| Strategic
planning is a management tool, period. As with any management
tool, it is used for the following purpose only: to help an organization
do a better job to focus its energy, to ensure that members of
the organization are working toward the same goals, to assess
and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing
environment. In short, strategic planning is a disciplined effort
to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide
what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with
a focus on the future. A word by word dissection of this definition
provides the key elements that underlie the meaning and success
of a strategic planning process:
The process is strategic because
it involves preparing the best way to respond to the circumstances
of the organization's environment, whether or not its circumstances
are known in advance; nonprofits often must respond to dynamic
and even hostile environments.
Strategic simply means being
clear about the organization's objectives, being aware of the
organization's resources, and incorporating both into being
consciously responsive to a dynamic environment.
The process is about planning because it involves intentionally
goals setting (i.e., choosing a desired future) and developing
an approach to achieving those goals.
What are the key concepts
and definitions in strategic planning?
- Strategic Planning and Long-Range Planning
- Strategic
Thinking and Strategic Management
- What Strategic Planning
Is Not
- What is the difference between strategic planning
and long range planning
- In planning lingo, what is
the difference between purpose, mission, and vision
- The Role
of an External Consultant
If you would like more information on our strategic planning
training please contact
us |
