Strategies built to be approved, funded and delivered
PolicyDepartment turns an evidence base into a coherent economic strategy and a deliverable action plan. A credible strategy is more than a vision: it diagnoses where a place is now, is honest about where it is heading on current trends, makes real choices about priorities, and sets out who will do what, by when, to change course. We develop strategies and action plans, and we review draft strategies against the components that funders, government and partners expect to see, so a plan is coherent and approval-ready before it is signed off.
The Strategy Coherence Check
TRY IT - 20 SECONDS
The Strategy Coherence Check is a free tool that scans a draft economic strategy for the components a credible plan needs.
Paste an executive summary or a "plan on a page", or upload the whole document, and it flags what is present, thin or missing across nine components and explains why each gap matters. It is a free, instant version of the structured read we apply at the start of a strategy review. The tool detects presence, not quality: a full PolicyDepartment review goes further and judges how well each component is done, against our model strategy framework.
The components of a coherent strategy
01
Evidence-led baseline and diagnosis
A data-led picture of the current economy and how it compares with peers
03
Genuine place-based opportunities
Priorities built on distinctive strengths, not out-of-area fads
05
Measurable targets vs business-as-usual
Ambition that can be held to account
07
Stakeholder engagement and ownership
Developed with the community of interest so it carries credibility
09
Delivery, ownership and governance
Named owners, timescales and monitoring so the plan drives activity
02
Business-as-usual trajectory and scenarios
Where the area is headed if it does not change course
04
Clear priorities and trade-offs
Real choices rather than a list of everything
06
Strategic fit and alignment
Consistency with local, regional, or national missions and partner plans
08
Prioritised, deliverable actions
Concrete steps that close the gap from business-as-usual to the ambition
WHAT WE DO
The Strategies and Action Plans we work on
We develop, review, and refresh strategic documents and delivery plans that win the confidence of your funders and partners
Local Economic Strategies and Growth Plans
The agreed direction and priorities for a place
Visions and place narratives
A compelling, evidence-grounded account of where a place is heading and why
Action and delivery plans
The prioritised, owned actions that turn a strategy into delivery
Theories of change and logic models
The causal logic linking actions to outcomes and measurable targets
Delivery, governance and monitoring frameworks
Clear ownership, timescales and a way to keep the plan live
Strategy reviews and refreshes
An independent check that a draft is coherent and approval-ready
HOW WE WORK
Diagnose, test, then plan to deliver
From an evidence-led diagnosis, through a tested trajectory, to a prioritised plan with the broad buy-in you need
Step 01
Diagnose and benchmark
Establish how the place really performs and how it compares with genuine comparators, separating strengths to build on from drags to fix
Step 02
Test the trajectory and engage
Work through where the area is headed if nothing changes, and build genuine co-ownership across business and civic leaders
Step 03
Prioritise, narrate and plan delivery
Turn the diagnosis into hard choices, a compelling narrative and an owned, monitorable action plan
A RECENT COMMISSION
A business-led economic manifesto for a city region
CLIENT
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
YEAR
2025
SERVICE AREA
Strategy and Action Planning
Through its industry-led Call To Action, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce wanted a credible, evidence-based business manifesto setting out the city’s economic ambitions to pitch to business, government and investors. PolicyDepartment supported the development of this end to end: baselining the position, testing the trajectory, establishing shared priority ambitions, and shaping concrete actions and investment opportunities, with targeted engagement of the Chamber Board, the Council and business leaders. We supported the drafting of the published manifesto, Edinburgh 2030: Unleashing Our Economic Ambition, built around five clear missions and timed to the region's political and business calendar.
"Edinburgh 2030 is a pivotal piece of work for our Chamber and our City and, arguably, the most impactful piece of work we have undertaken in decades – and it would not have been possible to deliver without the support of PolicyDepartment. It meant turning dozens of conversations with businesses and civic partners into a coherent, ambitious plan to act on, not simply admire. PolicyDepartment pushed us through every draft to test each claim, priority and action, and to be clear about what was ambition versus what was genuinely deliverable. The result is a business-led vision, grounded in Edinburgh’s unique strengths and opportunities, that provides a clear framework for action and something Team Edinburgh can genuinely use to drive the city’s economic ambition forward."
JOANNE DAVIDSON, DIRECTOR OF POLICY & INSIGHTS, EDINBURGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
QUESTIONS CLIENTS ASK