Strategic Planning

The Long-Term Short-Term View against

A process is a structured workflow that ensures the progress and results. For a strategic planning process to be followed in an organization, consideration should be given to both long-term vision and short-term needs. For example, if an organization has an important customer who comes to maintenance, needs to focus on providing the best possible service to the client, while at the same time see if the cross-selling of other products or services on the client can be achieved. However, we would also need to be the effort made to increase the overall customer base. This flow would focus more on the plan, more work for sure, but definitely a strategic necessity. Similarly, if a strategy to transform the organization, then a short-term strategic plan transition may be necessary, as the long-term strategic plan.

Analyzing the environment

As with any process, systemic influences must be addressed. When you create a strategic plan, it would be to analyze the external environment and forecast the impact that this environment could have on the organization over the next few years. Political changes, regulatory, economic, social, environmental "green" technology should be evaluated for their potential as opportunities or threats for the organization. As with the macro-environment, the market environment that includes competitors, customers, consumers, the historic landscape of the industry, suppliers and vendors must also be analyzed to determine how changes in it could affect the organization.

This would provide not only leads to appearance of the potential impact, but also determine how the organization can influence or strategically manage the variables of this level. It could be because of a new or revised product offerings and marketing efforts, a new price point, or even new supply contracts. The internal environment is an important part of the system and so should be focused on how to pinpoint the weaknesses and strengths that exist with systems concern, processes, skills, leadership, culture, communications, property, plant and equipment, among others. Current operational challenges must be developed to ensure that they are adequately addressed as the organization forges ahead.

Because everything we do takes place within a larger system, stakeholders (all affected by what we do or who can influence what we do) should be identified and their needs and expectations considered when devising a plan strategy. Under this plan, the opportunities must be exploited, managed threats, strengths and weaknesses optimized eliminated.

Creating Direction

Environmental analysis will help inform all decisions made for the strategy. However, it is the common goal that provides direction. A short, simple, inspiring vision created by the leader down the stretch for the organization in the direction of where he wants to go. The mission defines the purpose of the organization and provides the reason for its existence. Once the goals are established, it becomes clear what must be done in key areas of interest in order to achieve the vision. As targets are often of large dimensions in the field of application, they need to be divided into objectives. These specific goals or end results are the basis for an action plan. This will ensure that the strategy is done in a working document that can inform an organization of sections that must be done, and against which progress can be measured.

Who should attend?

Participation in strategic planning is critical to the project successfully translated into action. Everyone in the organization should, at some point, be involved in the strategic plan. People tend to own what they help create. It also allows for different points of view and information for use. Of course, not all participants in the strategic planning process will be strategic thinkers. However, all inputs may have value, even if it is to work the tactics. At the same time, allows everyone to have exposure to the general framework, the process of strategic thinking, and vocabulary. This, in turn, increase awareness and understanding, so hopefully that enables participants to challenge and improve what was done during the forward movement. It also works to create a common culture throughout the organization and reinforces the need to go beyond the organization's future direction

Because if you embark on strategic planning?

As Joel Barker rightly says in his video, the power of vision, "To have a vision without action is daydreaming. Have Action without vision is just passing time." It requires a vision really know what you're aiming for, along with an action plan for what to do to achieve your vision. The best way to think the world does not guarantee success. It will provide opportunities may be in your reach if you understand the means to capture them. Gone are the days when an organization can be a success in spite of himself. It requires a concerted effort to establish the direction you need to go in, position it as a common point for all members of the organization, and have a structured plan of action that anyone can perform. The risk of not having a strategic plan could be

• be prepared to address changes in the environment that the organization faces
• the organization or individual sections following their programs
• Communications inconsistent sent to interested parties
• The inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the whole operation.

You can choose to do business as usual, with the hope that the environment does not change around you. Alternatively, you can make a concerted effort to stay ahead of the curve so that the organization's position on the market is safe and that its processes and resources are optimized and agile enough to change the need requires.

What are the strategic planning skills are needed?

Adding to the skills outlined for strategic thinking, you will also be able to:

• identify patterns or trends for the environment
• extract the relevant opportunities and threats for the organization
• predict the future of an organization
• Create a vision statement
• define the aims of an organization
• Define objectives
• build a concrete strategic plan
• establish measures
• see which parts of the overall system will be influenced by the strategy and plan for it.

To visit a graphical representation of the strategic planning process...