Strategic planning is something many people think they know because they have seen it done badly. Strategic planning is NOT:
-SWOT analysis
-A list of objectives
-A book prepared for your board of directors
-Budgeting
-A nice looking document that no one looks at after completion
-A balanced scorecard
-A mission statement
Strategic planning is a process of setting the course and direction for an organization or other endeavor. A well done strategic plan focuses the resources of the endeavor on those activities which will yield the best results. For businesses, this means optimizing profitability, survive-ability and growth-ability.
The best way to assess the quality of a strategic plan is to ask these questions:
-What did you do as a result of the plan?
-What difference did it make for your organization?
Considering the answers to these questions, how would you improve YOUR
strategic planning?
