Strategy v Tactics

Strategy v. Tactics

In the military, tactics is all about winning the battle. It is about what is happening locally and “right now”. It is about completing the mission; about squad deployments; and about the survival of the team. Envision the “LT” crouched quietly behind a tree, making hand signals and deploying his troops to out maneuver the enemy that has been spotted farther down the trail.

Strategy, on the other hand, is about winning the war. It is about battle plans, large scale troop deployment and survival of the cause. Envision the smokey WWII war room with communications equipment around the perimeter and a giant map in the middle. The generals stand over the map, contemplating the whole war, moving the little figures of men, tanks, planes and ships around with the croupier stick*. Battles are won and lost, but under the proper strategic guidance, more battles are won than lost and ultimately that leads to winning the war.

Military success takes great leaders in both the tactical roles (battlefield commanders, non-commissioned officers, etc.) and the strategic roles (Generals, Admirals, etc.). Battles cannot be won without the former, and successful battles have little meaning without a coordinated vision, led by the latter.

In the corporate world, tactics and strategy are also very important. IT tactics are lead by the managers and team leads. They set short to mid-term goals, usually in the form of task assignment, project management and team management. The tactical leaders are responsible for the design and coding standards that make projects successful and keep the day to day operations running smoothly. They also set team processes and procedures that ensure long term tactical success and support the strategic vision.

IT strategy is lead by the executive management team, which is responsible for long term goals and “the big picture”. They set enterprise processes and procedures that help make the teams successful and keep the department running smoothly; as well as setting enterprise architectural standards that help set the framework for continued success. The strategic leaders make sure that the tactical battles have purpose and serve a common vision.

As with military success, business success takes great leaders in both strategic and tactical roles. Instead of Generals and Admirals, the business has CIOs and Vps; and instead of battlefield commanders and non-commissioned officers, the business has managers and team leads. While lives are not hanging in the balance with each business decision made, success hinges on the skills and coordinated efforts of the strategic and tactical leaders.

* I only know it is called this because my brilliant wife Googled it!