Strategic Planning

It is not enough to simply have a great idea, product or service and then keep our fingers crossed that success will find its way to us. Success is built around a vision and a mission.

Most people dread the thought of strategic planning and the minute they hear it, nausea sets in. They need to know that this can be easy and fun.  As much as Strategic planning is disliked, everyone knows its critical nature in planning long term success.  

First we need to grasp our company’s big picture.  Come in terms with how we would like to be viewed in the future by the world around us. Our vision does not even have to be achievable.  It is an ideal. A bar set so high that motivates every member of the company to act in that direction. Our vision then will determine our mission.  Our mission statement describes the reason our company exists. It also connects us from where we are to where we want to be in the future. Our mission statement will need to be clear, direct and simple. Something that all our employees can recite any time they are asked.

Next we will be setting our goals.  When we set a goal, we are taking a step in turning what is invisible to visible.  This should be something that is quantifiable and attainable.  At this time we will be scanning our environment by doing a SWOT analysis and summarizing the results of finding.

Now that we have our goal set, our mission statement ready and understand the environment better, we need to figure out “how” we are going to go about this. The key to develop a successful strategic plan is to be realistic and honest.

 

This is when we find out, what avenues are open to us, in achieving our goals.  What are the next steps? What resources we need? The RACI and the timeline.

Sometimes, we are overwhelmed by the apparently complex nature of the strategic planning process. The bottom line is to keep it as simple as possible.

Good luck to you all.