In 2021, Planview published a benchmark report examining organizations’ strategy execution capabilities during periods of business disruption and uncertainty. The pandemic served as a powerful example of how organizations could move faster than previously imagined under pressure—but it also revealed that approaches designed for crisis management might not sustain long-term competitive advantage.
Over the past four years, the business environment has continued to evolve at an accelerated pace. To understand how organizations have adapted, Planview commissioned a follow-up study in 2025. The results reveal a striking paradox: while organizations now execute faster than ever, confidence is declining. Only 28% say they can adapt quickly to change, down from 40% in 2021. The reactive responses that worked during acute disruptions are insufficient for navigating constant change.
Planview’s 2025 State of Strategy Execution Benchmark Report identifies what distinguishes today’s high performers. This blog highlights key insights and actionable strategies for effective execution in 2025.
The Balance Imperative: Speed, Adaptability, and Governance
Strategy Execution Leaders exceeded their revenue goals by 12.1%, while Laggards fell short.
Leaders have mastered systematic adaptability: the ability to adjust strategies proactively through established processes rather than crisis management.
This creates a sustainable competitive advantage that maintains speed without sacrificing quality or oversight.
Five Recommendations to Level Up Strategy Execution
Based on an analysis of Leaders’ best practices, Planview recommends the following five steps to build a fast, balanced, and coordinated strategy execution engine.
Build Internal Agility to Adapt to Change
Many organizations remain internally focused, constantly firefighting operational issues rather than anticipating and responding to market shifts. With organizations reporting increased risks across multiple areas—including lost opportunities, decline in growth, and major profit loss—these internal barriers create a real competitive vulnerability.
Leading organizations rate internal processes as less of a barrier, demonstrating higher adaptability and faster decision-making. They’ve restructured their approach to prioritize building systematic capabilities for external responsiveness while resolving the friction points that slow internal decision-making
Establish Regular Review and Adjustment Cycles
Traditional annual planning cycles leave organizations operating with outdated assumptions for months. By the time reviews happen, market conditions have often shifted dramatically, creating execution drift where teams work hard on initiatives that no longer align with reality.
Top performers treat strategy as a dynamic GPS rather than a static roadmap, conducting reviews at least quarterly, often monthly, for targeted adjustments that keep execution aligned with evolving conditions.
Evolve Success Metrics Beyond Operational Efficiency
Most organizations measure success through operational lenses—budget adherence, timelines, and cost efficiency. While these matter, they don’t capture a complete picture of strategic health or long-term competitive position.
Leading organizations have expanded their definition of success to include people-centric indicators—like customer and employee satisfaction—that better predict sustainable advantage and long-term value.
Strengthen Alignment with Standardized Goal Frameworks
Alignment problems can stem from inconsistent goal-setting approaches across teams that fail to focus the organization on shared objectives and values. When departments lack clear goal-setting frameworks or employ inconsistent approaches, strategic priorities can get lost in translation, resulting in fragmented execution and wasted resources.
Top performers establish a shared language and consistent prioritization processes that enable faster and more confident decision-making across all organizational levels.
Invest in Integrated Technology Platforms and Centralized Coordination
Data silos and disconnected tools create blind spots that slow strategic response. Teams make decisions on incomplete information, leading to misaligned priorities and missed opportunities.. The most successful organizations have solved information flow and decision coordination, creating structures that enable rapid, informed responses while maintaining strategic coherence
On unsteady ground, balance wins over raw speed
Planview’s 2025 global benchmark report shows a shift in how organizations approach strategy execution. Amid constant changes in customer behavior, technology, and regulations, speed alone is no longer the differentiator.
Top performers adjust with purpose, make informed decisions quickly, and maintain enough structure to keep teams aligned. Optimizing this balance between speed, adaptability, and governance is key to executing a competitive strategy effectively.
Ready to turn constant change into a competitive advantage?
Download the full report now for detailed insights, benchmarks, and a complete roadmap for strategic transformation!
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