Why you need a fork in the road

By Rob Lee, Kimberley Consulting Group

Let's face it: business plans have become the New Year's resolutions of the corporate world. We write them with the best intentions, full of ambition and bullet points, only to watch them gather digital dust as real life, market shifts, and organizational chaos take over.

For years, I was knee-deep in the business planning process—sometimes leading it for an entire organization, sometimes trying to make sense of siloed department plans that seemed more like wish lists than strategic blueprints. And here's what I learned: plans are too rigid for the real world. Especially in organizations where departments are interdependent, goals are misaligned, and the mission statement is something you see framed in the lobby but rarely in action.

Enter the business roadmap.

Why Roadmaps Beat Plans (Almost) Every Time

A roadmap gives you direction, but also options. It understands that you're going to hit roadblocks, unexpected construction, and maybe even the occasional detour to Opportunityville. Where a traditional business plan says "This is the one way forward," a roadmap says "Here's the destination, and here are the viable paths to get there."

More importantly, a roadmap welcomes forks in the road. It’s built with the idea that businesses must pivot, adapt, and evolve—especially when you’re dealing with multiple business units that rely on each other to succeed.

The Problem with Departmental Business Plans

Here’s a familiar story: Department A sets ambitious goals, Department B has its own (completely unrelated) priorities, and Department C has no idea what either of them are doing. Meanwhile, leadership is wondering why progress on the organizational mission feels like pushing a rope uphill.

The problem isn’t the people. It’s the system. Departmental plans that don’t acknowledge interdependencies are doomed to conflict, redundancy, or plain old inefficiency. And when the broader organizational mission is treated like a background prop instead of a guiding principle, those plans become exercises in checking boxes, not driving impact.

Building a Business Roadmap That Works

So how do we build a roadmap that supports our mission and embraces the messiness of real-world business?

1. Start with the mission, not the metrics. Every path on the roadmap should lead toward mission fulfillment. If a proposed initiative doesn’t move the needle, it doesn’t make the map.

2. Recognize interdependence. Business units aren’t islands. Map out who relies on whom, and ensure your roadmap reflects those connections. Collaboration isn’t optional; it’s infrastructure.

3. Build in checkpoints, not fixed deadlines. Plans lock you into a timeline. Roadmaps let you pause, reassess, and reroute if needed. Set regular intervals to review progress and adjust course.

4. Prioritize alignment over agreement. Not every department will get their pet project on the map. But they should all be aligned around shared goals and understand how their work supports the collective direction.

5. Make it visual and accessible. A roadmap should be easy to follow and hard to ignore. Bring it out at every major meeting. Make it part of onboarding. Tattoo it on your arm (okay, maybe not that last one).

Final Thought: Plans Belong to the Past. Roadmaps Belong to the Present.

The business environment is too complex, too fast-moving, and too interconnected for rigid plans to survive. Roadmaps offer a way forward that honors flexibility, encourages collaboration, and keeps your organization mission-focused.

So the next time someone asks for a business plan, hand them a roadmap. And make sure it includes a few good forks in the road.

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Want help building a roadmap that works for your organization? Let’s connect. Kimberley Consulting Group specializes in helping mission-driven organizations turn complexity into clarity and action.