Northline could widen its product range or give production time to tackle late orders. It could not do both this quarter. That was the choice its leadership team had to make before writing a strategy.
Put the choice on the table
Ask each leader to bring an observation and the evidence behind it. At Northline, sales can point to requests for more variants, while production can show how often orders leave late. Agree what the company needs to change and what it must protect.
Say what will wait
Northline chooses to improve delivery reliability before adding variants. That gives production room to trial a shorter setup routine. Give each priority an owner and agree what would make the team reconsider.
Set a date to reconsider
At the next review, Northline will check whether setup takes less time and whether customers get their orders sooner. If setup improves and orders still arrive late, the team will investigate where the delay remains before expanding the trial.
Record the agreement in four lines: what we’re choosing, what we’re deferring, what we expect to happen and when we’ll revisit the choice.
To work through your own situation and choices, see how to create a strategy with your team in Suunta.
Northline is a fictional example.