17 | GEOSPATIAL STRATEGY ESSENTIALS FOR MANAGERS MATTHEW LEWIN
Chapter 4
Five Steps to a Better Geospatial Strategy
S
o your business needs a geospatial strategy.
And you've been put in charge. Now what?
If you don't know where to start, don't worry—
you're not alone. Crafting a strategy isn't
something most people do every day. It's
especially true in the geospatial business where
we tend to stick to our comfort zones and focus
on the latest technology.
The good news is that developing a strategy
doesn't have to be complicated. You just need
to focus on what matters: understanding your
business, defining success and making the right
choices.
If you lack experience with strategic planning—
or want a way to hone your thinking—here's an
approach that boils it down to its essence.
What Is a Strategy?
Before we review the approach, let's clarify what
a strategy is and what it isn't.
A strategy, any strategy, represents your "theory
of success". It's a conceptual model of how to
achieve a desired outcome. It's a solution to a
set of problems and an explanation of how to
overcome them. An effective strategy creates
opportunities.
A strategy is not a vision. A vision represents your
destination. A strategy is the integrated set of
choices that define how you achieve the vision.
A strategy is not a plan. A plan is required to
execute the strategy but is not the strategy itself.
That's why a "strategic plan" has two inter-related
but distinct components: the strategy and the
plan.
What Is a Geospatial Strategy?
A geospatial strategy is a theory of success like
any other strategy. But what it creates is unique.
The product of a geospatial strategy is a
geospatial capability. A geospatial capability is
that unique combination of people, processes
and technology that organizations use to
generate location intelligence—meaningful
business insights derived from the analysis of
geospatial information.
At the organizational level, a geospatial
capability is a composite of the collective
knowledge and expertise and enabling
technology, data, business processes and
cultural norms. Organizations with well-
developed geospatial capabilities are effective
at turning technical know-how into desired
business outcomes.
A geospatial strategy enables the business
through the geospatial capability it creates. That
means creating the right geospatial capability
is the trick. Deciding what you will focus on and
why is the art of strategy.
The steps that follow focus on this approach.
(Please note: I use the term "geospatial strategy" in this
chapter as a catch-all term for strategies focused on the
application of geospatial technology and capabilities. In
practice, this type of strategy might be referred to as a
location intelligence strategy or a location strategy. I treat
these synonymously.)
A great strategy requires focus
and involves tough choices
