The document outlines a strategic plan for an organization. It begins with defining a vision and mission. It then provides an overview of the strategic planning process, including inputs, activities, and outputs. It discusses using hindsight and understanding that effects are not always equal to their causes. It lists keys to business strategies and recommends keeping strategic plans simple and short. It provides guidance on determining the current situation, priorities, objectives, accountability, and reviewing the plan. The document also discusses using a strategic planning worksheet, legal considerations, differences between profit and nonprofit planning, and threats and opportunities. The benefits of strategic planning include defining purpose and goals, communication, ownership, effective resource use, progress measurement, and consensus building.

1. Strategic Plan
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2. Table of Contents
I. Strategic plan...................................................................................................................... 2
The Vision
The Mission
II. Strategic plan Overview.................................................................................................... 4
Overview
Inputs
Activities
Outputs
III. Use Hindsight when Strategic Planning ...................................................................... 5
IV. Effect not Equal to Cause when Planning Strategy ................................................... 6
V. Keys to Business Strategies ............................................................................................. 6
VI. Simple & Short Strategic Plans....................................................................................... 6
Determine where you are.
Identify what’s important.
Define what you must achieve
Determine who is accountable
Review. Review. Review
VII. Using the Strategic Planning Worksheet...................................................................... 7
VIII. Copyright & Legal Stuff ................................................................................................... 7
IX. Profit versus Nonprofit Strategic Planning .................................................................. 8
X. Threats & Opportunities.................................................................................................. 8
XI. Benefits of Strategic Planning ........................................................................................ 8

3. Strategic plan
A strategic plan is a document used to communicate with the organization the organizations goals, the
actions needed to achieve those goals and all of the other critical elements developed during
the planning exercise.
The Vision
The firststep is to develop a realistic Vision for the business.This should bepresented as a pen picture of the
business in three or more years’time in terms of its likely physical appearance,size,activities,structure,scale
offerings etc. Answer the question: "if someone from Mars visited the business,whatwould they see (or sense)?"
Consider its future products, markets, customers, processes,location,staffingetc. Here is a great example of a
vision:

4. The Mission
The nature of a businessisoftenexpressedintermsof itsMissionwhichindicatesinafactual waythe
purpose andactivitiesof the businessintermsof operations,(unique)characteristics,functions,
customers,offerings,sectors.

5. Strategic plan Overview
Overview
Strategicplanningisaprocessand thushas inputs,activities,outputsandoutcomes.Thisprocess,like
all processes,hasconstraints.Itmaybe formal or informal andistypically iterative,withfeedbackloops
throughoutthe process.
Inputs
Data is gatheredfroma varietyof sources,suchas interviewswithkeyexecutives,review of publicly
available documentsonthe competitionormarket,primaryresearch(e.g.,visitingor observing
competitorplacesof businessorcomparingprices),industrystudies,

6. Activities
The essence of formulatingcompetitivestrategyisrelatingacompanytoits environment.
Strategicplanningactivitiesincludemeetingsandothercommunicationamongthe organization's
leadersandpersonnel todevelopacommonunderstandingregardingthe competitiveenvironmentand
whatthe organization'sresponse tothatenvironment(itsstrategy) shouldbe
Outputs
The outputof strategicplanningincludesdocumentationandcommunicationdescribingthe
organization'sstrategyandhowitshouldbe implemented,sometimesreferredtoasthe strategicplan.
The strategymay include adiagnosisof the competitive situation,aguidingpolicyforachievingthe
organization'sgoals,andspecificactionplanstobe implemented.[2] A strategicplanmaycovermultiple
yearsand be updatedperiodically.
Use Hindsight whenStrategic Planning

7. Effect not Equal to Cause whenPlanning Strategy
Keys to Business Strategies
 Sales - marketing - distribution - promotion - support;
 Management - systems - expertise - resources;
 Operations - efficiency - capacity - processes;
 Products - services - quality - pricing - features - range - competitiveness;
 Finances - resources - performance;
 R&D - effort - direction - resources;
 Costs - productivity - purchasing;
 Systems - organization - structures.
Simple & Short Strategic Plans

8. Determine where youare.
Thisis harderthan islooks.Some people seethemselveshow theyWANTtosee themselves,nothow
theyactuallyappearto others.Manysmall businessesgetsnaredinthissame trap.
Identify what’s important.
Focuson where youwantto take yourorganizationovertime.Thissetsthe directionof the enterprise
overthe longterm and clearlydefinesthe mission
Define what you must achieve
Define the expectedobjectivesthatclearlystate whatyourorganizationmustachieve toaddressthe
priorityissues.
Determine whois accountable
Thisis howyou’re goingtoget to where youwantto go. The strategies,actionplans,andbudgetsare all
stepsinthe processthat effectivelycommunicateshow youwill allocate time,humancapital,and
moneytoaddressthe priorityissuesandachieve the definedobjectives.
Review. Review. Review
It’snot over.It’sneverover.To ensure the planperformsasdesigned,youmustholdregularly
scheduledformal reviewsof the processandrefine asnecessary.We suggestatleastonce a quarter.
Using the Strategic Planning Worksheet
Copyright & Legal Stuff

9. Profit versus Nonprofit Strategic Planning
Threats & Opportunities
Benefits of Strategic Planning
 Clearly definethe purposeof the organization and to establish realisticgoalsand objectives consistent
with that mission in a defined time frame within the organization’s capacity for implementation.
 Communicate those goals and objectives to the organization’s constituents.
 Develop a sense of ownership of the plan.

10.  Ensure the most effective use is made of the organization’s resources by focusingtheresources on the
key priorities.
 Providea basefrom which progress can be measured and establish a mechanismfor informed change
when needed.
 Listen to everyone’s opinions in order to build consensus aboutwhere the organization is going.