Lesson 6 — Vision: The Future State, Not the Project Plan
A change vision gives the transformation meaning and direction.
Three purposes
- Clarification — makes direction understandable.
- Motivation — gives people a reason to invest effort.
- Alignment — helps distributed decisions point toward the same destination.
Six attributes of an effective vision
| Attribute | Practical test |
|---|---|
| Imaginable | Can people picture the future? |
| Desirable | Does it appeal to long-term stakeholder interests? |
| Feasible | Is it believable and attainable enough to pursue? |
| Focused | Does it guide decisions? |
| Flexible | Can it accommodate initiative and changing conditions? |
| Communicable | Can it be explained clearly in about five minutes or less? |
Vision vs strategy vs plan vs technology
- Vision: Where are we going and why is it better?
- Strategy: How will we broadly move there?
- Plan / Charter: What work, timing, ownership and resources execute the strategy?
- Technology implementation: What enabling platform or milestone is being delivered?
Example: - Vision: trusted, timely information that reduces close stress and improves decisions. - Strategy: improve flows, stewardship, reporting controls and supporting platforms. - Plan: milestones, work packages, owners, budget. - Technology: implement System X by Q1.
A measurable technology target can still be a weak change vision because it names the enabling delivery rather than the future organizational outcome.
Vision creation is iterative
The source portrays vision as coalition rework: draft, refine, engage head and heart, test desirability/feasibility/focus/flexibility/communicability and allow enough time for a coherent direction to emerge.
Retrieval check
Q: “Implement the enterprise data-quality platform by Q1” is measurable. Why is it weak as a vision?
A: It describes a delivery goal, not the compelling future organizational outcome that makes the change meaningful.
Source: pp. 546–547, 557–560.