GoalPOSTPrimer

Goal POST PrimerGoal POST is a business planning process inspired by Michael Porter, well-known professorand head of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard University Business School.It is a simple yet comprehensive way to develop and articulate a strategic plan.With the Goal POST methodology, your planning process begins with the end in mind: the goal.You then think through the strategies and tactics to get from where you are today to where youwant to be in the future. An effective Goal POST process includes plenty of fact-finding,brainstorming, and debate among key stakeholders before arriving at decisions. The Goal POSTformat helps structure the discussions and plan. It also gives us a common language and formatfor communicating ideas – we don’t have to reinvent the process every time we need to plan.Finally, the complete Goal POST provides a roadmap to follow and a way to track progress.The POST in Goal POST is an acronym: P = profile, O = objective, S = strategy, T = tactics.Each is a critical component of any plan. Here’s an example template for Goal POST:Goal: <Where you’re going in the long run.>P <Where you’re starting: Summarize factual analysis (based on SWOT) of the current situation and what we are doing now.>O <What you plan to achieve along the way: List no more than 5 specific and measurable outcomes.> <How you’re going to get there: State in clear and simple terms theS deliberate approach you are taking to reach your goals and objectives.> <What steps you need to take to reach your objectives: List specificT activities that need to happen, when they need to happen and who has taken responsibility to make them happen.>Autodesk Presentation Title 3 © 2005 AutodeskGoal – Where you’re going in the long run.A goal is the direction you want to go and what you want to accomplish in the long run. Thisis the time to think “BIG”. Goals are lofty, but in the realm of possibility. It is something youcontinually strive to achieve, and frankly, it’s not always easy to tell when you’ve reached thegoal.EXAMPLE: Become the preferred supplier of data management solutions.Profile – Where you’re starting. The profile is a factual analysis of the current situation and what you are doing now. It describes what’s happening in the industry and with your competitors, as well as the specific area of the business you may be addressing with your plan (e.g. subscription, sales, consulting, etc.) The profile also describes your current strengths and weaknesses compared to present and future competitors.AUTODESK COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

A SWOT Analysis is a useful tool for developing the profile. Complete a SWOT Analysischart to help organize your thoughts. Here is an example format for gathering SWOTAnalysis information:S.W.O.T. Analysis Strengths Internal Analysis WeaknessesAutodesk resources and capabilities Resources and capabilities Autodeskthat can or could give us a lacks that will negatively affect ourcompetitive advantage ability to compete External Analysis ThreatsOpportunities External or market factors that give External or market factors thatAutodesk an opportunity for profit and prevent or threaten Autodesk’s growth opportunity and strengthsAutodesk Presentation Title 5 © 2005 AutodeskBelow are a few questions you should be asking yourself during this phase of planning.Answer these questions not only from an Autodesk perspective, but also from a customer,analyst and competitor perspective. In addition, consider strengths relative to competitors.For example, if a competitor provides a high quality GIS solution, then Autodesk’s qualityproduct is not a strength as much as it’s the minimum price for entry into the marketplace.Strengths:• What advantages does Autodesk have?• What do we do well?• Do our competitor’s weaknesses point to an Autodesk strength?Weaknesses:• What could we improve or do better?• What do we do poorly?• What is preventing you from being more successful?• What advantages do our competitor’s have?• Do our competitor’s strengths point to an Autodesk weakness?Opportunities:• What are good opportunities for Autodesk to pursue?• What are the interesting trends we know about?• Are there changes in the marketplace, industry standards, government policies, practices or technology that have created or will create opportunity?• Do any of our strengths create opportunity for Autodesk?• If we addressed any of the weaknesses, could they create opportunities?Threats:• What obstacles or challenges do we face?• Is the competition doing anything that we should worry about, or could they take advantage of any of our weaknesses?• What worries do you have about our current business, the condition of our channel partners, changes in the business climate, or technological innovations?AUTODESK COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Objective – What you plan to achieve along the way.Unlike goals, objectives are specific and measurable outcomes that you will achieve in adefined period of time. Think SMART: S = specific, M = measurable, A = achievable, R =results oriented, T = time bound. Objectives are the way you measure success and gaugeyour progress toward the goal. You may have multiple objectives for a particular goal, butstay focused on the most important measures of success. Limit your objectives to 3-5.EXAMPLE: Increase subscription renewal rate to >90% by the end of the fiscal year.Strategy – How you’re going to get there.Strategy is the deliberate, sustainable approach you’re going to take to move toward yourgoal and objectives. In business, a winning strategy needs to consider the competition anddefine a path that delivers unique value to the customer. It explains how you are different, soit should not be something that could easily be copied by the competition.When developing a strategy, it ishelpful to reflect back on the SWOT S.W.O.T. Strategiesanalysis. Consider whether yourstrategy will focus on your strengths Strengths Weaknessesor minimize weaknesses. Is there astrategy that will allow you to take Propose strategy that takes Propose a strategy toadvantage of an opportunity you’ve advantage of a strength so overcome an Autodeskdefined? Do you need a strategy to Opportunities that Autodesk can pursue a weaknesses so that defined opportunity Autodesk can pursue a defined opportunityfight off any threats to the Identify ways we can use Propose defensive planbusiness? our strengths to overcome to mitigate weaknesses Threats external threats in both long and short termBusiness strategies are often basedon value or price. Value is howyou’re doing something differently.Price is how you’re doing it cheaperor better. Ultimately, your strategy Autodesk Presentation Title 6 © 2005 Autodeskneeds to differentiate. To be sure, companies must be mindful of operational efficiency, butcompeting solely on price is a sure way to lose in the long run.Example: Build inside sales support and utilize a fragment sales strategy (niche variation) towin direct accounts.Tactics – What steps you need to take to reach your objectives.Tactics are “what” needs to be done, not “how” you’ll do them. Tactics are your action plan ofspecific activities that need to happen, when they need to happen and who will make themhappen.Tactics are the marching orders for the team, but not the only thing they need to understand.To be effective, the team that will execute on the tactics needs to understand the goals,profile, objectives and strategy that lead up to the tactics. Ideally, key team members willalso be involved in developing the plan. In doing so, you’ll create a sense of sharedresponsibility, increasing the plan’s chance of success.Oftentimes, there is a lot of room for creativity with tactics. For example, you may have atactic that calls for implementing a partner management system. There is an enormousamount of research, decision-making, and additional planning that will need to occur if youare to successfully execute the tactic. The better the owner of the tactic understands the AUTODESK COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

other elements of the Goal POST, the more likely the project will deliver a result that moves you toward your goal.Tips & TricksWhile the Goal POST format may be straightforward, the planning process is often very difficult.The information available to you may be incomplete, or perhaps even contradictory. Confusionabout what you’re trying to accomplish may frustrate team members. On top of that, you areunder pressure to meet everyone’s expectations and to complete the plan by a specific date. Ifyou aren’t willing to plan seriously and make hard decisions, you’ll end up with an unfocused,“peanut-butter” Goal POST that essentially is just a “to do” list of uncoordinated, individualactions. Your team resources will not be deployed effectively, and you’ll waste time and energy.Ultimately, the goal and objectives will not be achieved.Because planning is often more important than the plan itself, give the process time. A plan cannever account for all the issues, problems and opportunities you will face. But the planningprocess can prepare your team to deal effectively with the unforeseen or unexpected.Here are suggested steps you can take to get started with your Goal POST:† Enlist the help of a team. Developing a plan in cooperation with others will give you insights and ideas for your profile and strategies. It will also help create a sense of shared responsibility for the project.† Hold regularly scheduled work sessions. Decide when and how you’ll meet and work as a team. Assign team roles and responsibilities such as team lead, note taker, facilitator, etc. Have a clear agenda and review the next steps and action items after each meeting.† Discuss and clarify the purpose of your project. This may lead you to develop multiple Goal POSTs if you discover that the challenges you want to address are diverse, with unique objectives and strategies.† Take time to brainstorm. Get all the issues and ideas on the table. Categorize these appropriately as belonging to the objective, profile, strategies, or tactics. Then discuss and evaluate them individually.† Begin with the end in mind: the goal. Keep your goal statement brief and simple so that it is easily understood by the team. Periodically review the goal during your planning to make sure that your objectives, strategies, and tactics are aligned with the goal.† Develop your profile using the SWOT Analysis. Reflect on the best practices and “what works” in your own experience. Visit the Marketing Center on Infosys for research on Autodesk, our products, and our competitors. This may help you identify particular strengths and weaknesses and ensure that personal bias is not overly-influencing your thinking. The profile uses facts, not opinions.† Develop your objectives. Again, keep it simple, focusing on the measurable results that will move you toward your goal.† Assign owners and deadlines to tactics. Many plans fail because the tactics are too open ended, without a clear owner, deliverable or deadline. The plan fails to be executed. Someone (preferably a named individual, not a group of people) needs to be responsible for ensuring the tactic gets done by a specific date.† Manage your risk. Discuss and identify risks, investment and other information you need for success. Determine how you will mitigate the risks. Determine whether you have the resources for your plan. If not, then you’ll need to re-evaluate your plan, seek outside funding, or divest from another program and redirect the funds to this plan.† Keep track of your progress. Schedule on your calendar a monthly or quarterly review of the business plan deliverables. Make sure you’re on track with your tactics. Take a snapshot of your objectives and gauge whether you are on target to achieve them in the timeframe you’ve set. AUTODESK COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Sample Goal POST PlansFrom EMEA FY06 Business Plan:From Korean FY06 Business Plan: AUTODESK COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

From Americas FY06 Business Plan: AUTODESK COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL