Strategic planning is one thing—execution is another. Every year, organizations invest massive amounts of time and resources into planning their strategies, yet many still struggle to turn those plans into measurable success. Our 2025 State of Strategy Execution report sheds light on what separates high-performing companies from those that fail to execute effectively.
Ready to take the next step in strategic planning and strategy execution?
The 2025 State of Strategy Execution Report by AchieveIt is here to guide you through the problems and opportunities currently facing organizational leaders with key insights and recommendations on how to improve.
In a recent episode of The Strategy Gap podcast, Jonathan Morgan, SVP of Operations at AchieveIt, and Joe Krause, SVP of Strategy Consulting, unpacked the findings of the report and provided practical insights on how organizations can close the execution gap. From the power of leadership to the impact of real-time tracking, this discussion highlighted the key factors that determine whether a strategy thrives or fizzles out.
Let’s break down the most important takeaways from their conversation and what they mean for businesses in 2025.
Why Do Strategic Plans Fail? Leadership, Alignment, and Tracking Matter
One of the biggest insights from the State of Strategy Execution report is that failure isn’t usually due to bad ideas or poor initiatives. Instead, execution challenges stem from deeper organizational and cultural issues.
According to the report, the top five reasons strategic plans fail are:
- Lack of leadership
- Unclear objectives
- Poor time management
- Insufficient resources
- Inadequate communication
“These are all things that leadership is responsible for in setting the tone for how an organization should plan and execute that plan,” said Jonathan Morgan.
While it may be easy to blame external factors for execution failures, the reality is that most challenges stem from internal misalignment and unclear direction. When leaders fail to set clear objectives, provide the necessary resources, or ensure consistent communication, execution inevitably suffers.
Joe Krause added, “It’s an easy scapegoat to say leadership, but honestly, that’s the group that’s usually making the plan… If a plan doesn’t get off the ground, there’s usually a bit of root cause.”
To prevent these execution pitfalls, organizations must prioritize clarity and accountability at every level. Strategy shouldn’t be a set-it-and-forget-it exercise—it requires constant refinement, communication, and evaluation.
Accountability and Tracking: The Missing Piece in Execution
A major challenge many organizations face is tracking their progress effectively. While 66% of leaders believe consistent updates increase the likelihood of hitting their targets, less than 40% actually use metrics to hold employees accountable.
This disconnect between belief and action is a huge problem.
“If you’re lucky, people are making quarterly updates,” said Joe Krause. “Sometimes it’s semiannual or annual. And if you ever talk to me in any capacity about this, it’s like monthly is the holy grail.”
Frequent updates allow organizations to identify risks early, adapt faster, and maintain alignment. However, many leaders avoid tracking real outcomes because they fear what the data might reveal.
Joe put it bluntly: “If you say ‘I can’t be tracked,’ or ‘I don’t have something that can be tracked,’ if you ask the five whys, you’ll find something.”
The key to successful strategy execution isn’t just measuring activity (i.e., the number of meetings held or reports created) but rather measuring real impact (i.e., whether those efforts moved the business forward). This means incorporating leading and lagging indicators into tracking efforts.
The Power of Real-Time Dashboards
One of the most striking findings from the report is that organizations using real-time dashboards are 10 times more likely to hit their goals than those relying on manual tracking.
“Think about if you are playing a board game or pickup basketball with your friends,” Joe explained. “If you’re keeping score, you’re gonna play harder. It’s just the way it goes.”
The psychology behind this is simple: people perform better when they can see their progress.
Without real-time visibility, organizations are reactive rather than proactive. They only realize they’re off course when it’s too late to correct their approach.
“If you’re still using manual updates or flying blind, you’re missing out,” Jonathan emphasized. “Time to rethink how you track your strategy.”
By implementing automated tracking tools, businesses can ensure that strategic execution is continuous, transparent, and actionable.
Breaking Down Silos: Cross-Departmental Collaboration is Non-Negotiable
Another common barrier to successful execution is lack of cross-departmental visibility. While many companies have some level of alignment within their departments, 75% of leaders say poor collaboration across teams hampers execution.
Joe shared an extreme example of what can happen when silos get in the way:
“I worked with a company that was adamant that every business unit should not see every other business unit’s strategy. They were the same company, but they didn’t want cross-visibility. The result? A major national issue with recalls that threatened their entire business.”
While not every organization will face such severe consequences, the principle remains the same: if teams aren’t aligned, execution will suffer.
Even if silos can’t be completely eliminated, organizations must ensure regular check-ins between teams. This can be as simple as:
- Cross-departmental strategy meetings at least once a quarter
- Shared dashboards that provide transparency on company-wide goals
- A single source of truth for tracking execution progress
“If you’re not aligning across teams, you might find out too late that another department is already solving the same problem,” Jonathan added. “Better collaboration can eliminate duplicate efforts and accelerate results.”
Key Takeaways: The Future of Strategy Execution
As businesses navigate an increasingly complex landscape, strategy execution will continue to be a defining factor for success. The State of Strategy Execution report makes it clear:
- Leadership sets the tone—and poor leadership is the #1 reason plans fail
- Tracking real impact (not just activity) is essential for execution
- Frequent updates and accountability drive results
- Real-time dashboards boost success rates by 10X
- Breaking down silos accelerates execution
The good news? These aren’t unsolvable problems. Organizations that invest in strong leadership, clear objectives, and effective tracking tools will position themselves ahead of the competition in 2025 and beyond.
Want to dive deeper into these insights? Listen to the full discussion with Jonathan Morgan and Joe Krause on The Strategy Gap podcast.
Listen to The Strategy Gap
A podcast about the space between savvy strategy and practical execution, including everything that can go wrong on the way.
