Strategic planning initiatives are not boiler plate exercises. They must be customized to the specific challenges that your organization is facing at this point in your life cycle.
Some clients, for example, desire a comprehensive strategic plan for the next 3 to 5 years. Others merely want to update an existing plan, or examine some specific planning element that may require revision (e.g., mission, direction, core competencies, etc.). Many want to focus on a particular strategic issue like an emerging technological trend, a possible M&A transaction, or an unexpected competitive initiative.
Whether your planning effort is broad and comprehensive or more narrowly focused, it will likely involve two broad objectives:
- A clear and compelling vision for the future – Our Strategic Ambitions. Whether we are rethinking our entire long-range strategy or addressing a single emerging and strategic issue, we must ask how this new plan will change the grand scheme of things. Will it accelerate our progress? Will it change our vision, and if so, how? To what extent will it effect our strategic goals, priorities, and organization?
- An outline or “roadmap” for achieving our goals – How we will achieve our goals. Once the objectives are defined, the “how” must be determined. A concrete set of prioritized initiatives, are needed to focus and guide your organization toward it’s strategic objectives and the accomplishment of its overarching vision