Over a few days or weeks we build the strategic deployment message by documenting our priorities and plans.  This document is known as the X-Matrix.  Start by listing the business strategies on the left side of the X.  Next comes deciding on the tactics to achieve these strategies and recording them in the Tactics block above the X.

There aught to be correlation between the tactics and the strategies, some stronger than others.  A tactic may even address more than one strategy.  The correlation table in the top left corner is meant to test the linkage between strategy and tactics.  Have a strategy without a tactic?

Tactics imply process change and improvement.  These are recorded in the Process block to the right of the X. Again correlation is tested between tactics and the targeted process changes in the correlation matrix above the process block to the north east of the X.

We record the process improvement metrics in the Results block located below the X.  Again we have to look at the correlations between processes and improvement metrics.  Metrics are tied back to strategy to close the loop in the correlation matrix in the bottom left.

To the right of the process block we list the people or teams involved and make another accountability correlation in the top right corner of the X-Matrix.

Now print the X-Matrix out on A3 or 11×17 paper and start shopping it around with the associates and leadership.  Keep the plan up to date and in full public view.