Strategy map template with a worked example

Strategy map template

A strategy map is a one-page diagram that shows how an organization's objectives connect, from the people and technology at the base to the financial or mission result at the top. It is owned by the chief executive and agreed with the executive team, each of whom owns the objectives on one level of the map.

Horizon: 3 years4 priorities · 12 outcomes

Use this template

What this strategy map template includes

ContextThe situation, the challenges to solve, and what is deliberately left out.
Strategy in briefThe result the map leads to and the theme that ties it together.
Objectives by levelThe objectives placed on each level of the map.
Cause-and-effect linksThe arrows on the map, written out.
Priorities and measuresThree to five priorities, each with an owner, outcomes with a baseline and target, and the initiatives behind them.

Strategy map example

A complete strategy map for a fictional organization: home insurance provider selling direct and through independent brokers.

Worked exampleStrategy map

Organization	Home insurance provider selling direct and through independent brokers (500 staff)
Ambition	Return to underwriting profit by 2029 by pricing every home on its own risk and paying claims fast enough that good customers and good brokers stay.
Horizon	3 years

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

We insure 310,000 homes for $420 million in gross written premium, 70% placed by 1,900 independent brokers and 30% sold direct. The combined ratio is 104.5%: a non-catastrophe loss ratio of 57%, 14 points of weather catastrophe losses and a 33.5% expense ratio. Rates are set by ZIP code, and roof age is missing or unverified for 45% of policies, so well-kept homes subsidize poor ones and leave: retention is 81%. A non-catastrophe claim takes 38 days on average to settle. A rate change takes nine months to deploy on a policy system that is 20 years old.

Challenges

Pricing cannot tell a new roof from a 25-year-old one, so we lose the risks we want and keep the ones we do not.
Slow claims drive away policyholders at renewal and give brokers a reason to place their best clients elsewhere.
The policy system makes every pricing or underwriting change a nine-month project, so we react to loss trends a year late.

We will focus on

Property-level data on every policy: roof age and condition, water shutoff devices, wildfire defensible space.
The 400 brokers whose books run a loss ratio below 60%.
Non-catastrophe claims, where speed and cost are within our control.

We will not

Entering auto or small commercial lines to offer a bundle, although brokers ask for it. The capital goes to fixing home first.
Cutting broker commission to lower the expense ratio. Savings come from automation and from ending appointments with unprofitable brokers.
Growing policy count. Premium growth will come from rate adequacy, and we expect to shed about 15,000 underpriced policies.

Strategy in brief

Top-level result	A combined ratio of 96% by 2029 on $500 million of premium, which earns the return our capital providers and rating agency expect.
Strategic theme	Know every home we insure. Accurate property data lets us price fairly, settle claims quickly and keep the households and brokers that make the book profitable.

Objectives by level

Level	Objective	What it enables
Financial	Return to underwriting profit	Capital to keep writing business and an unchanged financial strength rating
Customer	Keep the well-maintained homes we want to insure	A stable, lower-loss book and less spent replacing lost policies
Customer	Be the first choice of our most profitable brokers	More new business from books that run below a 60% loss ratio
Process	Price each home on its own characteristics	Fair rates for good risks and adequate rates for poor ones
Process	Settle non-catastrophe claims in two weeks	Lower claim cost and policyholders who renew after a loss
People and technology	Hold verified property data on every policy	Pricing, underwriting and claims decisions made on facts
People and technology	Run a policy platform that changes in weeks	Rate and rule changes deployed while loss trends still apply

Cause-and-effect links

Verified roof, plumbing and wildfire data on every policy makes rating by property possible, where today's plan can only rate by ZIP code.
A policy platform that deploys changes in two months lets underwriting act on loss trends within the same renewal cycle.
Rating by property lowers premiums for well-kept homes and raises them for poor risks, so retention improves where we want it and falls where we do not.
Automated underwriting rules give brokers a bindable quote in minutes, which wins more business from the brokers with the best books.
Adjusters trained in virtual inspection settle simple claims in days, which lifts claimant satisfaction and renewal after a claim.
Higher retention of good risks, adequate rates on the rest and lower handling costs bring the loss and expense ratios down to a 96% combined ratio.

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: Chief Financial Officer

Financial: return to underwriting profit

At a 104.5% combined ratio we lose about $19 million a year on underwriting before investment income. The rating agency has made clear that a combined ratio still above 100% in 2028 puts the rating under review.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Combined ratioMilestones: 102% by Q4 2027 · 98.5% by Q4 2028	104.5%	96%	Q3 2029
Gross written premiumMilestones: $440M by Q4 2027 · $472M by Q4 2028	$420M	$500M	Q3 2029
Expense ratioMilestones: 32.5% by Q4 2027 · 31% by Q4 2028	33.5%	30%	Q3 2029

Initiatives

File rate increases averaging 7% a year, weighted to under-priced segments
Introduce percentage wind and hail deductibles in the six most exposed territories
Restructure the catastrophe reinsurance program around the smaller, better-priced book
End appointments with the 250 brokers whose books have run above a 90% loss ratio for three years

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 2Owner: Chief Distribution Officer

Customer: keep the households and brokers worth keeping

Retention of 81% hides the real problem: the homes that leave are the newer, better-maintained ones that find a cheaper quote. In our target risk segments retention is 78%. The same is true of brokers, who send their best clients to the carrier that quotes fastest.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Policy retention in target risk segmentsMilestones: 83% by Q4 2027 · 86% by Q4 2028	78%	88%	Q3 2029
Claimant net promoter scoreMilestones: 26 points by Q4 2027 · 37 points by Q4 2028	18 points	45 points	Q3 2029
New business premium from top-tier brokersMilestones: 44% by Q4 2027 · 53% by Q4 2028	38%	60%	Q3 2029

Initiatives

Create a top-tier program for 400 brokers with a dedicated underwriter and profit-sharing on loss ratio
Offer premium credits for roofs under 10 years old, automatic water shutoff valves and wildfire mitigation
Contact every target-segment policyholder facing a renewal increase above 10% with options before the notice goes out
Give policyholders and brokers live claim status online

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 3Owner: Chief Underwriting Officer

Process: price each home on its own risk and settle claims fast

Pricing by ZIP code and a 38-day claim cycle are the two processes customers and brokers feel directly. Fixing them is what moves the loss ratio and retention at the same time.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Non-catastrophe loss ratioMilestones: 55.5% by Q4 2027 · 53% by Q4 2028	57%	51%	Q3 2029
Average time from first notice of loss to settlement, non-catastrophe claimsMilestones: 27 days by Q4 2027	38 days	14 days	Q4 2028
New business quotes bound without manual referralMilestones: 82% by Q4 2027 · 89% by Q4 2028	78%	93%	Q3 2029

Initiatives

File a by-peril rating plan that uses roof age, roof material, plumbing age and distance to vegetation
Route claims under $10,000 with photo evidence to a fast-track desk with same-week payment
Replace referral rules that depend on missing data with rules the system can decide
Set up a preferred contractor network for water damage with agreed pricing and a 24-hour response

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Priority 4Owner: Chief Information Officer

People and technology: property data and a platform that keeps pace

None of the process changes are possible while 45% of policies lack verified roof data and a rate change takes nine months. Underwriters and adjusters also need new skills to work from imagery and data instead of site visits.

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
Policies with verified roof age and conditionMilestones: 78% by Q4 2027	55%	95%	Q4 2028
Time to deploy a filed rate changeMilestones: 7 months by Q4 2027 · 3 months by Q4 2028	9 months	2 months	Q3 2029
Adjusters certified in virtual inspection and estimatingMilestones: 55% by Q4 2027	20%	85%	Q4 2028

Initiatives

Buy aerial imagery and permit data for the whole book and refresh it every year
Migrate policy administration to a configurable platform, new business first and renewals over 12 months
Train all desk adjusters in virtual inspection and give them settlement authority up to $10,000
Hire four pricing actuaries and data scientists to own the by-peril models

Targets are illustrative. Adapt them to your baseline before you start.

Blank strategy map template

The same structure with a prompt in every field. Copy it, or download it as a Word or Excel file.

Your planStrategy map

Organization	[Describe your organization in a few words, with its size]
Ambition	[One sentence on where you want to be at the end of the plan]
Horizon	[How long the plan runs, for example 12 months]

Context

Where we are and what we are choosing

[Where things stand today: the facts that make this strategy necessary]

Challenges

[A problem the strategy has to solve]
[A problem the strategy has to solve]

We will focus on

[Something you are choosing to concentrate on]
[Something you are choosing to concentrate on]

We will not

[Something you are deliberately leaving out]
[Something you are deliberately leaving out]

Strategy in brief

Top-level result	[Your top-level result]
Strategic theme	[Your strategic theme]

Objectives by level

Level	Objective	What it enables
[Level]	[Objective]	[What it enables]
[Level]	[Objective]	[What it enables]
[Level]	[Objective]	[What it enables]

Cause-and-effect links

[A link from an enabling objective to the one above it]
[A link from an enabling objective to the one above it]
[A link from an enabling objective to the one above it]

Priorities and measures

Priority 1Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 2Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 3Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

Priority 4Owner: [Role accountable for this priority]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Why this priority matters now, in one or two sentences]

Outcome	Baseline	Target	Due
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]
[Metric you will track]	[Where it is today]	[Where it should be]	[When]

Initiatives

[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]
[A project or action that moves the outcomes above]

How to adapt it

01
Start at the top with one result and a date. If the executive team cannot agree on the top box, the map is not ready to draw.
02
Work down by asking what must be true on the level below for each objective to be reached. Stop at one or two objectives per level; a map with 25 boxes hides the strategy.
03
Write every arrow as a sentence: this objective enables that one because of a named mechanism. Delete any arrow you cannot explain to a new manager.
04
Name the bottom level for what your strategy depends on. People and technology fits a data-driven insurer; a manufacturer might use people and plant.
05
Attach two or three measures to each objective so the links can be tested. If a lower objective improves and the one above does not, the map is wrong and should change.
06
Redraw the map once a year, and keep the old versions.

How to run it

A plan only works if it is reviewed on a rhythm. This is the cadence the example assumes.

Check-in	Outcome owners update progress and confidence weekly.
Review	Priority owners review outcomes and unblock initiatives monthly.
Reset	Leadership revisits priorities and targets quarterly.

Tability keeps this cadence for you. Each priority becomes an objective, each outcome a key result with its baseline and target, and each initiative a tracked task. Owners get a check-in reminder and the plan shows what is on track.

Track this plan in Tability

Still comparing tools? See the 10 best strategy software tools.

Common mistakes

Drawing the map after the plan is written, as an illustration. Its value is in the argument over which objectives make the page and how they connect.
Arrows from everything to everything. If every objective supports every other, the map says nothing about cause and effect.
Filling the bottom level with generic items such as culture and talent, when the strategy depends on a specific capability the organization lacks.
Never checking the links against results, so the map stays on the wall after the evidence has contradicted it.

Questions, answered.

What is a strategy map?

A strategy map is a one-page diagram of an organization's objectives arranged on levels, with arrows showing how each objective supports the ones above it. The levels usually follow the balanced scorecard: financial at the top, then customer, internal process, and learning and growth. It shows the logic of a strategy at a glance.

How do you create a strategy map?

Start with the top-level result, then ask what customers must experience for it to happen, which processes must improve to deliver that, and which people and technology capabilities those processes need. Place one or two objectives on each level, draw the links, and write each link as a sentence to test that it holds.

What is the difference between a strategy map and a balanced scorecard?

A strategy map shows objectives and the cause-and-effect links between them. A balanced scorecard adds the measures, targets and initiatives for each objective. They are designed to be used together: the map explains why the measures were chosen, and the scorecard shows whether the links on the map are working in practice.

How many objectives should a strategy map have?

Between 8 and 15 objectives is typical, with one to four on each level. Fewer is better for a first version. If the map needs more than 15, it is usually describing everything the organization does instead of the few things that have to change, and readers will not be able to follow the links.

Can a nonprofit or public agency use a strategy map?

Yes. Mission-driven organizations usually put the mission or the people served at the top and move the financial level to the base or the side, as a resource that supports the mission. The method of working down from the result to the enabling capabilities stays the same.

Strategy map template

Get the Word file

What this strategy map template includes

Strategy map example

Context

Strategy in brief

Objectives by level

Cause-and-effect links

Financial: return to underwriting profit

Customer: keep the households and brokers worth keeping

Process: price each home on its own risk and settle claims fast

People and technology: property data and a platform that keeps pace

Blank strategy map template

Context

Strategy in brief

Objectives by level

Cause-and-effect links

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

Get the Word file

How to adapt it

How to run it

Common mistakes

Questions, answered.

What this strategy map template includes

Strategy map example

Financial: return to underwriting profit

Customer: keep the households and brokers worth keeping

Process: price each home on its own risk and settle claims fast

People and technology: property data and a platform that keeps pace

Blank strategy map template

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

[Name the priority in a few words]

How to adapt it

How to run it

Common mistakes

Questions, answered.

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