Hi, before using the Result map, I want to use the same map but instead of imputing expected results I want to state the elected mission/vision, strategic goals, goals and objectives. In order for people to fully understand and visualized where expected results are coming from. That being said, I understand the difference between the mission/vision (pink layer) and strategic goals (green layer) but what creates the differences between strategic goals (green layer), goals (Blue layer) and strategies (orange layer). Is it only the lifespan and from where within the hierarchy of the organization those directions are taken? Perhaps the strategic goals are identified by the organization and strategies are identify at a lower level like a unit, but than who’s in charged of identifying goals? The unit… but with having in mind a longer term in achieving the expected results. Is anyone has a clear definition of what are each of those and where they are coming from?

David, basically the green layer in the Results Map is where you capture the strategic, corporate-wide results implied by the corporate goals. Corporate strategy is usually cascaded, which means that each “part” of the organisation then examines how they need to change or improve to help the organisation achieve those corporate goals. And so each “part” of the organisation sets its own goals and these go into the blue layer. These goals are often about business process outcomes or functional outcomes. Then the orange layer in the results map contains the next level of cascading, where teams will identify their contribution to achieving the blue level results.

More on cascading here: https://www.staceybarr.com/measure-up/2-ways-to-cascade-a-measurable-strategy-that-creates-alignment/

This is not a perfect science, but rather a way to acknowledge and clarify that in complex systems like organisations, there isn’t just a single logical level of goals. Goals will live in hierarchical or systemic relationships to one another.

And be careful with cascading “strategies”. These are often change initiatives, or actions to achieve the corporate goals. Sometimes these will suggest the process or functional outcomes that should be in the blue layer (or sometimes the orange layer), but we don’t cascade strategies. Instead we link them to the result in the Results Map that they are designed to achieve.