Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning

Introduction

Strategic planning is high-level, long-range planning, and implementation planning covers a one-year timeframe and is more detailed in terms of who is doing what, when and how. The strategic plan is a document in which the perpetrators of an organization (corporate, institutional, governmental, sports) which will reflect the strategy to follow for your company in the medium term. Therefore, a strategic plan is usually established for a period ranging between 1 and 5 years (usually 3 years).

Although in many contexts are often used interchangeably the concepts of master plan and strategic plan, the strict definition of the strategic plan indicates that it must make the guidelines and the behavior for an organization to achieve the aspirations outlined in his master plan .

Discussion

What's in a Strategic Plan?

Mission Statement: Defines the purpose of the organization.

Vision Statement: Describes what will be different if the organization achieves its mission.

Organizational Values: Fundamental values that permeate and drive all aspects of the organizations work.

Goals: Broad description (4-6 goals for the entire plan) of what the organization intends to achieve, broad enough to be relevant for several years. 

Objectives: Concrete action items for each goal (3-6 objectives per goal) that are measurable and achievable. 

Outcomes: Specific results that will be achieved if the goals and objectives are successfully completed. Analysis of these results fuels monitoring of organizational progress.

Flow chart

Uses

The process of strategic planning is often as important as the plan itself. Organizations gather input from stakeholders, analyze the external environment, and examine the organization's internal condition. Working together in a collaborative process, the board and staff consider this information as they discuss how the organization can best serve community needs.  

A strategic plan is intended to be inspirational and conceptual over a several-year period. It provides a sense of where the organization is headed and what outcomes it seeks to achieve. A strategic plan is useful to build consensus among board and staff for the organization's future, and to clarify this vision to funders and stakeholders. 

Strategic plans generally do not address specific implementation details, such as individual responsibility or specific budgets for programs or organizational functions. In fact, getting too far “in the weeds” may dilute the inspirational power of the plan, and may become outdated quickly. 

What is an Implementation Plan?

Once a strategic plan is complete, you are now ready to use that as a basis for more detailed annual planning. 

Components

Goals and Objectives: drawn directly from the strategic plan.

Action Steps: Defines the key steps needed to achieve each objective. 

Timeline: Detailed annual schedule of when each action step will be completed.

Responsibility: Individual staff or board position that will be charged with ensuring that the action step is completed (i.e. “most accountable person"). The responsible individual may delegate some or all of the work, but she or he is accountable for its successful completion.

Other staff volunteer and board roles.

Budget: Any new resources that will be needed in order to accomplish the action step. 

Outcomes and measures: Specific results that will be achieved and how they will be measured...