Trade-Off Mapping: A Simple Exercise for Leadership Teams

Strategic planning workshops often produce long lists of things the organisation should do. The harder question — what should we stop doing — rarely gets the same attention.

The exercise

We use a simple wall chart with three columns: Continue, Start, and Stop. Each division head places their top initiatives into one column. The rules are strict: every Start requires a corresponding Stop. If the team cannot name what to stop, the new initiative does not make the list.

Why it works

Naming stops forces resource honesty. A mid-sized manufacturer might want to enter a new market, launch a product line, and upgrade its ERP system in the same year. The trade-off map makes visible that all three cannot happen with the current leadership bandwidth.

Common resistance

Senior leaders often resist the Stop column because stopping feels like admitting failure. We reframe it: stopping is a strategic choice that frees capacity for what matters more. The organisations that struggle most with this exercise are usually the ones that need it most.