Rock Your Strategy

Author: Alex

  • OGSM for Startups: How to Build a One-Page Strategy When Resources Are Tight

    OGSM for Startups: How to Build a One-Page Strategy When Resources Are Tight

    Most startups have no shortage of ambition. What they’re short on is focus.

    OGSM works exceptionally well for startups because it forces strategic focus on a single page — one objective, three to five goals, a handful of clear strategies, and the measures to track them. For a resource-constrained team, that’s not a limitation. It’s the whole point. A well-built startup OGSM replaces lengthy business plans with a living document your whole team can execute from day one.

    Here’s how to build one — adapted specifically for the realities of an early-stage or fast-growing business.

    Why Startups Avoid Strategy (And Why That’s a Mistake)

    The most common objection to strategic planning in startups is speed. Things change too fast. The market shifts. The product pivots. Writing a strategy feels like a waste of time when everything is in flux.

    There’s some truth in this — but it misses something important. The problem isn’t strategy. The problem is the wrong kind of strategy.

    A 40-page business plan is the wrong kind. It takes weeks to write, goes out of date immediately, and nobody reads it twice. But that’s not what OGSM is.

    OGSM is a one-page strategic plan. It takes a few hours to build with your founding team, fits on a single slide, and can be updated in minutes when circumstances change. It doesn’t slow you down. It gives you the clarity to move faster — because everyone on the team knows exactly what they’re optimising for.

    The startups that struggle aren’t the ones that plan too much. They’re the ones that move fast in too many directions at once.

    Why OGSM Is Particularly Well-Suited to Startups

    OGSM has several features that make it especially effective for early-stage businesses.

    It’s short. One page forces ruthless prioritisation. You can’t fit everything on one page, which means you have to decide what matters most. That decision is the strategy.

    It’s visual. The OGSM is structured as a table — objective at the top, goals and strategies and measures aligned across a single row structure. The entire team can see the plan at a glance. No scrolling through slides. No hunting for the relevant paragraph.

    It links ambition to action. The OGSM connects your objective (where you’re going) directly to the initiatives your team works on every week. That connection is what most startup planning lacks. The mission is inspiring but the Monday morning to-do list feels disconnected from it. OGSM closes that gap.

    It’s easy to update. When your assumptions change — and in a startup, they will — you update the relevant line of the OGSM and re-share it. A one-page plan adapts in minutes. A 40-page business plan doesn’t.

    How to Adapt OGSM for a Startup Context

    The standard OGSM structure works well for startups with one adjustment: be more comfortable with uncertainty in your goals and measures early on, and expect to revisit them more frequently than an established business would.

    Here’s how to approach each element.

    The Objective should describe the future state you’re building toward — not what you do today, but where you’re heading. Keep it to one sentence. Make it specific enough to be meaningful, but broad enough to survive a product pivot. Good startup objectives often describe the problem you’re solving and the customer you’re serving, not just the revenue you want to hit.

    The Goals should be 3 to 5 quantitative targets for the next 12 months. In a startup, at least one of these will almost certainly be a revenue or growth target. Others might cover customer acquisition, product milestones, team building, or runway. Be honest with yourself: a goal you can’t measure isn’t a goal, it’s a wish.

    The Strategies are where most startups underinvest. A strategy isn’t “grow our customer base.” That’s a goal. A strategy is the specific approach you’ll take: “Grow our customer base by partnering with three complementary SaaS platforms to reach their existing user communities.” The more specific you can be, the more useful the strategy becomes as a decision-making tool — helping your team say no to the things that don’t fit.

    The Measures — covering both the metrics you track and the initiatives you’ll execute — should be lean. A startup OGSM typically has two to three initiatives per strategy, not ten. Pick the ones that move the needle. Everything else is noise.

    What a Startup OGSM Looks Like in Practice

    Here’s a simplified example for an early-stage B2B SaaS startup:

    Objective: Become the go-to project management tool for freelance creative agencies by delivering a beautifully simple platform that saves them five hours of admin per week.

    Goals:

    • €500K ARR by December
    • 200 paying customers by Q3
    • NPS score of 50+ by Q2
    • Churn rate below 5% monthly

    Strategy 1: Win the freelance agency segment by focusing all marketing and product development on their specific workflow needs.
    Measures: 3 agency partnerships signed, 50 case studies published, product roadmap reviewed quarterly with 5 agency customers

    Strategy 2: Drive acquisition through content and community, not paid ads.
    Measures: 10,000 monthly blog visitors by Q4, 1 active community forum launched, 2 guest posts per month on agency-focused publications

    This is a real plan. It fits on one page. The whole founding team can point to it and say: this is what we’re doing and why.

    Three Mistakes Startups Make With OGSM

    Mistake 1: Setting too many goals. More than five goals dilutes focus. Pick the three to five numbers that genuinely indicate your startup is on the right trajectory, and track those obsessively.

    Mistake 2: Writing vague strategies. “Build brand awareness” is not a strategy. “Build brand awareness by publishing two founder-led LinkedIn articles per week targeting our ICP” is. The test: can someone on your team look at a strategy and know exactly what to do on Monday morning?

    Mistake 3: Building it in isolation. The OGSM only works if the team that needs to execute it had a hand in creating it. Even in a founding team of two, build it together. The conversation is as valuable as the document.

    Start With the Template, Not a Blank Page

    If you want to build your startup OGSM quickly, the fastest way to start is with a structured template that gives you the right layout from the beginning. Our OGSM Template for PowerPoint and OGSM Template for Excel are designed to get you from blank page to complete strategic plan in a single working session.

    And if you want to see the framework in action before you build your own, our OGSM examples show how real businesses — from a small Italian restaurant to a B2B company — have used it to build plans that actually get executed.

    Related: What Is OGSM? | How To Write A Great Objective For A Strategic Plan | OGSM vs OKR

  • OGSM vs OKR: Which Strategic Framework Is Right for Your Business?

    OGSM vs OKR: Which Strategic Framework Is Right for Your Business?

    Two of the most popular strategic frameworks in business today. One right answer for your situation.

    OGSM is the stronger choice when you need a complete strategic plan that covers both what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there — typically over a 1 to 3 year horizon. OKRs are better suited to teams running fast, short goal-setting cycles — usually quarterly — without needing the full strategic context layer. The key practical difference: OGSM includes an explicit strategy; OKRs do not.

    Here’s a full breakdown of both frameworks — how they work, where they shine, where they fall short, and how to decide which one is right for your business.

    What Is OGSM?

    OGSM stands for Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures. It’s a one-page strategic planning framework that captures your entire business strategy in a single, structured document — from the qualitative ambition at the top to the specific actions and metrics at the bottom.

    The four components work together in a deliberate hierarchy:

    • Objective — a qualitative statement describing where you want to go
    • Goals — 3 to 5 quantitative targets that define what success looks like
    • Strategies — the specific approaches you’ll take to achieve those goals
    • Measures — the metrics and initiatives that tell you whether your strategies are working

    OGSM was developed in the 1950s and has been used by large multinationals — Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Mars, and many others — to align strategy across complex organisations. Today it’s just as effective for small businesses and individual teams as it is for global corporations.

    What Are OKRs?

    OKRs stands for Objectives and Key Results. The framework was developed by Andy Grove at Intel in the 1970s, then popularised at Google by investor John Doerr in the late 1990s. Since then it has become the framework of choice in Silicon Valley and the broader startup world.

    An OKR consists of two parts:

    • Objective — an inspiring, qualitative statement of what you want to achieve
    • Key Results — typically 3 to 5 measurable outcomes that define what achieving the objective looks like

    OKRs are usually set quarterly, reviewed regularly, and graded at the end of each cycle. The framework is designed to move fast: set ambitious targets, execute quickly, learn, and reset.

    OGSM vs OKR: The Key Differences

    Both frameworks start with an objective. After that, they diverge significantly.

    1. Strategy vs Results

    This is the most important difference. OGSM includes an explicit layer for strategies — the specific approaches, choices, and methods you’ll use to achieve your goals. OKRs skip this layer entirely. An OKR tells you what you want to achieve and how you’ll measure success, but not how you’ll actually get there.

    For businesses that need to make real strategic choices — which markets to enter, which customer segments to prioritise, which capabilities to build — the absence of a strategy layer in OKRs is a genuine limitation.

    2. Time Horizon

    OGSM is designed for medium to long-term strategic planning — typically one to three years. It gives your organisation a stable north star to execute against over time.

    OKRs are built for speed. Most organisations run OKRs on a quarterly cycle, which makes them excellent for execution but less suited to long-term strategic direction.

    3. Comprehensiveness

    An OGSM is a complete strategic plan. It answers the fundamental questions of business strategy in one document: Where are we going? What does success look like? How will we get there? How will we know we’re on track?

    OKRs answer the first two and the last, but leave the third — the “how” — undefined. This works well for organisations where strategy is set separately and OKRs are used purely as an execution and alignment tool.

    4. Origin and Culture

    OGSM has roots in classic corporate planning and is most commonly used in large, established organisations — particularly in consumer goods, pharma, and professional services.

    OKRs emerged from the tech world and are deeply embedded in startup culture. They reflect a philosophy of ambition, experimentation, and rapid iteration that suits fast-growing companies better than a methodical annual planning process.

    5. Cascade

    Both frameworks can cascade through an organisation — from company level to department to team to individual. OGSM cascades through the strategy layer: each department or team writes its own OGSM that aligns with the strategies above it. OKRs cascade through the key results: a company-level key result becomes the objective for the team below.

    In practice, OGSM cascades are more structured and strategic; OKR cascades are faster and more flexible.

    When to Choose OGSM

    OGSM is the right choice if:

    • You need a complete strategic plan, not just a goal-setting tool
    • Your planning horizon is one year or longer
    • You need to align a team or organisation around both direction and execution
    • You’re in a more established business where strategic choices and trade-offs matter
    • You want a single document your entire leadership team can read, debate, and commit to
    • You need to cascade strategy clearly from the top down

    When to Choose OKRs

    OKRs are the right choice if:

    • Your organisation moves fast and needs to reset goals frequently
    • Strategy is already set and you need a rigorous execution and accountability tool
    • You’re in a startup or tech company where quarterly cycles fit naturally
    • You want individual contributors to set their own OKRs aligned to company objectives
    • You prefer a lighter, more agile framework over a comprehensive strategic plan

    Can You Use Both Together?

    Yes — and some organisations do. A common approach is to use OGSM for the annual strategic plan (the “what” and “how” over 12 months) and OKRs for the quarterly execution layer within each strategy.

    In this model, the OGSM gives you strategic direction and stability. The OKRs give each team a focused, time-bound set of outcomes to drive in the next 90 days. The two frameworks reinforce each other rather than compete.

    The risk to watch out for: complexity. Running both frameworks at once requires discipline and clear governance. If the OGSM and OKRs aren’t explicitly connected, teams end up with two sets of priorities that quietly pull in different directions.

    Which Should You Choose?

    If you’re building or refreshing a strategic plan for your business, OGSM will serve you better. It forces you to make real strategic choices, not just set targets — and that discipline is what separates strategies that get executed from plans that gather dust.

    If you already have a clear strategy in place and your primary challenge is execution and team alignment at a fast pace, OKRs are a powerful complement.

    When in doubt, start with OGSM. It gives you everything OKRs give you — a clear objective, measurable goals, and a way to track progress — plus the strategic layer that OKRs leave out.

    Ready to Build Your OGSM?

    If OGSM sounds like the right fit, the best place to start is a clean, ready-to-use template. Our OGSM Template for PowerPoint and OGSM Template for Excel are built for exactly this — a structured, professional framework you can populate in a single session and share with your team immediately.

    Still not sure which framework is right for you? Read What Is OGSM? for a deeper look at the methodology, or explore our OGSM examples to see it in action.

    Related: Top 10 OGSM Tips To Rock Your Strategy | What Type of Strategies Are Best for OGSM?

  • OGSM Example: Non-Profit — Aligning Programmes and Funding with a One-Page Strategy

    OGSM Example: Non-Profit — Aligning Programmes and Funding with a One-Page Strategy

    Non-profit strategy is harder than it looks. The mission is often clear. The activities are often many. The funding is often restricted to specific programmes. And the pressure to demonstrate impact to donors, foundations, and government partners creates a reporting burden that can crowd out strategic thinking entirely.

    The OGSM framework is well-suited to non-profit contexts precisely because it creates alignment across programmes, funding sources, and staff — on a single page that everyone can read and understand. This example shows how a fictional education non-profit — the Bridge Education Foundation, an NGO focused on digital literacy for underserved youth — used the OGSM to align their leadership team and build a coherent three-year strategy. The organisation, numbers, and details are illustrative. The strategic challenges are real.

    If you’re new to the OGSM framework, start with the Complete OGSM Framework Guide. If you’re ready to build, download our OGSM templates for PowerPoint and Excel.

    About Bridge Education Foundation

    The Bridge Education Foundation delivers digital literacy programmes to young people aged 12–18 in under-resourced secondary schools and community centres across three cities. Their flagship programme — Code Bridge — is a 12-week after-school coding and digital skills curriculum that has reached 2,400 young people since its founding. They also run a summer camp and a mentorship programme connecting graduates with working professionals in tech.

    At the time of this OGSM, Bridge has an annual budget of €1.8M, a team of 14 (6 programme staff, 4 operations, 2 fundraising, 2 leadership), and funding from three corporate partners, two government grants, and a base of 340 individual donors. The core programme is strong — participant outcomes are well above sector benchmarks — but the organisation is over-reliant on two funding relationships and has not grown its reach in three years. The board wants a strategy that addresses both sustainability and scale.

    The Bridge Education Foundation OGSM

    Objective

    Establish Bridge Education Foundation as a leading provider of digital literacy education for underserved youth by deepening programme impact, diversifying our funding base, and scaling our reach to 6,000 young people by 2028.

    Goals

    Bridge’s goals translate the three-year objective into measurable outcomes. They cover both mission impact (reach and programme quality) and organisational sustainability (funding diversification and financial resilience).

    GoalCurrentTarget (3-year)
    Young people reached per year8002,000
    Programme completion rate74%≥85%
    Annual budget€1.8M€3.5M
    Largest funder as % of total income38%≤20%
    Individual donor base340≥1,200

    Strategies

    Strategies define where Bridge will concentrate its energy and resources over the three-year period. Each reflects a conscious choice, written as a “what-by-how” statement.

    Strategy 1: Scale programme reach by partnering with 8 additional schools to deliver Code Bridge as part of the formal curriculum rather than only as after-school provision

    After-school programming reaches motivated young people but misses many who can’t stay after school due to family commitments, transport, or part-time work. Embedding Code Bridge into curriculum time with partner schools — as an elective, a PSHE module, or a dedicated digital skills period — dramatically increases reach without proportionally increasing staff cost. Bridge will target schools where leadership already prioritises digital inclusion.

    Strategy 2: Improve programme completion and outcomes by redesigning Code Bridge to include structured mentorship from week 4, based on what the data shows drives completion

    Bridge’s data shows that participants who connect with a mentor in the first four weeks complete the programme at 91% vs. 61% for those who don’t. Currently, mentorship is introduced at week 8 and is inconsistently assigned. Moving structured mentor matching to week 4 and making it systematic — rather than dependent on coordinator capacity — will significantly improve the completion goal.

    Strategy 3: Diversify the funding base by growing individual and community giving to represent ≥25% of income through a structured major donor programme and a public annual campaign

    Bridge’s current over-reliance on two funders creates existential risk. One funder is an EU-funded programme that may not renew post-2026. Individual giving — currently at 12% of income — is more resilient, unrestricted, and often unlocks matched funding from corporate partners. Bridge will build a major donor programme targeting 20 donors at the €5K–€25K level and run an annual public campaign (“Bridge the Gap”) to grow the broad donor base.

    Strategy 4: Build an evidence base that unlocks institutional funding by publishing annual impact data to a recognised social impact standard and submitting for two major foundation grants per year

    Major foundations and government funders increasingly require evidence to a recognised standard (SROI, Theory of Change, third-party evaluation) before making significant investments. Bridge has strong outcome data but has never packaged it systematically for external reporting. Publishing an annual impact report to a recognised standard — and using it as the centrepiece of foundation grant applications — will unlock a class of funding that is currently inaccessible.

    Measures

    Measures connect each strategy to the metrics and actions that will make it real. For a non-profit, measures need to cover both programme delivery and organisational development activities.

    StrategyKey MetricsActions
    Curriculum partnerships8 school partnerships signed; 2,000 young people reached p/a by year 3; Cost per participant reduced ≤€250Map 20 target schools by digital inclusion priority (Q1); Develop school partnership proposal and MOU (Q1); Sign first 3 school partnerships (Q1–Q2)
    Programme redesignCompletion rate ≥85%; Mentor assigned by week 4 for ≥90% of participants; Mentor satisfaction score ≥4.2/5Audit mentor matching process and identify bottlenecks (Q1); Redesign mentor onboarding and matching workflow (Q2); Pilot new model with next cohort (Q2–Q3)
    Individual givingIndividual giving ≥25% of income; Major donor base of 20 at €5K+; Annual campaign raises ≥€120KHire part-time fundraising coordinator (Q1); Identify and cultivate 30 major donor prospects (Q1–Q2); Launch Bridge the Gap annual campaign (Q3)
    Evidence & fundingAnnual impact report published; 2 major foundation applications submitted p/a; Foundation income ≥€600K by year 3Commission Theory of Change refresh (Q1); Publish Year 1 impact report to SROI standard (Q2); Submit first two foundation applications (Q3)

    What Makes This OGSM Work

    The goals are honest about the dual challenge. It would be easy for Bridge to set only mission goals (reach 6,000 young people) or only financial goals (reach €3.5M budget). The OGSM forces both onto the same page — including the uncomfortable funding concentration goal. You can’t build a three-year strategy without acknowledging the existential risk in the current funding model.

    Strategy 2 is evidence-led. Rather than assuming that “better mentorship” is the answer, Bridge’s data specifically shows that early mentor assignment (week 4 vs. week 8) is the variable that drives completion. The strategy is specific because the evidence is specific. This is what good strategy looks like: not a general direction, but a precise intervention based on what the data tells you.

    The measures distinguish between metrics and actions. Many non-profit strategies set impact targets but don’t name the operational actions that will get there. Bridge’s OGSM links each strategy to both numbers (key metrics) and specific actions with timelines. That distinction is what turns a strategy into a workplan.

    OGSM one-pager strategy example — Bridge Education

    Adapting OGSM for Non-Profit Contexts

    The OGSM works for non-profits with a few adaptations worth noting.

    The Objective should lead with mission, not operations. For a non-profit, the objective should answer the question: “What change are we trying to create in the world, and how?” Bridge’s objective names both the mission (digital literacy for underserved youth) and the strategic mechanisms (deepening impact, diversifying funding, scaling reach). That combination keeps the organisation focused on mission while being honest about the organisational development needed to achieve it.

    Goals should include both impact and sustainability metrics. A non-profit that tracks only programme reach will tend to under-invest in funding diversification. One that tracks only financial metrics will drift toward mission in name only. Both dimensions need to be in the goals for the strategy to be coherent.

    Be explicit about funding in the strategies. Many non-profit strategic plans treat fundraising as a support function rather than a strategic priority. Bridge’s OGSM includes two explicit fundraising strategies — individual giving diversification and evidence-based institutional funding — because without those, the programme strategies have no financial foundation.

    Build Your Own OGSM

    Use our pre-formatted OGSM templates to build your own one-page strategy. Available for Microsoft PowerPoint (for board presentations and funder reporting) and Microsoft Excel (for building, tracking, and updating your plan). Both are fully editable and immediately downloadable.

    Browse OGSM templates in the shop →

    More OGSM Examples

    See how the OGSM framework applies across different business contexts:

    Questions or comments? Drop them below, or sign up to our free newsletter for practical strategy tips. Rock on!

  • OGSM Example: E-commerce / DTC Brand — Scaling a Sustainable Home Goods Company

    OGSM Example: E-commerce / DTC Brand — Scaling a Sustainable Home Goods Company

    E-commerce and direct-to-consumer brands face a particular version of the strategy problem: growth levers are highly visible (paid social, influencer, new product launches) but the discipline to choose between them is rare. Without that discipline, brands hit $3–5M in revenue and stall — spending more on acquisition, watching margins compress, and losing the brand clarity that made them interesting in the first place.

    This example shows how a fictional DTC brand — LumaHome, a sustainable home goods company selling premium linen bedding and textiles — used the OGSM framework to build a focused growth strategy around profitability and customer lifetime value rather than top-line growth at any cost. The company, numbers, and details are illustrative. The strategic tensions are real.

    If you’re new to the OGSM framework, start with the Complete OGSM Framework Guide. If you’re ready to build, download our OGSM templates for PowerPoint and Excel.

    About LumaHome

    LumaHome makes premium linen bedding, cushion covers, and table textiles from certified organic flax sourced in Europe. They sell DTC through their own website and have a small but growing wholesale presence with two boutique hotel groups. Their brand positioning sits at the intersection of sustainability, craftsmanship, and understated design — think Parachute meets Muji.

    At the time of this OGSM, LumaHome has reached $3.2M in annual revenue with a 58% gross margin. Customer acquisition cost (CAC) has risen 40% over 18 months due to increased Meta advertising costs. Repeat purchase rate is 28% — below the 40%+ benchmarks for premium DTC brands in this category. The founding team wants to reach $6M revenue while improving contribution margin, not just hitting the revenue number.

    The LumaHome OGSM

    Objective

    Establish LumaHome as the leading premium sustainable home textile brand for design-conscious consumers by building a loyal repeat customer base and reducing dependence on paid acquisition.

    Goals

    LumaHome’s goals reflect the dual ambition of the objective: grow revenue meaningfully while improving the unit economics that make growth sustainable.

    GoalCurrentTarget
    Annual revenue$3.2M$6M
    Repeat purchase rate28%≥42%
    Customer acquisition cost (CAC)€62≤€45
    Contribution margin22%≥30%
    Email subscriber list18,000≥50,000

    Strategies

    Each strategy reflects a deliberate choice about where LumaHome will invest and what they will prioritise over alternatives. They are written as “what-by-how” statements.

    Strategy 1: Increase repeat purchase rate by building a post-purchase customer journey that turns first-time buyers into multi-category customers within 90 days

    LumaHome’s best customers buy bedding, then cushion covers, then table linens — a natural progression that most customers never discover on their own. The strategy is to build an intentional 90-day post-purchase sequence: personalised email flows based on first purchase category, a loyalty programme that rewards category expansion, and a discovery kit offer at day 30 that introduces adjacent products at a trial price.

    Strategy 2: Reduce paid acquisition dependence by building owned audience channels — email and organic content — to drive ≥40% of new customer revenue

    Currently, 71% of new customer revenue flows through paid social. Every year, platform CPMs rise and margin compresses. LumaHome will invest in organic content (a home styling editorial series, YouTube room transformation videos, and a weekly newsletter) and SEO to build channels where acquisition cost approaches zero over time.

    Strategy 3: Improve contribution margin by rationalising the SKU range and concentrating production volume on the top 20% of products that generate 80% of revenue

    LumaHome currently offers 67 SKUs. Their bottom 40 SKUs account for less than 8% of revenue but require the same photography, copywriting, inventory management, and customer service overhead as the top performers. Cutting these and concentrating purchasing volume on hero products will improve COGS through volume discounts and simplify operations.

    Strategy 4: Expand the wholesale channel by signing 3–5 boutique hotel partners to create a premium B2B revenue stream with high order values and strong brand validation

    Hotels buy in high volume, pay premium prices for design quality, and serve as living showrooms for the LumaHome brand. Guests experience the product in an aspirational context and frequently search for it after their stay. LumaHome will develop a dedicated hotel programme with custom sizing options, volume pricing, and a concierge procurement service.

    Measures

    Measures translate each strategy into specific metrics and actions. Without this level of specificity, strategies stay on the page rather than driving daily decisions.

    StrategyKey MetricsActions
    Post-purchase journeyRepeat purchase rate ≥42%; Second purchase within 90 days ≥35%; Loyalty programme enrolment ≥50% of buyersBuild 90-day post-purchase email flows by category (Q1); Launch loyalty programme (Q2); Test discovery kit offer to cohort of 1,000 first-time buyers (Q1)
    Owned audiencePaid acquisition share ≤60% by Q4; Email list ≥50K; Organic search traffic +80%Launch weekly newsletter (Q1); Publish 2 editorial home styling features per month (Q1 onward); Commission 4 YouTube room videos per quarter (Q2)
    SKU rationalisationSKU count reduced to ≤40; COGS on hero SKUs reduced ≥8%; Inventory turnover improved to ≥4x/yearAudit SKU performance by revenue and margin (Q1); Discontinue bottom 27 SKUs (Q1); Renegotiate supply contracts on top 15 SKUs with increased volume (Q2)
    Hotel channel3 hotel partners signed by Q3; Hotel B2B revenue ≥$400K; Average hotel order value ≥$8KDevelop hotel product catalogue and pricing (Q1); Identify and approach 20 boutique hotel targets (Q1–Q2); Sign first 3 contracts (Q2–Q3)

    What Makes This OGSM Work

    The objective reframes the success metric. LumaHome could have written an objective about “becoming Europe’s leading sustainable home brand.” Instead they named the mechanism that will make the business sustainably successful: a loyal repeat customer base and reduced paid acquisition dependence. That reframe shapes every strategic choice that follows.

    The goals create productive tension. Hitting $6M revenue while reducing CAC from €62 to €45 is not easy — those goals push against each other. That tension is intentional. It forces LumaHome to find growth from existing customers and organic channels rather than just spending more on acquisition. If you only set revenue goals, you’ll hit them by paying whatever it costs to acquire customers.

    Strategy 3 is the most uncomfortable one — and the most important. SKU rationalisation requires saying no to products that have fans, require design write-offs, and feel like a step backward. But in DTC, operational simplicity directly drives margin. The OGSM makes the case for that decision in the context of the full strategy, which is harder to argue against than the decision in isolation.

    OGSM one-pager strategy example — Luma Home

    DTC-Specific OGSM Considerations

    A few things worth noting if you’re building an OGSM for a DTC or e-commerce business.

    Include both acquisition and retention in your goals. Most DTC strategies focus exclusively on revenue and new customer acquisition. The repeat purchase rate and CAC goals in LumaHome’s OGSM are what force the retention and owned channel strategies into the plan. Without them, those strategies don’t have a goal to drive toward.

    Contribution margin is a more honest goal than gross margin. Gross margin at 58% sounds healthy. Contribution margin at 22% — after paid acquisition, fulfilment, and returns — tells a different story. Set your goals at the level that reflects the actual cost structure of your growth model.

    Be specific about the channel mix in your strategies. “Invest in content” is not a strategy. “Build owned audience channels to drive ≥40% of new customer revenue” is a strategy — because it has a measurable target, a directional choice (owned over paid), and implies what you’re willing to trade off (short-term paid growth) to achieve it.

    Build Your Own OGSM

    Use our pre-formatted OGSM templates to build your own one-page strategy. Available for Microsoft PowerPoint (for investor and leadership presentations) and Microsoft Excel (for building, tracking, and updating your plan). Both are fully editable and immediately downloadable.

    Browse OGSM templates in the shop →

    More OGSM Examples

    See how the OGSM framework applies across different business contexts:

    Questions or comments? Drop them below, or sign up to our free newsletter for practical strategy tips. Rock on!

  • OGSM Example: AI Startup — From Research to Revenue at Series A

    OGSM Example: AI Startup — From Research to Revenue at Series A

    AI startups face a version of the classic strategy problem in concentrated form: the technology is powerful and the opportunity is large, but the surface area of possible applications is so wide that focus becomes genuinely hard. Without a forcing mechanism, teams default to building everything and selling to everyone — which usually means making real progress on nothing.

    This example shows how a fictional AI startup — Synapse AI, a Series A company building document intelligence software for professional services firms — used the OGSM framework to make the transition from research-led organisation to revenue-driven business. The company, numbers, and details are illustrative. The strategic challenges are real.

    If you’re new to the OGSM framework, start with the Complete OGSM Framework Guide. If you’re ready to build, download our OGSM templates for PowerPoint and Excel.

    About Synapse AI

    Synapse AI has built a proprietary large language model fine-tuned for legal and financial document analysis. Their technology can extract key clauses from contracts, flag risk provisions, summarise regulatory filings, and surface precedent across thousands of documents in seconds — work that currently takes teams of paralegals and junior analysts hours to complete.

    At the time of this OGSM, Synapse has closed a $6M Series A, has ARR of $500K from 8 paying customers (law firms and one investment bank), and a team of 22 people. The core technology is strong, but the go-to-market is ad hoc. Deals have come through founder relationships, not a repeatable process. The board is expecting a path to $3M ARR before the next funding round.

    The Synapse AI OGSM

    Objective

    Establish Synapse AI as the trusted document intelligence platform for mid-size professional services firms by building a repeatable sales motion and deepening product value within our initial customer segment.

    Goals

    Goals define what success looks like in measurable terms at the end of the 18-month period. Synapse’s goals reflect both the growth expectations of their Series A investors and the operational milestones needed to build a fundable Series B story.

    GoalCurrentTarget
    Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)$500K$3M
    Number of paying customers840
    Average Contract Value (ACV)$62K≥$75K
    Gross Revenue Retention88%≥95%
    Sales cycle length6–8 months≤4 months

    Strategies

    Strategies are the high-impact choices about where Synapse will concentrate resources — and, by implication, what they will not do. Each is written as a “what-by-how” statement.

    Strategy 1: Build a repeatable sales process by focusing exclusively on mid-size law firms (50–200 attorneys) and codifying what converts

    Eight of Synapse’s customers are law firms. That’s not a coincidence — the document density, compliance requirements, and billable-hour economics create a strong value proposition. Rather than broadening to financial services or consulting firms in parallel, Synapse will go deep in legal first: building case studies, developing a sales playbook from their best-performing deals, and hiring a sales hire with legal tech experience.

    Strategy 2: Shorten the sales cycle by building a self-serve proof-of-concept environment that demonstrates value on the prospect’s own documents

    The 6–8 month sales cycle is the biggest obstacle to hitting the ARR target. Most of that time is spent on internal buy-in and IT security reviews. Synapse will build a sandboxed POC environment where prospects can upload 20–50 of their own documents and see Synapse work on their real content — compressing time-to-wow and reducing stakeholder objections before formal procurement.

    Strategy 3: Increase retention and expand ACV by embedding Synapse deeper into each customer’s existing workflow through integrations with iManage and NetDocuments

    Three of the eight customers have churned or downgraded because Synapse lived outside their existing document management system. The fix is technical but strategic: native integrations with the two dominant legal DMS platforms (iManage and NetDocuments) will make Synapse a workflow layer, not a separate tool — dramatically increasing switching costs and expansion potential.

    Strategy 4: Build market credibility by partnering with two Am Law 200 firms as design partners to develop and publicly validate the next product generation

    Enterprise legal buyers are highly reference-dependent. A proof point from a recognised firm carries more weight than any marketing claim. Synapse will recruit two Am Law 200 firms as paid design partners — giving them early access to roadmap features in exchange for co-development input, case study rights, and permission to use their logos in sales materials.

    Measures

    Measures link each strategy to the specific metrics and actions that will drive execution. This is where the OGSM becomes an operating document rather than a strategy slide.

    StrategyKey MetricsActions
    Legal segment focusNew logo win rate in legal ≥30%; Deals from playbook ≥80%; Legal ACV ≥$75KDocument top 3 closed-won deals into sales playbook (Q1); Hire legal tech AE (Q1); Develop 5 law firm case studies (Q1–Q2)
    POC environmentPOC-to-paid conversion ≥60%; Sales cycle ≤4 months; POC sessions per month ≥8Build sandboxed POC environment (Q1–Q2); Integrate into outbound sequence as step 3 (Q2); Train sales team on POC-led demo (Q2)
    DMS integrationsGross retention ≥95%; iManage/NetDocuments installs ≥70% of base; Expansion from integrated accounts ≥20%Ship iManage integration (Q2); Ship NetDocuments integration (Q3); Launch customer success onboarding for integration activation (Q3)
    Am Law design partners2 design partners signed by Q2; Case study published by Q3; Logo usage in ≥50% of sales decksIdentify and approach 6 Am Law 200 targets (Q1); Negotiate design partner agreements (Q1–Q2); Build joint product roadmap sessions (Q2–Q4)

    What Makes This OGSM Work

    The objective is honest about the stage. Synapse didn’t write an objective about “disrupting the legal industry” or “transforming how professional services firms work.” They wrote an objective about building a repeatable sales motion and deepening product value within a specific segment. That honesty about what actually needs to happen in the next 18 months is what makes the OGSM useful rather than aspirational.

    The segment choice is load-bearing. Strategy 1’s decision to focus exclusively on mid-size law firms is the most important strategic choice in this OGSM. It constrains everything else: who you hire, what integrations you build, which design partners you pursue. AI startups that try to serve all verticals simultaneously typically end up with a generic product and no compelling case studies for any of them.

    The POC strategy addresses the real bottleneck. Many AI startups focus their strategy on product improvements when the real constraint is procurement friction. Synapse identified that 60% of their sales cycle was internal buy-in and security review — and built a strategy around compressing that, not just making the product better.

    OGSM one-pager strategy example — Synapse AI

    Common OGSM Mistakes AI Startups Make

    The OGSM framework works for AI startups precisely because it forces trade-offs that are easy to avoid. Here are the patterns we see most often go wrong.

    Technology as strategy. “We will use our proprietary LLM to outperform competitors” is not a strategy — it’s a capability. A strategy describes where and how you will deploy that capability to create value for a specific customer in a specific context. Synapse’s Strategy 1 is a strategy. “We have better AI” is not.

    Too many segments in the goals. AI startups often set ARR goals without specifying which customer segments will drive that revenue. If the goal is $3M ARR from 40 customers, but 15 of those are from legal and 25 are from “various industries,” the OGSM has no real alignment. The segment clarity has to show up in the goals, not just the strategies.

    Measures without owners. The measures table in Synapse’s OGSM has owners implicit in each action. In practice, when you build this with your team, every action should have a named owner and a due date. Without those two things, measures become aspirational rather than operational.

    Build Your Own OGSM

    Use our pre-formatted OGSM templates to build your own one-page strategy. Available for Microsoft PowerPoint (for board and leadership presentations) and Microsoft Excel (for building, tracking, and updating your plan). Both are fully editable and immediately downloadable.

    Browse OGSM templates in the shop →

    More OGSM Examples

    See how the OGSM framework applies across different business contexts:

    Questions or comments? Drop them below, or sign up to our free newsletter for practical strategy tips. Rock on!

  • OGSM Example: B2B SaaS — How a Pipeline Analytics Company Hit $8M ARR

    OGSM Example: B2B SaaS — How a Pipeline Analytics Company Hit $8M ARR

    Most B2B SaaS strategies collapse under the weight of too many priorities. Product wants to ship features. Sales wants more leads. Finance wants CAC under control. The OGSM framework forces you to resolve that tension on a single page — before it resolves itself in the wrong direction.

    This example shows how a fictional B2B SaaS company — PipelineIQ, a pipeline analytics platform for mid-market sales teams — used the OGSM methodology to align their leadership team around a clear path from $2M to $8M ARR. The numbers, company, and details are illustrative. The strategic logic is real.

    If you’re new to the framework, read the Complete OGSM Framework Guide first. If you’re ready to apply it, download our OGSM templates for PowerPoint and Excel and use this example as your reference.

    About PipelineIQ

    PipelineIQ is a B2B SaaS company that helps mid-market sales teams visualize pipeline health, forecast revenue more accurately, and identify deals at risk before they slip. They integrate with Salesforce and HubSpot and sell primarily to VP Sales and RevOps leaders at companies with 50–500 employees.

    At the time of this OGSM, PipelineIQ has reached $2M ARR with strong product-market fit signals — high NPS, good retention among customers who fully onboard — but inconsistent trial-to-paid conversion and a growing gap between SMB and enterprise performance. The leadership team needs to decide where to concentrate resources for the next 12 months.

    The PipelineIQ OGSM

    Objective

    Become the leading pipeline analytics platform for mid-market B2B sales teams by accelerating product-led growth and deepening enterprise retention.

    Goals

    Goals translate the objective into measurable outcomes. PipelineIQ chose five metrics that collectively define what success looks like at the end of the 12-month period.

    GoalCurrentTarget
    Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)$2M$8M
    Net Revenue Retention (NRR)102%≥115%
    Trial-to-paid conversion rate9%≥18%
    CAC payback period18 months≤12 months
    Net Promoter Score (NPS)38≥50

    Strategies

    Strategies are the 3–5 high-impact choices that determine where PipelineIQ concentrates its resources. Each is written as a “what-by-how” statement — specific enough to exclude things they won’t do.

    Strategy 1: Accelerate trial-to-paid conversion by redesigning the onboarding flow around a fast time-to-value milestone

    PipelineIQ’s data shows that users who reach their first “pipeline health score” within 72 hours of signup convert at 3x the rate of those who don’t. The strategy is to rebuild the onboarding sequence around this milestone — removing friction, adding guided prompts, and making the health score the first thing every trial user sees.

    Strategy 2: Increase NRR by building a structured customer success motion for accounts above $15K ARR

    Churn is concentrated in the $10K–$20K ARR band, typically from accounts that never fully adopted the forecasting module. A dedicated CS motion — quarterly business reviews, adoption scoring, and expansion playbooks — will address this before it compounds.

    Strategy 3: Move upmarket into the $20K–$60K ACV segment by targeting RevOps leaders at Series B–D companies through account-based outreach

    Mid-market accounts have lower churn, higher NPS, and more expansion potential than SMBs. PipelineIQ will build an ABM programme targeting 200 high-fit accounts per quarter, led by outbound sequences from a newly hired senior AE.

    Strategy 4: Build category authority by publishing the annual B2B Pipeline Benchmark Report as the definitive industry reference

    Owned research creates durable inbound demand and shortens sales cycles. PipelineIQ will survey 500+ sales leaders, publish findings in Q2, and use the report as the cornerstone of their content and PR strategy for the year.

    Measures

    Measures define how each strategy will be tracked and executed. For each strategy, PipelineIQ identified 2–3 Key Metrics (the numbers that define success) and 2–3 Actions (the concrete initiatives that will move those numbers).

    StrategyKey MetricsActions
    PLG onboardingTrial-to-paid ≥18%; Time-to-health-score <72hrs; Onboarding completion >60%Rebuild onboarding flow (Q1); Launch in-app guidance (Q1); A/B test activation emails (Q2)
    Enterprise CS motionNRR ≥115%; Churn in $15K+ band <5%; QBR completion >80%Hire CS Manager (Q1); Build adoption scoring (Q1); Launch expansion playbook for top 50 accounts (Q2)
    Upmarket ABMPipeline from ABM ≥$3M; ACV of new logos ≥$25K; ABM win rate ≥25%Hire senior AE (Q1); Build 200-account target list (Q1); Launch outbound sequences (Q2)
    Benchmark reportDownloads ≥2,000; MQLs attributed ≥150; Press mentions ≥10Survey 500 sales leaders (Q1); Publish with PR push (Q2); Content distribution plan (Q2)

    What Makes This OGSM Work

    Three things stand out about PipelineIQ’s OGSM that are worth noting for your own strategy work.

    The objective resolves a real tension. PipelineIQ could have written a generic objective about “becoming a market leader.” Instead, they named the two specific mechanisms driving growth — product-led growth and enterprise retention — which immediately signals to the team where resources will flow and where they won’t.

    The goals are genuinely constraining. An NRR target of ≥115% is not a stretch goal bolted onto an existing plan. It forces a structural change: you can’t hit 115% NRR without a real CS motion. The goal drives the strategy, not the other way around.

    The strategies make explicit trade-offs. Strategy 3 targets Series B–D companies specifically — not “all upmarket segments.” Strategy 4 commits to one owned research asset rather than a broad content calendar. These exclusions are as important as the inclusions.

    OGSM vs. OKR: Which Framework Works Better for SaaS?

    This is a question that comes up often in SaaS leadership teams, especially those that have previously used OKRs.

    OGSMOKR
    Output formatOne page, full strategy visible at onceNested list of objectives and key results by team
    Strategic choicesExplicit — strategies define what you will and won’t doImplicit — key results may point in different directions
    Execution linkMeasures connect each strategy to specific actions and ownersKey results tracked separately; initiatives often disconnected
    CadenceAnnual with quarterly measure reviewsQuarterly cycles with annual reset
    Best suited forFull business strategy alignment (board to team)Team-level goal-setting and performance tracking

    Many SaaS companies find that OGSM works better at the business unit or company level precisely because it forces the strategic trade-off conversation. OKRs can sit alongside it at the team or individual level for execution tracking.

    OGSM one-pager strategy example — PipelineIQ

    Build Your Own OGSM

    Use our pre-formatted OGSM templates to build your own one-page strategy. Available for Microsoft PowerPoint (for leadership presentations) and Microsoft Excel (for building, tracking, and updating your plan). Both are fully editable and immediately downloadable.

    Browse OGSM templates in the shop →

    More OGSM Examples

    See how the OGSM framework applies across different business contexts:

    Questions or comments? Drop them below, or sign up to our free newsletter for practical strategy tips. Rock on!

  • How to Use AI to Build Your OGSM: A Practical Guide for 2026

    How to Use AI to Build Your OGSM: A Practical Guide for 2026

    Strategy has always demanded two things most people are short on: time and objectivity.

    You can use AI to build your OGSM at every stage — from drafting your SWOT and stress-testing your objective, to generating strategic options and identifying the right KPIs. Feed an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude the right context, ask the right questions, and you’ll compress hours of strategic thinking into minutes — without sacrificing quality.

    That’s the short version. The rest of this guide shows you exactly how to do it at each step, with practical prompts you can copy and use right now.

    First: What AI Is (And Isn’t) Good for in Strategy

    Before diving into the how, it helps to be clear about the what.

    AI is genuinely good at generating options quickly, structuring and stress-testing ideas, summarising large amounts of information, drafting text, and challenging your thinking with alternative perspectives.

    AI is not good at knowing your business the way you do, replacing strategic judgment, validating data it hasn’t seen, or making decisions on your behalf.

    The best way to think about it: AI is a fast, well-read sparring partner. It has read everything, remembers everything, and is always available. But it hasn’t lived through your last five years of business. You bring the context. It brings the horsepower.

    With that framing in mind, here’s how to use it across each stage of your OGSM.

    Step 1: Use AI to Sharpen Your Situational Analysis

    Every good OGSM starts before the OGSM itself — with a clear-eyed assessment of where you stand today. That typically means a SWOT analysis, a PESTEL scan, or a review of your competitive position.

    This is where AI earns its keep immediately.

    Rather than starting with a blank page, give an AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude the key facts about your business — your industry, size, markets, main products or services, and the biggest challenge you’re facing — and ask it to draft a starting-point SWOT. You won’t use the output directly, but it will surface angles you hadn’t considered and give you something concrete to react to, which is always faster than building from scratch.

    Try this prompt:

    “I run a [type of business] with [X employees] operating in [markets/geographies]. Our main products/services are [X]. We are currently facing [challenge]. Draft a SWOT analysis for my business, and for each point, explain the strategic implication in one sentence.”

    Review the output critically. Cross out what doesn’t fit, add what it missed, and you’ll find you’ve completed a quality situational analysis in a fraction of the usual time.

    You can apply the same logic to a PESTEL analysis. Ask AI to scan the macro-environment of your industry for political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors. It won’t know your local context, but it will catch trends you may have overlooked — especially in fast-moving areas like regulation or technology.

    Step 2: Use AI to Draft and Test Your Objective

    Your OGSM Objective is the most important sentence in your entire strategic plan. It needs to be inspiring, clear, and grounded — and it often takes several rounds of iteration to get right.

    AI is useful here in two ways: drafting and stress-testing.

    For drafting, describe your ambition in plain language and ask AI to turn it into a crisp strategic objective.

    Try this prompt:

    “Based on this business context: [paste your context]. Here is my current draft objective for our strategy: [paste it]. Please rewrite this as a sharp, inspiring strategic objective in one sentence. Then give me two alternative versions — one more ambitious, one more conservative.”

    For stress-testing, ask AI to challenge what you’ve written.

    “Here is our strategic objective: [paste it]. What are the top three weaknesses or blind spots in this objective? What is it not saying that it probably should?”

    This kind of challenge is exactly what a good strategy coach would give you in a workshop — and it’s available instantly, at any time.

    Step 3: Use AI to Benchmark and Validate Your Goals

    Your OGSM Goals translate your qualitative objective into 3 to 5 measurable, quantitative targets. The question most people struggle with isn’t what to measure — it’s what numbers to aim for.

    AI can help you benchmark.

    “We are a [type of company] in [industry]. We want to grow revenue from [X] to [Y] in [timeframe]. Is this growth rate realistic compared to industry benchmarks? What typical growth rates do companies like ours achieve, and what are the key drivers?”

    AI will give you a directional answer based on its training data. It won’t have access to your specific market’s most recent figures, so treat the output as a calibration tool rather than gospel. But it will quickly tell you whether your goals are realistic, stretched, or timid — and that alone is worth the conversation.

    Step 4: Use AI to Generate Strategic Options

    This is arguably the most powerful use of AI in your OGSM process. When it comes to defining your Strategies — the “how” of your plan — most teams default to the same playbook they’ve used before.

    AI breaks that pattern. It has been exposed to thousands of strategic frameworks, case studies, and industry examples, and it can generate a wide range of strategic options quickly. Your job is to filter, refine, and stress-test.

    Try this prompt:

    “Given this strategic objective [paste it] and these goals [paste them], generate 8 to 10 potential strategies for achieving them. For each strategy, describe it in one sentence using the format: ‘[Verb] [what] by [how]’. Then rate each strategy on a scale of 1 to 5 for both impact and feasibility.”

    You won’t use all 8 to 10 options. But the exercise will almost certainly surface one or two angles your team hadn’t considered — and that’s exactly what makes it valuable.

    Step 5: Use AI to Define the Right Measures

    The Measures column of your OGSM — covering both Metrics (what you track) and Initiatives (what you do) — is where most strategic plans either come to life or fall apart. The biggest risk is choosing measures that are easy to track rather than measures that actually tell you whether your strategies are working.

    Here AI can act as a useful check.

    “Here is our strategy: [paste it]. What are the best leading and lagging indicators to measure whether this strategy is succeeding? Give me 3 to 5 specific KPIs, and for each one, explain why it matters and what a good result looks like.”

    Leading indicators tell you whether you’re on track before the results arrive. Lagging indicators confirm what happened after the fact. A good OGSM uses both — and AI can help you design that balance.

    The Three Mistakes to Avoid

    Using AI in strategy is still new territory for most businesses, and a few common mistakes are worth calling out.

    Mistake 1: Taking the first output at face value. AI generates plausible-sounding content quickly, but “plausible” is not the same as “right.” Always treat the first draft as a starting point, not a finished product. Push back, ask follow-up questions, and test the assumptions.

    Mistake 2: Skipping the team conversation. AI is a tool for you, not a replacement for your team’s input. A strategy created in isolation — even a well-crafted one — rarely gets executed well. Use AI to prepare better material for your team discussions, not to skip them.

    Mistake 3: Using generic prompts. The quality of your AI output is directly tied to the quality of your input. The more specific context you give — industry, company size, specific challenge, desired format — the more useful the response. Generic prompts produce generic answers.

    Putting It All Together

    Here is a simple workflow to use AI across a full OGSM build:

    1. Situational Analysis — Use AI to draft your SWOT and PESTEL as a starting point for team discussion.
    2. Objective — Use AI to sharpen your draft and stress-test your thinking.
    3. Goals — Use AI to benchmark your targets against industry norms.
    4. Strategies — Use AI to generate a broad range of options, then filter with your team.
    5. Measures — Use AI to identify the right KPIs and design your leading/lagging indicator mix.

    At every step, you’re using AI to do the heavy lifting on the first draft — so your time and your team’s energy goes into the judgment calls that only humans can make.

    Start With the Right Foundation

    If you want to put this into practice, the best place to start is with a clean, well-structured OGSM template. Our OGSM Template for PowerPoint and OGSM Template for Excel give you the framework to capture everything your AI-assisted analysis surfaces — and to turn it into a one-page strategic plan your whole team can work from.

    AI accelerates the thinking. The OGSM gives it structure. Together, they make for a faster, sharper, and more actionable strategy.

    And if you would rather run the whole thing as one process than assemble it prompt by prompt, the OGSM Strategy Builder is a Claude Skill that facilitates all eight phases — diagnosis through review — and hands you the finished one-pager in HTML, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF. Here is what that session looks like, phase by phase.

    Want to go deeper on OGSM? Read What Is OGSM? or explore our full library of OGSM examples for inspiration.

  • How to Create a Killer Marketing Plan Using OGSM Methodology

    How to Create a Killer Marketing Plan Using OGSM Methodology

    Creating a marketing plan can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right framework and approach, you can create an effective marketing plan that aligns with your business goals and objectives.

    Creating a strong marketing plan is crucial to the success of any business. Using the OGSM methodology aligns the marketing plan with the overall business objective and goals and details clear strategies and measures for successful implementation.

    In this article, we’ll walk you through the OGSM methodology, which stands for Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures, how to apply it to effective marketing plans and provide relevant examples for each element of the plan.

    What is a marketing plan?

    Before we dig in, what is a marketing plan anyway and why do I need one? A marketing plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a company’s marketing efforts including how to achieve business goals such as increasing sales, expanding the customer base, and launching new products.

    The benefits of a marketing plan therefore include aligning marketing goals with business objectives, identifying potential opportunities and threats, allocating resources effectively, and measuring the success of marketing efforts. In other words, by creating a killer marketing plan, you can stay ahead of your competition and achieve your desired business goals.

    OK, so how do we go about creating a killer marketing plan using the OGSM methodology?

    Download a pre-formatted, fully customizable template for Microsoft PowerPoint here.

    Objectives

    The first step in creating a killer marketing plan is to define your objective. Objectives are the big picture goals you want to achieve with your marketing plan. These could include increasing sales, expanding your customer base, or launching a new product. To define your objectives, ask yourself:

    • What is my business’s mission and vision, and how can my marketing plan support these?
    • What are the top three to five goals I want to achieve with my marketing plan?

    When you are clear on your mission and goals, write an objective statement using the “what-by-how” method. The “what-by-how” method includes in one statement both what you aim to achieve and clarity how you are going to achieve it.

    Example:

    Let’s say you’re the marketing manager for a fashion brand whose vision includes becoming the most desired online fashion brand. Your objectives might include increasing brand awareness, driving more traffic to your online store, and boosting sales. Your marketing plan should support these objectives and align with your brand’s mission and vision.

    Your Objective could read:

    Become the most desired online fashion brand by increasing brand awareness, driving more traffic to our online store, and boosting sales.

    You can read more about drafting effective objective statements in this dedicated article.

    Goals

    Once you’ve defined your objective, the next step is to set specific, measurable goals that support your objectives. Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

    For example, if your objective is to increase sales, a SMART goal could be to increase sales by 10% in the next quarter. To set your goals, ask yourself:

    • What specific metrics do I want to achieve with my marketing plan?
    • How will I measure my progress toward these metrics?

    Example:

    Continuing with the fashion brand example, let’s say your objective is to boost sales. Your SMART goals could include

    • increasing online sales by 15% in the next six months,
    • generating 1,000 new email subscribers, and
    • increasing social media engagement by 20%.

    You can read more about setting SMART goals for your marketing plan in this article.

    Strategies

    With your objective and goals in place, it’s time to develop your marketing strategies. Strategies are the actions you will take to achieve your goals. Your strategies should be specific, actionable, and aligned with your goals. To develop your strategies, ask yourself:

    • What specific tactics will I use to achieve my goals?
    • How will I allocate my resources (budget, time, etc.) to support my strategies?

    Aim to select no more than 3-5 specific initiatives in order to allocate your resources to the most effective activities. Similar to your objective statement, consider writing your strategies using the “what-by-how” method to make them as specific and actionable as possible.

    Example:

    For the fashion brand, your strategies could include

    • Raise brand awareness by launching a new influencer marketing campaign,
    • Increase website traffic by optimizing your website for search engines, and
    • Boost web traffic conversion rates by creating targeted email campaigns.

    You could allocate your resources as follows: 50% of your budget to influencer marketing, 30% to website optimization, and 20% to email campaigns.

    Read more about making strategic choices and allocating resources in this dedicated article about selecting effective strategies.

    Measures

    Finally, it’s essential to measure the effectiveness of your marketing plan to determine whether you’re on track to achieving your objective and goals. Measures are the specific metrics you will use to evaluate the success of the strategies in your marketing plan. To define your measures, ask yourself:

    • What metrics will I use to track the effectiveness of my marketing plan?
    • How will I use this data to make informed decisions and adjust my marketing plan as needed?

    Select specific metrics for each of your strategies or initiatives. While the strategies are qualitative statements, the metrics should be quantifiable data and figures.

    Example:

    For the fashion brand, your measures could include

    • tracking website traffic,
    • conversion rates,
    • email open rates and click-through rates, and
    • social media engagement.

    You could use this data to make informed decisions about which strategies are working and adjust your marketing plan as needed.

    More about setting specific measures here.

    Use our OGSM Template for your Marketing Plan

    Creating a killer marketing plan using the OGSM methodology takes time and effort, but it’s well worth it in the end. Using a template can help you get started and accelerate your progress. Here are templates for Excel and Powerpoint to give you a leg up:

    OGSM Template for Excel

    OGSM Template for Excel

    Pre-formatted, easy-to-use OGSM template for Microsoft Excel.

    $ 4.99
    Shop now
    OGSM Template for Powerpoint

    OGSM Template for Powerpoint

    Pre-formatted, easy-to-use OGSM template for Microsoft Powerpoint.

    $ 4.99
    Shop now

    By aligning your marketing plan with your business objectives, setting SMART goals, developing actionable strategies, and tracking your progress with specific measures, you can create a successful marketing plan for your business.

    As you spring into action, plan ahead to regularly review the effectiveness of your marketing plan and to make needed adjustments to keep you on track. Read more about regular reviews here. Rock on!

  • What type of strategies are best for OGSM?

    What type of strategies are best for OGSM?

    There are various different types of strategies and many different strategy tools. But which type of strategy is best suited for the OGSM model?

    OGSM can be used for various types of strategies, including but not limited to business strategy, marketing strategy, operations strategy, and human resources strategy.

    In general, OGSM can be applied to any situation where an organization wants to define and achieve specific outcomes and goals. Let’s explore this further but first clarify what is OGSM?

    The OGSM Model

    OGSM stands for Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures. It is a management framework that helps organizations define and align their objectives, goals, strategies, and measures in a structured and organized manner. It enables organizations to clearly articulate their desired outcomes and the actions required to achieve them.

    The benefits of using OGSM include:

    1. Clarity of purpose: OGSM provides a clear understanding of what the organization wants to achieve and the steps it needs to take to get there.
    2. Alignment of efforts: OGSM ensures that everyone in the organization is working towards the same goals and objectives, fostering better teamwork and collaboration.
    3. Improved decision making: OGSM provides a framework for setting and tracking key performance indicators, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and adjust their strategies as needed.
    4. Increased accountability: OGSM makes it easier to hold individuals and teams accountable for achieving specific goals and objectives.
    5. Better prioritization: OGSM helps organizations prioritize their efforts and allocate resources more effectively, leading to improved efficiency and better outcomes.

    Click here to learn more about how the OGSM framework may help you rock your strategy. Or click below to instantly download an OGSM template to get started.

    OGSM Template for Excel

    OGSM Template for Excel

    Pre-formatted, easy-to-use OGSM template for Microsoft Excel.

    $ 4.99
    Shop now

    Different Types of Strategies

    1. Business strategy: OGSM can help businesses define their objectives, set goals, and determine the strategies and measures necessary to achieve their desired outcomes.
    2. Marketing strategy: OGSM can be used to create a structured approach to marketing campaigns, including defining objectives, setting goals, and determining the strategies and measures needed to achieve desired outcomes.
    3. Operations strategy: OGSM can be used to optimize operational processes and procedures, including defining objectives, setting goals, and determining the strategies and measures necessary to achieve desired outcomes.
    4. Human resources strategy: OGSM can be used to develop and implement human resources policies and practices, including defining objectives, setting goals, and determining the strategies and measures necessary to achieve desired outcomes.
    5. Supply chain strategy: OGSM can be used to optimize supply chain and logistics processes, including defining objectives, setting goals, and determining the strategies and measures necessary to achieve desired outcomes.

    OGSM for Marketing Strategy

    Let’s look at marketing strategies in more detail. OGSM can be a useful tool for developing and implementing a marketing strategy. Here is an example:

    1. Objectives: In the OGSM framework, objectives represent the long-term outcomes that a marketing campaign aims to achieve. For example, an objective for a marketing campaign could be to increase brand awareness among target audiences.
    2. Goals: Goals are specific, measurable, and time-bound targets that support the objectives of a marketing campaign. For example, a goal for the objective mentioned above could be to increase brand awareness by 10% in the next six months.
    3. Strategies: Strategies are the high-level plans for how to achieve the goals set for a marketing campaign. For example, a strategy for the goal mentioned above could be to implement an influencer marketing campaign that reaches the target audience through social media.
    4. Measures: Measures are the metrics used to track the progress and effectiveness of a marketing campaign. For example, a measure for the strategy mentioned above could be the number of followers gained on social media channels as a result of the influencer marketing campaign.

    By using OGSM, organizations can create a comprehensive and structured approach to marketing campaigns, ensuring that all efforts are aligned and focused on achieving specific, measurable outcomes. Additionally, by tracking measures, organizations can regularly assess the effectiveness of their marketing strategies and make adjustments as needed to ensure they stay on track to meet their goals.

    How to get started with OGSM?

    Adopting OGSM can be a straightforward process. Here’s how you can get started:

    1. Define the objective: Start by defining the overall objective for your organization or for a specific initiative. The objective should be a qualitative statement about the desired future state of your business or initiative. Learn more about setting objectives here.
    2. Set goals: Next, set goals that support your objectives. These goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) targets that help you achieve your objective. Learn more about setting effective goals here.
    3. Determine strategies: Based on your goals, determine the strategies you will use to achieve them. These strategies should be high-level plans that outline the steps you will take to achieve your goals. Learn more about choosing the right strategies here.
    4. Identify measures: Identify the measures that you will use to track the progress and effectiveness of your strategies. These measures should be quantifiable metrics that help you assess the success of your efforts. Learn more about effective measures here.
    5. Implement and monitor: Implement your strategies and regularly monitor and assess your progress using the measures you have identified. Adjust your strategies as needed to ensure that you are on track to achieve your goals. Learn more about strategy execution here.
    6. Review and refine: Regularly review and refine your OGSM plan to ensure that it remains relevant and effective. Learn more about conducting regular reviews here.

    It’s important to keep in mind that OGSM is a flexible framework, and you can adjust it to fit the specific needs of your organization. The key is to ensure that your objectives, goals, strategies, and measures are aligned and support each other.

    Ready? Rock on.

    Click here to see examples of OGSM frameworks or download one of our templates to get started.

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  • What’s The Difference Between OKR and OGSM?

    What’s The Difference Between OKR and OGSM?

    If you are like me then you may also be wondering if there is a better way to drive strategy execution and achieve business results. When I first came across OKRs and OGSM, I was wondering what’s the difference between OKR and OGSM and which one should I apply? Here’s what I found out.

    OKR and OGSM are both goal-setting methodologies that help companies execute their strategies but they differ in scope, timeframe and format. 

    Let’s explore these differences and their similarities to help you choose which one to apply. I’ll add examples and templates below. 

    Difference between OKR and OGSM

    Before we jump into the details, let’s first find out what OKR and OGSM are. 

    OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. 

    OGSM is short for Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures. 

    In the OKR methodology, the Objective describes what you want to achieve usually over a monthly or quarterly timeframe and the Key Results describe what achievement would look like. 

    In the OGSM approach, the Objective and the Goals jointly describe what you aim to achieve and the Strategies and Measures give clarity how you aim to achieve it. 

    Hence, both OKR and OGSM are goal-setting methodologies that help companies execute their strategies following Peter Drucker’s idea of management by objectives. While OGSM is said to go back to Japanese automotive manufacturers who brought the approach to the United States, OKRs were first implemented at Hewlett-Packard and popularized by their application at Intel and later Google. 

    Nowadays, OGSM is famously adopted at major consumer staples such as P&G and Coca-Cola, while OKRs are widely practiced in many technology companies and start-ups across the world. 

    Despite their similarities, there are 3 major differences between OKR and OGSM: scope, timeframe and format. 

    1. Scope

    The first major difference is in scope. 

    OGSM is well suited for describing strategic plans for large and small businesses alike. The approach is typically applied and aligned top-down from the corporate or business level to individual divisions, product lines, or teams.

    OKRs seem better suited for individual and team-level goal-setting. They are often created and aligned bottom-up.

    2. Timeframe

    The second key difference is in the timeframe or time horizon. 

    OGSM applies well to longer term strategic plans (over 3-5 years) or annual operating plans (1 year). The objective, goals, strategies, and measures are chosen in line with this longer timeframe. 

    Once the OGSM is developed, the focus is on implementation and execution. Course adjustments or modifications to the OGSM are made as needed in annual or quarterly reviews. 

    OKRs typically describe shorter term goals and key results. Objectives and key results are often set quarterly or monthly and aligned accordingly. Once all key results are achieved, new objectives and key results are set. 

    The application of OKRs is therefore more dynamic and OKRs change more frequently.

    3. Format & Terminology

    The third and most obvious difference lies in the format of the goal setting approach. 

    OGSM describes in detail the objective, goals, strategies, and measures. Objectives are words, goals are numbers. Strategies are words, measures are numbers. The OGSM is thereby more elaborate in describing, aligning and quantifying where the business is heading and how it aims to get there. The plan is summarized on a handy, single page overview. 

    See below for OGSM examples and OGSM templates. 

    OKRs on the other hand typically describe the objective in qualitative terms and then jump straight to detailed key results which may be qualitative or quantitative. Often no more than 3-5 key results are chosen to define the objective. OKR is therefore simpler in its approach. 

    The following table illustrates the difference in format and compares the terminology.

    OKROGSM
    ObjectiveObjective
    Goals
    Strategies
    Key Results Measures

    When analyzing and applying OGSM and OKR, many more detailed differences will become apparent. For the purpose of identifying the key differences and helping to choose which approach to apply, I find that those three distinctions were most critical. 

    What are advantages and disadvantages of OKR and OGSM? 

    While both OKR and OGSM are goal setting methodologies, due to their differences in scope, timeframe and format, they each have unique advantages and disadvantages. 

    Advantages & disadvantages of OKR

    The advantages and disadvantages of OKR are summarized in the following table. 

    AdvantagesDisadvantages
    – Quick to create and apply bottom-up
    – Easily adjusted and changed
    – Can facilitate performance management and feedback    		– Lacks the longer term context
    – Doesn’t describe how to achieve key results
    – Bottom-up OKR definition can make alignment across company tricky

    Advantages & disadvantages of OGSM

    The advantages and disadvantages of OGSM are summarized in the following table. 

    AdvantagesDisadvantages
    – Simple one-page overview creates clarity about overall business plan
    – Clearly aligns goals (“what”) with actions (“how”)
    – Guides execution and follow-through
    – Highly versatile: can be applied for large & small businesses, organizations and non-work projects    		– Not easily changed or adjusted short-term
    – Requires strong leadership buy-in
    – Company wide cascading can be perceived as cumbersome and overly bureaucratic if not well managed 

    One additional advantage of OGSM is that the simple one-page business plan format lends itself well for communication of the business strategy with your team. This is however also an advantage of the OKR methodology as well.

    When should I apply OKR or OGSM?

    OKRs work well for individuals and teams and when your timeframe to achieve your objectives is rather short such as 1-3 months. 

    OKRs are thereby particularly well suited for highly dynamic environments where change occurs quickly and where the organization has to remain agile to adapt. This is why many start-ups and technology companies apply OKRs.

    OGSM provides a more robust structure which makes it more suitable for overall strategic plans or annual operating plans. While OGSM are well suited for larger companies, they also provide strong guidance for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. 

    The OGSM methodology can be applied well in combination with a business strategy process or as the outcome of a strategic review of your business. Read more about the strategy process and how OGSM can help here. 

    Tip: OKRs and OGSM can of course be applied in combination. The OGSM can be used to set the overall vision and direction of the company with clear financial goals, strategies and measures. These can be broken down into quarterly OKRs. The OKRs then help to drive quarterly execution in alignment with the strategies and measures. 

    What are examples of OKR and OGSM? 

    Applying the OGSM methodology is not difficult. Here are examples to show how to use the OGSM methodology in practice. 

    Tony’s Italian OGSM

    Tony’s Italian is a fictional story about how Tony turned his pizza parlour into a family restaurant. The example shows how to apply OGSM to a small consumer business. Click here to read the full story of how Tony goes through the strategy process and captures his insights and strategic decisions in the OGSM. Or find the OGSM below.

    Tonys Italian OGSM
    Tony’s Italian OGSM Example

    Florian’s Fasteners OGSM

    Florian’s Fasteners tells the fictional story of a small B2B business that turned around its fortunes after a strategic review. Click here to read Florian’s story or find the OGSM below. 

    Florian's OGSM
    Florian’s OGSM Example

    Examples of OKR

    For examples of the OKR methodology, I can really recommend the resources at www.whatmatters.com. 

    John Doerr, author of the excellent book “Measure What Matters”, and his team go into lots of details and practical examples.  

    Where can I find OGSM templates? 

    Here are templates of the OGSM to get you started. Click on the following links to download PDF copies of the simpler Microsoft PowerPoint template or the more sophisticated Microsoft Excel template.

    OGSM Template
    OGSM Template in PowerPoint
    OGSM Template for Excel
    OGSM Template for Microsoft Excel

    If you’d like to learn more about how to use these templates to create your OGSM, check out this article. 

    You may also be interested to read about our Do’s and Don’ts of OGSM here or find out what the 7 Deadly Sins of Business Strategy are here.

    And before you go, check out our jam-packed Resource page with more tools and templates to help you simplify your strategy and achieve excellent results. Rock on!