Why Strategic Plans Often Fail—And What To Do Instead

Strategic plans are a common tool in organizational life. They’re expected to chart a course for the future, align stakeholders, and guide decision-making. So why do so many strategic plans end up collecting dust?

💥 The Problem Isn’t Strategy—It’s Misapplication

Strategic plans are valuable when used appropriately, especially for complicated problems that require coordination across units, technical expertise, and phased implementation.

✔️ Example where strategic plans work well:
A university aligning its academic and financial priorities across colleges.
A public agency setting multi-year transportation or infrastructure targets.
A nonprofit organizing a multi-site service expansion.

But strategic plans fall short when the problem is complex—where uncertainty is high, relationships and dynamics shift over time, and no single actor controls the outcome.

🌀 Examples of complex (wicked) problems:

- Increasing student belonging in a post-pandemic environment
- Adopting AI technologies while maintaining workforce trust and public accountability
- Addressing climate-induced migration and urban displacement

In these cases, traditional planning approaches—linear timelines, fixed KPIs, long-term commitments—create the illusion of control. They can delay action, stifle learning, and exclude stakeholders who don’t see themselves in the “plan.”

🔄 What Works Instead?

At Acerola Strategies, we support organizations in using adaptive and participatory approaches grounded in systems thinking, collaborative governance, and iterative learning. These include:

- Strategic learning frameworks
- Innovation labs and design sprints
- Cross-sector coalitions with shared learning agendas
- Prototyping and feedback loops to inform real-time decisions

🎯 Use the Right Tool for the Problem

- Strategic plans: Great for aligning around complicated challenges with defined variables and clear levers.
- Adaptive strategies: Essential for navigating complex challenges where cause and effect are unclear, and the path must be discovered, not imposed.

🤝 Let’s Rethink Strategy Together

If your organization is struggling to make progress on a persistent, high-stakes issue, it may be time to stop planning and start learning. Acerola Strategies can help you design approaches that are fit for complexity.

📩 info@acerolastrategies.com | 🌐 www.acerolastrategies.com