How to choose a strategy tool for your company
Spreadsheet, task tool, BI platform or a dedicated strategy platform? Here is an honest comparison of the four options SMEs really choose between, the criteria that decide it, and where each one falls short.
Published · 8 min read
In short
- Choose based on what goes wrong today: missing structure, missing ownership or missing visibility of progress.
- Spreadsheets work up to roughly 10 goals and three users; after that, upkeep costs more than a subscription.
- Task tools execute; BI tools report; only a dedicated strategy platform links goals, KPIs, projects and reviews.
- Test on your own goals, and prefer per-company pricing so the whole management team can take part.
Start with the problem, not the tool
Most small and medium-sized companies do not buy a strategy tool because they lack somewhere to write the strategy. They buy one because the strategy disappears after the offsite: the goals sit in a slide deck, the numbers live in separate spreadsheets, and only at next year's meeting does management discover what was never started.
So the deciding question is not "which tool is best?" but "what goes wrong here today?". Do you lack structure in the strategy itself, ownership of the goals, or visibility of progress? The answer points to four very different types of tool.
The four realistic options
All four are used in practice. None of them is wrong — they simply solve different problems.
Spreadsheets and slides
Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint
Free, flexible and familiar. Fine for writing the strategy once and for doing the maths. But a spreadsheet does not connect a KPI to the goal it serves, does not calculate status, does not remember who owns what, and keeps no history of decisions. Files get copied, and after two quarters nobody knows which version applies.
Examples: Choose this if the strategy is new, short and shared with three people.
General task tools
Asana, Trello, Monday, Planner
Strong at distributing and closing tasks. Weak at strategy, because there is no layer above the task: strategic goals, KPIs with targets and fixed management reviews have to be improvised with lists and custom fields. Day-to-day work usually floods the strategic work, because both live on the same boards.
Examples: Use it for project execution — but pair it with a place where the goals live.
BI and reporting tools
Power BI, Tableau, Looker
Best in class at collecting and visualising raw data from ERP, CRM and finance. But a dashboard tells you what the number is, not which strategic decision to make, who owns it, or what was decided last quarter. Changes usually need technical help.
Examples: Choose this if the problem is data quality and reporting — not strategic management.
Dedicated strategy platforms
for example Plandura
Built for the chain from strategy to action: strategic goals, KPIs with automatic status, strategic projects, analyses (SWOT, PESTEL, business model, risk) and fixed strategy reviews with a decision log. It costs money and requires management to actually follow up. In return, progress is visible all year.
Examples: Choose this if the strategy exists but is not being executed and followed up.
Spreadsheet or dedicated platform — what changes?
The two ends of the scale that most SMEs really choose between.
| Area | Spreadsheets and slides | Dedicated strategy platform |
|---|---|---|
| Coherence | Goals, numbers and projects in separate files | KPIs and projects hang on the strategic goal |
| Status | Calculated by hand, if someone remembers | Calculated from targets and thresholds |
| Ownership | A name in a column nobody is reminded of | A named owner per goal, KPI and project |
| History | Overwritten on every update | Every update and decision is kept |
| Follow-up | Ad hoc, usually before the board meeting | Fixed reviews with agenda and decision log |
| Price | Free, but costs management time | 495 kr–895 kr/month per company |
How to choose in practice
Five steps you can complete in a week.
Write down what goes wrong
One sentence: "We don't know how the goals are progressing between annual meetings." That is the criterion everything else is measured against.
Count the users and the goals
Fewer than 10 goals and three users fits a spreadsheet. Above that, manual upkeep costs more than a subscription.
Decide whether you need data or governance
If raw data must be collected and visualised, the answer is BI. If decisions, ownership and progress must be managed, the answer is a strategy platform.
Test it on your own strategy
Put three real goals and five real KPIs into a trial. Demos with fictional data decide nothing.
Check the pricing model for the whole company
Per-user pricing punishes you when the entire management team needs access. Per-company pricing keeps it predictable.
The mistakes that cost most
- Buying a tool before the strategy has concrete goals. The tool creates visibility, not content.
- Choosing by feature count. The tool the management team actually opens every month beats the one with the longest feature list.
- Letting strategy live in the operations task tool. Everyday work always crowds out strategic work.
- Choosing per-user pricing and then restricting access. A strategy only three people can see does not get executed.
- Skipping a fixed follow-up cadence. Without reviews, any tool is an archive.
Where Plandura fits
Plandura is a dedicated strategy platform for small and medium-sized companies. The strategy is built with AI support, translated into strategic goals and KPIs with automatic status, executed through strategic projects with milestones, and followed up in fixed strategy reviews with a decision log. The analyses — SWOT, PESTEL, business model and risk — live in the same place, so insights can become actions instead of an appendix.
Pricing is one subscription per company based on the employee count from the public company register: 495 kr per month for 1–19 employees and 895 kr per month from 20 employees. All users and all modules are included, the first 30 days are free without a credit card, and strategy consultants use the platform free of charge inside their client's own workspace. The interface is available in Danish and English, and data is hosted in the EU.
Plandura is not the right choice if you need a task tool for daily operations or a BI tool for raw data. And if nobody in management will own the goals, no platform solves that.
Frequently asked questions
Is Excel enough for strategy management?
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For a short strategy with a handful of goals and three people, yes. Beyond that, spreadsheets break down: status is not calculated, ownership is not tracked, history is overwritten, and versions multiply. That is normally the point where companies move to a dedicated platform.
What is the difference between a strategy platform and a project tool?
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A project tool manages tasks and deadlines. A strategy platform adds the layer above: strategic goals, KPIs with targets and status, and fixed reviews with a decision log — so execution can be traced back to the strategy it serves.
What does a strategy tool cost?
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It varies from free spreadsheets to enterprise licences per user. Plandura charges one subscription per company based on employee count — 495 kr or 895 kr per month — with all users and modules included and a 30-day free trial without a credit card.
Which strategy tool is best for a small or medium-sized company?
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The one the management team opens every month. In practice that means few, clear goals, KPIs with automatic status, named owners, and a fixed review cadence. Plandura is built specifically for that use case in SMEs, in Danish and English, with data hosted in the EU.
Related guides
These guides are closely connected to choosing a strategy tool and are natural next steps in your strategy work.
- Strategy software vs. Excel
- Strategy implementation in practiceHow strategy gets executed instead of archived.
- OKR vs KPI: when to use whichThe difference between ambitious quarterly goals and ongoing metrics.
- Strategy review: agenda and cadenceA fixed rhythm that keeps decisions and progress visible.
More strategy guides
Analysis and environment
Goals, KPIs and performance
Strategy process and planning
Execution and follow-up
See what a dedicated strategy platform looks like
Try Plandura free for 30 days with your own goals and KPIs — no credit card.