HEAPY, a recognized leader in sustainable and resilient engineering design, faced the challenge of evolving its strategic planning process to meet the demands of a dynamic business environment. By 2024, the company knew it was time to shift from traditional, static planning to a more agile, colleague-focused approach. Partnering with Elate, HEAPY set out to revamp its strategic planning framework, creating a living strategy that could drive both company performance and a colleague-first culture.
For years, HEAPY’s strategic plan had grown into an overwhelming 1,000+ page document—complex, static, and difficult to implement. Rather than empowering teams, it was holding them back, with outdated metrics and goals disconnected from real-world execution.
Heather Elliott, a key sponsor of HEAPY’s strategic plan, described the situation: “Our previous strategic planning metrics weren’t set intentionally, and they didn’t align with the organizational goals we wanted to achieve. We needed to shift our focus, not just on financial success but also on building a sustainable, colleague-first culture.”
HEAPY realized that to remain competitive and adaptable, a significant overhaul of their strategic planning process was required. It wasn’t just about creating a plan; it was about embedding the strategy into the organization’s daily operations, ensuring the entire team understood their role in achieving the company’s objectives.
To achieve this transformation, HEAPY turned to Elate, investing not only in technology but also in rethinking their internal processes. Change management was a crucial part of this transformation from the beginning, as Heather and the leadership team knew that a shift this significant would require buy-in from every level of the organization.
The focus was on making the strategic plan actionable, rather than simply storing it in a new platform. “We wanted to put our themes and core values into a practical framework, something that would be absorbed into the day-to-day operations of our business,” Heather explained. “We needed our strategy to be woven into our business practices, conversations, and goals.”
With this mindset, HEAPY’s new strategic plan aimed to achieve four critical objectives:
HEAPY knew that these objectives, pursued in isolation, could bring incremental benefits. However, when implemented together and reinforced through a strong change management process, they had the potential to unlock significant organizational efficiencies and team empowerment.
Change Management in Action
For many organizations, change management can be daunting. Leaders often anticipate pushback or resistance. Yet, HEAPY approached the process with empathy, ensuring that the change was not only accepted but embraced across the company.
To make this transition smoother, HEAPY expanded internal roles, clearly defined new responsibilities, and prioritized transparent communication about the strategic plan. They introduced a new rhythm for tracking execution, keeping all levels of the organization aligned and informed about progress.
“Change management has been a focus for us, but empathy has helped create cohesiveness,” Heather said. “By aligning our company metrics with strategic planning, we’ve been able to help leaders maintain accountability while linking individual objectives with overarching company goals.”
HEAPY’s leadership emphasized that their new plan couldn’t just sit on a shelf—it needed to be a living, breathing part of their culture, continuously evolving and improving based on real-time feedback and data.
With Elate, HEAPY has successfully transformed their strategic planning process into one that’s agile, actionable, and deeply aligned with the organization’s day-to-day operations. Instead of a long list of outputs, HEAPY’s teams now focus on measurable outcomes—objectives that directly impact the company’s success.
By ensuring that objectives are prioritized and methodically built, HEAPY avoided the common pitfall of adding too much complexity. “It’s easy to keep piling on layers of work,” Heather explained, “but we’ve set clear boundaries to stay focused on the outcomes that truly matter.”
This disciplined approach has allowed HEAPY to:
With Elate, HEAPY’s leadership now has a real-time view of how the organization is performing against its key objectives. “We’re excited to leverage Elate to help monitor the health of our strategic plan,” Heather shared. “With Elate’s ability to track execution and continuously monitor key results, our leadership can make faster, more informed decisions.”
As HEAPY heads into 2025, the company is more aligned and focused than ever before. Their strategic plan, once a static document, is now a dynamic tool driving business success. Leadership meetings have become more efficient, with data-driven discussions that identify bottlenecks early and enable proactive decision-making.
“Leadership meetings will be more focused with Elate,” Heather noted, “allowing us to make decisions faster and stay on top of any shifts in our strategic plan.”
HEAPY’s new approach to planning also means that the company is better prepared to handle any shifts or changes in the market. By closely tracking both leading and lagging indicators, HEAPY is able to adapt quickly and keep the business moving forward, even when facing uncertainty.
With a colleague-first approach to strategic planning, HEAPY has achieved what many organizations struggle to realize—bridging the gap between vision and execution. As they continue to leverage Elate’s platform, HEAPY is set up for long-term success, driving both company performance and a healthier, more connected culture.
Request a demo to learn how Elate is helping companies of all sizes move faster, together.