Nathaniel, I agree. Key performance indicators help ensure alignment and prioritization of initiatives with the organizations goals and also provide a means to determine if the planned initiatives had the desired impact. Doing a cross impact analysis during the planning process to take proposed initiatives and objectively rank their level of impact on key performance indicators is an important part of the planning process to ensure alignment and helps with prioritization. Data to inform the decision making process is also an important element in that it takes some of the subjectivity out of the process. That being said, there ultimately are judgement calls that strategic leaders have to make where the answer may not be clear. The strategic thinking process discussed in this course helps leaders in making these strategic choices. Dr. Blake Faulkner