StrategyWorks Reviews

Pros

The precision with which I can assess the projects that contribute meaningfully to our strategy and those that don't is impressive.

Cons

I have not find any major drawbacks, but it does require some effort to integrate and fully utilize the system. However, there is a competent professional services team available to provide assistance.

Pros

It's easy to view the organizational status and identify who is working on what.

Cons

The product is continually improving, so any missing functionalities can easily be accommodated.

Pros

If we agree that the success of a strategy depends on aligning activities, spending and focus, and then having visibility to manage it with accountability and empowerment, a tool that promotes alignment and provides clear visibility is undoubtedly beneficial. The aforementioned principles have been discussed for a long time, but this is the first tool I have come across that genuinely and completely allows those principles. It's simple, effective and minimally intrusive to install and use, making it a true facilitator.

Cons

Personally, I would prefer more detailed information in the budget and forecasting section. I prefer an incredibly thorough view of this aspect. Additionally, I agree with others that having a mobile option would be fantastic.

Pros

I instantly liked the idea of starting with documenting our company's mission and vision and then intuitively mapping our strategies to the required OKRs and KPIs that our programs, projects, and tasks aim to achieve. This approach offers our people a clear line of sight regarding what needs to be achieved and why. It helps bring our vision to life and enables our team members to better understand their role in delivering it. Unlike typical project software that focuses on specific work packages and isolated outcomes, Strategyworks is about delivering organizational strategy, as the name suggests. It allows me to effortlessly consolidate all the necessary work elements while providing an on-demand view of all deliverables, milestones, risks, and dependencies through its comprehensive dashboard.

Cons

It's not a significant issue, but I believe there is room for improvement in terms of visual appeal, especially for the dashboard.

Pros

It's straightforward, intuitive and easy to use. If the user base already understands the existing corporate taxonomy and governance models, little to no additional training is required to utilize the product. It's elegant and efficient.

Cons

The effectiveness of the software depends on having coherent strategy and governance processes in place. If those are not robust, the software alone cannot fix the underlying issues. Additionally, if your organization uses a corporate taxonomy that significantly differs from the standard VMOST/VMOSA, some customization may be required.

Pros

I have complete clarity and accountability for all strategic activities on a single platform. This elegantly designed execution tool empowers leadership teams to define, allocate, track and manage the delivery of multiple strategic programs across various teams, providing visibility and clarity on objectives, supporting strategies, and activities through an intuitive and real-time analytics dashboard. The user-friendly dashboard presents all key top-line information in a single view, eliminating the need for extensive searching. Navigating and drilling down for further details is easy and logical, even with complex data displayed in a clear and concise format, enabling effortless identification of activity progress, delays, or adherence to schedules.

Cons

This comprehensive execution tool is truly impressive. Having a mobile app that offers a lighter version of the platform would be immensely beneficial.

Pros

This tool offers a quick way to bring together all the necessary components to achieve a vision. As a Programme Director, it's an incredibly useful way to control my program and present key metrics on progress and performance to senior management. Submitting information on portfolio progress and performance to a central portfolio office allows the generation of visual and textual information for the executive team to evaluate whether the portfolio of programs and projects effectively contributes to the realization of the corporate vision. It replaces internally developed portfolio, program, and project reporting tools maintained by PMOs with an intuitive tool that produces visually appealing outputs. It also eliminates the need to invest in and manage expensive portfolio management tools. Many companies struggle to determine which programs and projects directly support strategic goals and which do not. Additionally, it's often challenging to demonstrate whether a program or project continues to align with company strategy, even if it did at the start. I have conducted exercises with several clients to streamline portfolios, ensuring that all programs and projects therein clearly support the strategy and aren't included based on mere vocal demands. StrategyWorks would have been an invaluable tool during that time.

Cons

I have a few minor concerns, but I'm confident that the team at ShapeCast already has them addressed on the SW product roadmap.

Pros

Strategy Works provides all the essential tools for effectively managing the execution of strategy in real-time. It also includes the capability to track value creation, which is crucial for understanding the strategy's effectiveness.

Cons

There aren't any specific features that I liked the least.

Pros

It's easy to use, beautifully designed, and allows us to view all the initiatives we're running, their contributions to our goals, and complete visibility into the responsible parties and timelines for various activities all on a single platform.

Cons

It would be great to have the ability to attach files to the various initiatives. The dashboard is highly useful, but having improved notifications would be an added advantage.

Pros

The visibility it provides during the planning and execution of our plans is remarkable. We can quickly identify programs and projects that are not aligned with our business objectives and key outcomes. Throughout the process, it was crucial for us to clearly identify what was working and what wasn't, enabling us to reshape our approach and significantly impact our plans. Additionally, our program and project teams could promptly raise issues, risks, and decisions related to their activities, which required the attention of the leadership team. In time, I can envision it replacing our monthly status reports. What truly sets it apart is that it's not just another isolated tool. Shapecast offers a comprehensive structure and methodology that greatly assists us throughout the process.

Cons

The team at Shapecast was highly responsive to our feedback. Although it would be nice to have a feature that allows each team member to directly communicate their feedback to Shapecast on a one-on-one basis.