Article written by Jedd Harris (Chief Strategy Officer at Sourcefin)
So, you’ve locked in your strategy for your start-up. Nice work. This is a great start. After reading “Setting strategy for your start-up,” you’ve taken your team away for a strategy think tank or workshop, offsetting the lost productivity with an investment in articulating where you are going. You’re inspired by the mission, intentional about the vision, specific on the goals and clear on your competitive advantage. You’re now staring at a page with your summarised action plan. It’s time for the rubber to hit the road and for strategy setting to turn into strategy implementation.
Quick strategy refresher (read more here)
As a quick refresher, your start-up strategy is built on five essential building blocks: Mission (why you exist), Vision (what future you’re working toward), Goals (what success looks like in measurable terms), Competitive edge (how you’ll win), and your Action plan (what you’ll do to get there). These give you direction. But let’s be honest: direction without action is just wishful thinking.
What next? Why implementing strategy is tougher than setting it
Setting strategy feels like the fun part. You get to dream big, brainstorm, and make plans. But implementing that strategy? That’s where it gets real. And hard. You may want to give up.
Most businesses fail not because the strategy was bad, but because it was never truly implemented. The challenges of implementation are well documented. Often, there’s a lack of alignment, where teams interpret the strategy differently and pull in different directions. Coordination across departments or functions may be weak, especially if there’s no shared rhythm or meeting cadence. Without strong prioritisation, everything can feel equally important, leading to scattered focus and minimal progress. Resources get spread thinly, and often time and money are spent on tasks that aren’t truly mission-critical. Worst of all, without clear accountability, it becomes unclear who owns what, and momentum quietly dies out.
In short, implementation fails when strategy isn’t embedded into the ways of working in the business. The good news? You’re not the first to face this problem. Strategy execution has been studied for decades, and there are frameworks that can help.
The strategic heroes – the evolution of strategy implementation frameworks
Over the years, strategic management thinkers and business leaders have developed a range of frameworks to bridge the gap between high-level planning and everyday action.
Management by objectives (MBO)
Peter Drucker was one of the first to propose a structured approach through his concept of management by objectives (MBO) back in the 1950s. Drucker believed that organisations could align better if every individual had clear, measurable goals that connected back to the overall company direction. It was simple, elegant, and powerful.
Balanced scorecard
Later, in the early 1990s, Robert Kaplan and David Norton created the balanced scorecard. This framework added depth by suggesting that companies look beyond financial metrics and consider additional perspectives – customer, internal processes, and learning and growth. It was particularly helpful for more complex businesses juggling competing priorities.
Objectives and key results (OKRs)
Then came OKRs – objectives and key results – made famous by Intel’s Andy Grove and later adopted by Google in its earliest days. OKRs became a go-to tool for fast-moving, mission-driven start-ups that needed alignment and focus without bureaucracy. The framework was designed to help teams stretch for ambitious goals, stay focused on what matters most, and measure results regularly. Because OKRs are transparent and regularly reviewed, they create a culture of accountability and momentum.
These frameworks weren’t invented because the inventors had nothing better to do with their time. They were created in response to the real-world challenge of translating strategic plans into action. Each one has its strengths and ideal use cases.
Choosing the right framework for your start-up
So how do you know which framework to use? It starts with understanding your business and your leadership style.
For very small teams or businesses just starting out, MBO is relevant.
It’s straightforward and focused on outcomes. If your leadership style is very hands-on and you want a quick way to ensure that every team member has clear objectives, MBO can be a low-friction way to start embedding accountability and focus.
For more established or multi-functional start-ups, particularly those beginning to scale, the Balanced Scorecard may be a better fit.
It helps businesses manage complexity by balancing priorities across different parts of the company. If your business is moving from founder-led hustle to team-driven execution, this framework can help everyone understand how their part contributes to the bigger picture.
If you’re a fast-paced start-up chasing growth, OKRs may be your best bet.
They’re agile, goal-oriented, and easy to roll out in smaller teams. OKRs allow you to focus the team on a few clear priorities each quarter and give you a mechanism to measure progress regularly. They also encourage stretch goals, helping your business reach further than you might otherwise dare.
There’s no universal best framework. What matters is choosing one that fits your current stage, your strategic ambitions, and your team’s working style.
How to go about implementing strategy organisation-wide
Once you’ve chosen your framework, implementation becomes about weaving strategy into the operating fabric of your business.
MBO starts with sitting down with each team member and setting specific goals linked directly to your business objectives. The strength of this method lies in clarity – each person knows exactly what success looks like. To work well, MBO needs regular reviews and honest conversations about progress. It’s especially effective in small, focused teams where relationships are tight, and performance conversations happen naturally.
With the Balanced Scorecard, begin by mapping your strategic goals across the four perspectives. This helps ensure that your business isn’t too narrowly focused on revenue, but also investing in customer relationships, operational efficiency, and team capability. You’ll need to define key performance indicators (KPIs) for each area and build a dashboard or reporting rhythm to track them. The beauty of the scorecard is in its balance – just be careful not to overcomplicate it with too many metrics.
If you’re using OKRs, start by setting 3 to 5 high-impact objectives at a company level. These should inspire and align your team, and they should reflect your strategy clearly. Then cascade these down to teams and individuals, defining measurable key results for each. Make time for weekly check-ins and quarterly reviews to assess progress. Keep the process lightweight but regular – OKRs work best when they’re not buried in spreadsheets but are talked about often.
No matter the framework, there are common risks to watch out for. Don’t let your implementation become a paperwork exercise – make sure it lives in the daily rhythm of your business. Avoid setting too many priorities. Keep it simple, visible, and actionable. Ensure leaders lead by example, not just by instruction.
Keep calm and know that change takes time
If this all sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Implementing a strategy is no small feat. But remember: no business gets it right the first time. It’s messy. It’s iterative. And that’s okay.
Your organisation won’t adjust overnight. Teams need time to embrace new ways of working. You may face resistance – especially if people are used to flying by the seat of their pants. The larger your team, the more coordination is required. And if your leadership team is still finding its feet, the process will require even more patience, guidance, and repetition.
That’s why deliberate change management is key. Don’t just roll out a framework – bring it to life. Brand it. Name it. Maybe even print t-shirts or stickers. Celebrate early wins. Train your leaders to talk about it with confidence. Appoint champions at different levels of the organisation who can model and encourage adoption.
Strategy without implementation is just wishful thinking. But with the right mindset, the right tools, and a lot of persistence, your team can turn ambition into action.
About the Author: Jedd Harris
Jedd Harris is the Chief Strategy Officer at Sourcefin, a South African fintech. Jedd has defined Sourcefin’s evolving strategy from 2021 when there were just five employees. To date, Sourcefin has deployed nearly R2 billion to SMMEs and grown to 50 employees, all while continuously improving its core products (purchase order funding and invoice discounting). Sourcefin’s purpose is to enable the forgotten South African SMME to deliver on their promise and grow.
To apply for Sourcefin’s quick and easy alternative, impact funding, visit: https://www.sourcefin.co.za/funding-application/.