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Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus
energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are
working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and
assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. It is a
disciplined effort that produces fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an
organization is, who it serves, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.
Effective strategic planning articulates not only where an organization is going and the actions
needed to make progress, but also how it will know if it is successful.
Ensure that the ASP Body of Knowledge is continuously updated to include frameworks
that meet these criteria.
http://balancedscorecard.org/Resources/StrategicPlanning-Basics
Strategic planning
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Strategic thinking.
It has been suggested that Long range planning be merged
into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since June 2012.
It has been suggested that Strategy implementation be
merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2015.
Part of a series on Strategy
Strategy
Major dimensions[hide]
Strategy Strategic management
Strategic studies
Thought leaders[hide]
Michael Porter Henry Mintzberg
Bruce Henderson Gary Hamel
Business model
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Value chain Portfolio theory
v
t
e
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making
decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. It may also extend to control
mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the strategy. Strategic planning became
prominent in corporations during the 1960s and remains an important aspect of strategic
management. It is executed by strategic planners or strategists, who involve many parties and
research sources in their analysis of the organization and its relationship to the environment in
which it competes.[1]
Strategy has many definitions, but generally involves setting goals, determining actions to
achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. A strategy describes how the
ends (goals) will be achieved by the means (resources). The senior leadership of an organization
is generally tasked with determining strategy. Strategy can be planned (intended) or can be
observed as a pattern of activity (emergent) as the organization adapts to its environment or
competes.
Strategy includes processes of formulation and implementation; strategic planning helps
coordinate both. However, strategic planning is analytical in nature (i.e., it involves "finding the
dots"); strategy formation itself involves synthesis (i.e., "connecting the dots") via strategic
thinking. As such, strategic planning occurs around the strategy formation activity.[1]
Contents
1 Process
o 1.1 Overview
o 1.2 Inputs
o 1.3 Activities
o 1.4 Outputs
o 1.5 Outcomes
2 Tools and approaches
3 Strategic planning vs. financial planning
4 Criticism
o 4.1 Strategic planning vs. strategic thinking
5 See also
6 References
7 Strategic plan examples
8 Further reading
Process
and others may be executed as discrete projects with a definitive start and end during a period.
Strategic planning provides inputs for strategic thinking, which guides the actual strategy
formation. The end result is the organization's strategy, including a diagnosis of the environment
and competitive situation, a guiding policy on what the organization intends to accomplish, and
key initiatives or action plans for achieving the guiding policy. [2]
Michael Porter wrote in 1980 that formulation of competitive strategy includes consideration of
four key elements:
Inputs
Data is gathered from a variety of sources, such as interviews with key executives, review of
publicly available documents on the competition or market, primary research (e.g., visiting or
observing competitor places of business or comparing prices), industry studies, etc. This may be
part of a competitive intelligence program. Inputs are gathered to help support an understanding
of the competitive environment and its opportunities and risks. Other inputs include an
understanding of the values of key stakeholders, such as the board, shareholders, and senior
management. These values may be captured in an organization's vision and mission statements.
Activities
The essence of formulating competitive strategy is relating a company to its environment.
Michael Porter[3]
Strategic planning activities include meetings and other communication among the organization's
leaders and personnel to develop a common understanding regarding the competitive
environment and what the organization's response to that environment (its strategy) should be. A
variety of strategic planning tools (described in the section below) may be completed as part of
strategic planning activities.
The organization's leaders may have a series of questions they want answered in formulating the
strategy and gathering inputs, such as:
Outputs
The output of strategic planning includes documentation and communication describing the
organization's strategy and how it should be implemented, sometimes referred to as the strategic
plan. The strategy may include a diagnosis of the competitive situation, a guiding policy for
achieving the organization's goals, and specific action plans to be implemented.[2] A strategic plan
may cover multiple years and be updated periodically.
The organization may use a variety of methods of measuring and monitoring progress towards
the objectives and measures established, such as a balanced scorecard or strategy map.
Companies may also plan their financial statements (i.e., balance sheets, income statements, and
cash flows) for several years when developing their strategic plan, as part of the goal setting
activity. The term operational budget is often used to describe the expected financial
performance of an organization for the upcoming year. Capital budgets very often form the
backbone of a strategic plan, especially as it increasingly relates to Information and
Communications Technology (ICT).
Outcomes
Whilst the planning process produces outputs, as described above, strategy implementation or
execution of the strategic plan produces Outcomes. These outcomes will invariably differ from
the strategic goals. How close they are to the strategic goals and vision will determine the
success or failure of the strategic plan. There will also arise unintended Outcomes, which need to
be attended to and understood for strategy development and execution to be a true learning
process.
Play media
Video explaining the strategic plan of the Wikimedia Foundation
A variety of analytical tools and techniques are used in strategic planning.[1] These were
developed by companies and management consulting firms to help provide a framework for
strategic planning. Such tools include:
Criticism
Strategic planning vs. strategic thinking
Strategic planning has been criticized for attempting to systematize strategic thinking and
strategy formation, which Henry Mintzberg argues are inherently creative activities involving
synthesis or "connecting the dots" which cannot be systematized. Mintzberg argues that strategic
planning can help coordinate planning efforts and measure progress on strategic goals, but that it
occurs "around" the strategy formation process rather than within it. Further, strategic planning
functions remote from the "front lines" or contact with the competitive environment (i.e., in
business, facing the customer where the effect of competition is most clearly evident) may not be
effective at supporting strategy efforts.[1]
What is VMOSA?
Why should your organization use VMOSA?
Like everyone else, community organizers often dream about goals they would like to
accomplish, such as an end to drug abuse; every child being wanted, cared for, and nurtured; a
home for everyone; peace in our lifetime. These are just a few of many people's visions for our
community. Unfortunately, like many individual dreams, we think these objectives are too lofty
and unattainable to ever be realized.
But, in fact, realizing these dreams is possible. Look, for example, at our global success in
eradicating small pox, or how far we have come since the 1950s in the United States towards
reaching racial and gender equality. As Henry David Thoreau said over a century ago, "If you
have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; there is where they should be. Now, put
foundations under them."
Building foundations for your community dreams is what VMOSA, the strategic planning
process that is the focus of this chapter, is all about. It's about groups of people deciding together
what they want to accomplish, and how they are going to get there.
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategicplanning/vmosa/main
What is VMOSA?
One way to make that journey is through strategic planning, the process by which a group
defines its own "VMOSA;" that is, its Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans.
VMOSA is a practical planning process that can be used by any community organization or
initiative. This comprehensive planning tool can help your organization by providing a blueprint
for moving from dreams to actions to positive outcomes for your community.
In this section, we will give a general overview of the process, and touch briefly on each of the
individual parts. In Examples, we'll show you how an initiative to prevent adolescent pregnancy
used the VMOSA process effectively. Then, in Tools, we offer you a possible agenda for a
planning retreat, should your organization decide to use this process. Finally, the remaining
sections in this chapter will walk you through the steps needed to fully develop each portion of
the process.
Here are a few vision statements which meet the above criteria:
Healthy children
Safe streets, safe neighborhoods
Every house a home
Education for all
Peace on earth
The following mission statements are examples that meet the above criteria.
While vision and mission statements themselves should be short, it often makes sense for an
organization to include its deeply held beliefs or philosophy, which may in fact define both its
work and the organization itself. One way to do this without sacrificing the directness of the
vision and mission statements is to include guiding principles as an addition to the statements.
These can lay out the beliefs of the organization while keeping its vision and mission statements
short and to the point.
Five types of specific strategies can help guide most interventions. They are:
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The key aspects of the intervention or (community and systems) changes to be sought are
outlined in the action plan. For example, in a program whose mission is to increase youth interest
in politics, one of the strategies might be to teach students about the electoral system. Some of
the action steps, then, might be to develop age-appropriate materials for students, to hold mock
elections for candidates in local schools, and to include some teaching time in the curriculum.
Action steps are developed for each component of the intervention or (community and systems)
changes to be sought. These include:
Here are two examples of action steps, graphed out so you can easily follow the flow:
Of course, once you have finished designing the strategic plan or "VMOSA" for your
organization, you are just beginning in this work. Your action plan will need to be tried and
tested and revised, then tried and tested and revised again. You'll need to obtain feedback from
community members, and add and subtract elements of your plan based on that feedback.
In Summary
Everyone has a dream. But the most successful individuals - and community organizations - take
that dream and find a way to make it happen. VMOSA helps groups do just that. This strategic
planning process helps community groups define their dream, set their goals, define ways to
meet those goals, and finally, develop practical ways bring about needed changes.
In this section, you've gained a general understanding of the strategic planning process. If you
believe your organization might benefit from using this process, we invite you to move on to the
next sections of this chapter, which explain in some depth how to design and develop your own
strategic plan.
shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the
future. (Adapted from John M. Bryson, Strategic Planning in Public and Nonprofit
Organizations; you can order the book with this link and a small royalty will be paid that
supports this site.)
A word-by-word dissection of this definition provides the key elements that underlie the meaning
and success of a strategic planning process:
Strategic planning can be complex, challenging, and even messy, but it is always defined by the
basic ideas outlined above and you can always return to these basics for insight into your own
strategic planning process.
period of several years, with the assumption that current knowledge about future conditions is
sufficiently reliable to ensure the plan's reliability over the duration of its implementation. In the
late fifties and early sixties, for example, the US. economy was relatively stable and somewhat
predictable, and, therefore, long-range planning was both fashionable and useful.
On the other hand, strategic planning assumes that an organization must be responsive to a
dynamic, changing environment (not the more stable environment assumed for long-range
planning). Certainly a common assumption has emerged in the nonprofit sector that the
environment is indeed changeable, often in unpredictable ways. Strategic planning, then, stresses
the importance of making decisions that will ensure the organization's ability to successfully
respond to changes in the environment.
Strategic management is adaptive and keeps an organization relevant. In these dynamic times it
is more likely to succeed than the traditional approach of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Finally, strategic planning, though described as disciplined, does not typically flow smoothly
from one step to the next. It is a creative process, and the fresh insight arrived at today might
very well alter the decision made yesterday. Inevitably the process moves forward and back
several times before arriving at the final set of decisions. Therefore, no one should be surprised if
the process feels less like a comfortable trip on a commuter train, but more like a ride on a roller
coaster. But even roller coaster cars arrive at their destination, as long as they stay on track!
Copyright 1994-95 Support Center, 706 Mission Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA
94103-3113. Distribution and reprinting permitted as long as this copyright notice is included.
All Rights Reserved. (Note: The Support Center changed its name to Compasspoint some time
ago. This article is no longer available in its original location.)
Its hard to accomplish anything without a plan. Whether youre coaching a football team,
cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or running a small business, you need a strategic plan.
A strategic plan looks at all the things your small business could do and narrows it down to the
things it is actually good at doing. A strategic plan also helps business leaders determine where to
spend time, human capital, and money.
But, how should small businesses approach strategic planning? There are hundreds of business
books dedicated to the topic. Weve read most of them. We put the others on our bookshelf just
for show.
Developing a strategic plan might seem like an overwhelming process, but if you break it down,
its easy to tackle. Heres our five-step approach:
1. Determine where you are. This is harder than is looks. Some people see themselves how they
WANT to see themselves, not how they actually appear to others. Many small businesses get
snared in this same trap.
For an accurate picture of where your business is, conduct external and internal audits to get a
clear understanding of the marketplace, the competitive environment, and your organizations
competencies (your realnot perceivedcompetencies).
2. Identify whats important. Focus on where you want to take your organization over time.
This sets the direction of the enterprise over the long term and clearly defines the mission
(markets, customers, products, etc.) and vision (conceptualization of what your organizations
future should or could be).
http://www.forbes.com/sites/aileron/2011/10/25/five-steps-to-a-strategic-plan/
From this analysis, you can determine the priority issuesthose issues so significant to the
overall well-being of the enterprise that they require the full and immediate attention of the entire
management team. The strategic plan should focus on these issues.
3. Define what you must achieve. Define the expected objectives that clearly state what your
organization must achieve to address the priority issues.
4. Determine who is accountable. This is how youre going to get to where you want to go. The
strategies, action plans, and budgets are all steps in the process that effectively communicates
how you will allocate time, human capital, and money to address the priority issues and achieve
the defined objectives.
5. Review. Review. Review. Its not over. Its never over. To ensure the plan performs as
designed, you must hold regularly scheduled formal reviews of the process and refine as
necessary. We suggest at least once a quarter.
A strategic plan is a wonderful thing. It can help you take your small business to places you
never thought possible. If you havent already done so, take the time to lay out a strategic plan
now. It will help keep your small business on track and you focused on the future.
1. Strategic Analysis
This activity can include conducting some sort of scan, or review,
of the organization's environment (for example, of the political,
social, economic and technical environment). Planners carefully
consider various driving forces in the environment, for example,
increasing competition, changing demographics, etc. Planners
also look at the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats (an acronym for this activity is SWOT) regarding the
organization.
(Some people take this wide look around after they've identified or updated their mission
statement, vision statement, values statement, etc. These statements are briefly described below.
Other people conduct the analysis before reviewing the statements.)
(Note that in the past, organizations usually referred to the phrase "long-range planning". More
recently, planners use the phrase "strategic planning". This new phrase is meant to capture the
strategic (comprehensive, thoughtful, well-placed) nature of this type of planning.)
3. Action Planning
Action planning is carefully laying out how the strategic goals will
be accomplished. Action planning often includes specifying
objectives, or specific results, with each strategic goal.
Therefore, reaching a strategic goal typically involves
accomplishing a set of objectives along the way -- in that sense,
an objective is still a goal, but on a smaller scale.
Often, each objective is associated with a tactic, which is one of the methods needed to reach an
objective. Therefore, implementing a strategy typically involves implementing a set of tactics
along the way -- in that sense, a tactic is still a strategy, but on a smaller scale.
Action planning also includes specifying responsibilities and timelines with each objective, or
who needs to do what and by when. It should also include methods to monitor and evaluate the
plan, which includes knowing how the organization will know who has done what and by when.
It's common to develop an annual plan (sometimes called the operational plan or management
plan), which includes the strategic goals, strategies, objectives, responsibilities and timelines that
should be done in the coming year. Often, organizations will develop plans for each major
function, division department, etc., and call these work plans.
Usually, budgets are included in the strategic and annual plan, and with work plans. Budgets
specify the money needed for the resources that are necessary to implement the annual plan.
Budgets also depict how the money will be spent, for example, for human resources, equipment,
materials, etc.
(Note there are several different kinds of budgets. Operating budgets are usually budgets
associated with major activities over the coming year. Project budgets are associated with major
projects, for example, constructing a building, developing a new program or product line, etc.
Cash budgets depict where cash will be spent over some near term, for example, over the next
three months (this is very useful in order to know if you can afford bills that must be paid soon.
Capital budgets are associated with operating some major asset, for example, a building,
automobiles, furniture, computers, etc.
http://managementhelp.org/strategicplanning/basics.htm