Organizational Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the process of outlining an organization’s strategies to achieve its goals. This process requires a candid assessment of the current state of the organization, a future state that the organization is striving to achieve, and a plan to achieve that state. This will enable the identification and prioritization of specific goals. Developing a strategic plan begins with outlining an overarching vision for the organization that is then translated into a set of tangible goals. The planning process helps the organization identify its current areas of excellence and areas in need of improvement. The self-assessment should be conducted to summarize the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and position in the market. Further, it clarifies the set of organizational goals to enable the various organizational units to proceed in a cohesive, non-conflictual manner. An effective strategic plan should make any deviations from the plan appear more obvious so that they can be addressed promptly to minimize misused resources. Once the goals and desired future states are established, stakeholders and resources can be identified to execute the strategy. Finally, any plan is only as executable as the communication that can galvanize all stakeholders around a credible vision and sustain the momentum of change.