WHAT IS STRATEGIC PLANNING?

Strategic planning is an important management tool.  In short, it helps organizations do a better job.  The strategic planning process assists an organization:

• Identify and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. 
• Assess external threats and opportunities.
• Choose how to respond to a changing and often hostile environment.
• Agree on its vision, mission and priorities.
• Build commitment among stakeholders.
• Guide its acquisition and allocation of resources. 
• Provide time frames in which to accomplish goals.
• Identify persons who will be responsible for completing goals. 

What are the phases of strategic planning?

An organization may choose to complete all the phases of strategic planning.  Or it might decide to focus on several key areas.  From start to finish, those phases are...

• Getting ready: Identifying reasons for planning, gathering information and developing a planning process.
• Articulating: Creating or revising vision and mission statements and articulating values and beliefs.
• Assessing: Examining where your organization has been and is now, gathering data about the organization's internal strengths and weaknesses and its external threats and opportunities.
• Writing: Drafting a plan that contains goals, time frames and the persons responsible for each goal.
• Implementing: Activating the plan and managing the transition.
• Evaluating: Evaluating the plan, monitoring progress and revising the plan as needed.

...Strategic planning is one of the most effective planning tools for an organization.  Let us help you with your strategic plan!