
• Provides a road map – how we are going to get there
• Cascades strategic vision down to tactical activities
• Incorporates the catchball process to obtain input
• Emphasizes regular “review and response” to
evaluate progress respond to gaps
• Includes review of plan and process throughout year
and encourages adaptation as needed
Hoshin Kanri – a power approach that aligns strategy with execution to
accelerate progress toward the vision

Additional Resources
• Getting the Right Things Done by Dennis Pascal
• Beyond Strategic Vision by Cowley, Michael, Domb, Ellen
• KaiNexus (www.kainexus.com) - strategy deployment
software and other solutions
Connect with Jess:
• Yokoten Learning (www.yokotenlearning.com)
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessorr
• Email: jess@yokotenlearning.com

Announcements
(Then Q&A)

Future Webinars
• Register at www.KaiNexus.com/webinars
• The Banna-Rippey Show
• January 31 (for KaiNexus Customers)
• Meghan Scanlon, Zero Harm & Transformation
• February 27 (open to all)

Other Resources
www.KaiNexus.com

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Q&A
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Mark Graban
Senior Advisor, KaiNexus
Mark@KaiNexus.com
Jess Orr
Continuous Improvement
Practitioner
jess@yokotenlearning.com