VMOST Analysis is a strategic planning framework that was first proposed by Rakesh Sondhi in 1999 and has been gaining popularity since then. The VMOST analysis is compromised by 5 elements and it is used to assess the organization’s strategy and strategic planning. VMOST is an acronym for its 5 elements; Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategy and Tactics.
1. Vision: Where do you want your organization to be in the future?
Vision is the set of ideas that summarizes where the organization sees itself in the future. It’s all about visual descriptions that include how the company will look like, what products and services it will offer, what locations it will serve, and how it will be positioned against competition. Although a company’s vision should be ambitious and aspiring, it should not yet be unrealistic.
2. Mission: How are you going to achieve the Vision you have set out?
While Vision is where the company is wants to be in the future, Mission is the action-oriented blocks of change that will help the organization reach its Vision. Strategic planning that contains specific and feasible action plans is critical at this stage.
3. Objectives: What are the particular goals or your organization?
Once the Mission is in place, Objectives are particular check points that monitor the progress towards specific goals. This is often achieved through monitoring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as Gross Profit Margin, Inventory Turnover, Operational Cash Flow and Net Sales. The objectives should follow the SMART criteria which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
4. Strategy: What are the actions that need to be taken to achieve your objectives?
The next element of the framework is Strategy, which is the focus area we want to explore in order to achieve our objectives. Each strategy should link to at least one mission objective. The main goal of the strategy is to provide a starting plan and ideas on how they may be achieved.
5. Tactics: What are the individual tasks that make up your strategy?
Tactics are the actual actions taken in order for strategies to be fulfilled. There might be a number of tactics for each strategy and they are best expressed in the format of Verb-Noun (i.e. Run TV ad, Create Social Media accounts, etc).
What are some of the benefits of the VMOST analysis?
- Breaks down an overall strategy into five different elements and further looks into each element in isolation.
- Helps stakeholders understand the business bottom-up.
- Provides a high level of understanding of the required changes and how these fit into the bigger organizational picture.
- Links the long-term destination (Vision) with the particular changes (Tactics)
- Ensures that all actions taken are purposefully bringing the organization one step closer to its organization direction (Vision)
- Helps stakeholders establish actions that are specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
- Provides visibility of all change happening within the organization, whether its planned or unplanned.