In the business world, there’s a common approach that many companies take: start with a strategy and then figure out how to make it happen. 

This is known as "strategy-first thinking." 

It’s an approach where you set ambitious goals, develop a roadmap to achieve them, and then work to align your operations to fit that plan. 

While this might seem like the logical way to drive growth, it often overlooks the reality of what your business can actually deliver based on its current capabilities.

On the other hand, an "operations-driven strategy" flips this approach on its head. 

Instead of leading with big-picture goals, it starts with a deep understanding of your existing operational strengths and limitations. 

This approach ensures that your strategy is not only aspirational but also grounded in what’s realistically achievable for your business. 

By focusing on operations first, you build a strong foundation that supports sustainable growth, minimizes risks, and sets your team up for success.

In this article, we'll explore why an operations-driven strategy can be a more effective way to achieve your business goals, especially if you’re looking to create lasting impact and efficiency within your business.

The Flaws in Strategy-First Thinking

The traditional approach to business strategy often begins with a top-down plan: set lofty goals, define the strategy, and then figure out how to implement it. 

While this may sound logical, it can lead to significant problems when the strategy doesn't align with the business’s operational realities.

Some common issues with strategy-first thinking are:

It’s inflexible and leads to unrealistic expectations

A strategy-first approach often leads to inflexible plans that don’t consider the current capabilities of your business. 

For example, a marketing agency might set a goal to double its client base in a year without evaluating whether its team and systems can handle the increase. 

As new clients come in, the agency struggles to meet deadlines and maintain quality because its operational capacity wasn’t aligned with the ambitious strategy. 

This disconnect results in missed opportunities and burnout as the team scrambles to keep up.

It doesn’t consider your business’s core strengths

When strategy is prioritized over operations, businesses can drift away from their core strengths. 

Take a consulting agency that decides to launch online courses. While this seems like a logical expansion, the team’s expertise lies in one-on-one consulting, not in creating and marketing digital products. 

Without the right operational support, the new venture fails to meet expectations, diverting resources from what the agency does best and leaving them stretched too thin.

It creates a vision without the execution

A strong vision is important, but without considering the execution, it can lead to unrealistic goals. 

A design agency might aim to become the top choice for large corporate branding projects but lacks the streamlined processes and team capacity to handle such scale. 

As they push forward, delays and quality issues arise, creating frustration for both the team and clients. 

The vision, while inspiring, becomes a burden because the operational foundation isn’t there to support it.

It leads to reactive problem-solving

Strategy-first thinking often puts businesses in a reactive mode. 

For instance, a web development agency might decide to offer custom mobile app development without considering their existing processes. 

As projects roll in, the team struggles with quality control and client satisfaction because they’re constantly reacting to problems instead of addressing them proactively. 

This reactive approach not only hinders growth but also leads to missed opportunities for innovation.

The Case for Operations-Driven Strategy

An operations-driven strategy focuses on aligning your business goals with your current capabilities. 

Instead of setting ambitious goals and hoping the business can adapt, this approach starts with a clear understanding of your existing processes, team capacity, and resources.

An operations-driven strategy:

Aligns strategy with capabilities

When your strategy is grounded in your business’s operational capabilities, you can create goals that are ambitious yet achievable.

This alignment minimizes the risk of overextending and ensures that the strategy is supported by the business’s actual capabilities.

Enhances agility

When your operations are well-organized and efficient, it’s easier to adjust to changes without disrupting your entire plan. 

This makes your business more flexible and better prepared to respond to unexpected challenges or opportunities.

Fosters sustainable growth

By prioritizing operations, you create a solid foundation that supports long-term growth. 

This approach ensures that every new initiative is backed by the necessary infrastructure. This not only reduces the likelihood of burnout and resource strain but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement.

Improves team alignment

By starting with operations, you create a clear structure that ensures everyone on your team is aligned with the company’s goals and understands their role in achieving them. 

An operations-driven strategy emphasizes setting clear goals, defining roles, and establishing accountability measures that keep everyone on track. 

This alignment fosters a cohesive team environment where everyone is working towards the same objectives, reducing miscommunication and enhancing collaboration. 

Increases efficiency

An operations-driven strategy focuses on refining your existing processes before pursuing growth. 

By identifying bottlenecks, redundancies, and inefficiencies within your current operations, you can streamline workflows. This approach makes scaling more manageable, as it prevents potential issues from becoming larger problems down the line. 

When operations are optimized, teams work more effectively, projects move faster, and resources are allocated efficiently. 

As a result, your business can handle increased demand with greater ease and productivity, laying a solid foundation for sustainable growth.

How to Implement an Operations-First Approach

Shifting your business strategy to an operations-first approach involves more than just rethinking your goals; it requires a commitment to restructuring how your business functions at its core. 

Here’s how to start:

1. Conduct a comprehensive operations audit

This is one of the first steps we take with our Fractional COO clients here at Unbusy. 

We review everything from workflows to team roles and communication processes. The goal is to pinpoint where delays, inefficiencies, or productivity issues are coming from. 

For instance, if your team frequently misses deadlines, is the issue poor project management tools or unclear processes? 

This audit becomes the foundation for your improvement plan.

2. Prioritize operational areas for improvement 

Once you’ve identified areas for improvement, prioritize them based on their impact on your business. 

Focus first on the areas that directly affect your bottom line, such as client onboarding processes or how efficiently your team completes deliverables. 

If your onboarding process is causing client dissatisfaction or delays, consider implementing a streamlined onboarding checklist, training staff on best practices, or integrating software that automates part of the process.

3. Set realistic goals aligned with your operational capacity

Before setting ambitious growth targets, ensure they are grounded in what your current operations can realistically support. 

For instance, if your goal is to double revenue within the next year, first assess whether your existing team can handle double the workload. 

If not, plan for hiring additional staff or improving productivity through better tools and processes. This alignment ensures that your strategy is not only aspirational but also achievable, minimizing the risk of burnout or operational strain.

4. Engage your team in the process

Involve your team from the outset. Share the insights from your operations audit and discuss the planned changes. 

This can be done through a series of workshops or team meetings where you map out new workflows together. 

For example, if you’re introducing a new project management tool, involve key team members in the selection process and offer training sessions to ensure a smooth transition. 

Engaging your team fosters buy-in and ensures everyone is aligned with the new operational goals.

5. Monitor, adjust, and improve

Once new systems are in place, establish a routine for regular check-ins and assessments. 

Set up monthly or quarterly reviews where you analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) related to your operations, such as project completion rates, client satisfaction scores, or time spent on non-billable work. 

Use these reviews to identify any new challenges and adjust your processes accordingly. 

This could mean tweaking a workflow that’s still causing bottlenecks or reassigning tasks to better match team members’ strengths.

Ground Your Strategy in Strong Operations

Success in business isn't just about having a great strategy; it’s about grounding that strategy in solid operations

By prioritizing your operations, you create a strategy that’s not only ambitious but also achievable. 

This approach ensures that your goals are realistic and your team is equipped to grow. When your operations are fine-tuned and your team is aligned, you can drive your business forward with confidence. 

You’ll avoid the constant firefighting that comes from misaligned strategies and unprepared systems. 

If you’re ready to see how an operations-first approach can transform your business, our Fractional COO services are here to help you build that foundation.