Matias Campiani confirms that strategic planning is something that we will be familiar with in business even if we do not know the terminology. A strategic planning process is basically making a decision regarding where you want to be as a business and making a strategic plan to get you there. You will need to make decisions on the route you want to take and your final goal.
A swot analysis is a great way to work out where you need to improve and what you need to maintain to bring about success in your aim.
Unlike with most things in life we actually start at the end by determining where we want to be. Then we work out what it would take to get there and then, with the use of the SWOT analysis we work out how far along this path we already are, and what we need to keep doing to get there as well as what we need to start doing. By doing this you will work out what you are doing wrong in order to get where you need to go. From this point you can then
- Set your long-term objectives
- Analyze your issues
- Generate strategic options that you could take to improve
- Decide, with your executive team which way you should go
- Monitor the results of the changes
- Don’t be afraid to try plan B if required
There are five models that you can choose from the, basic strategic planning model is what has been described above.
Adjustments to this include the issue-based strategic planning and this is where you will particularly look at where you are going wrong and how you can put that right.
The alignment strategic model is when you compare the company’s mission and the resources available. Thus, if you do not have the resources to do everything that you think that you need to do to achieve a major goal then you look at what you are able to do to get there in line with the resources available. The plan is to get to the goal little by little as progress makes more funds available.
There is also scenario strategic planning, for each change required the management team discuss the worst, the best and a possible result or case. Then after discussing all options, the team aims to come to a plan that they can afford and make work.
The organic strategic planning model, as the name suggests, is where the plan unfolds itself naturally. It requires strategy meetings to discuss what has happened but no real plans to change strategy. It is led by culture, so mistakes would be put right, and staff would be trained, if required. There would be lots of learning and reflecting on your own actions. So, these are just some of the models that might suit your business and some of the ideas you have to choose from.
Now go meet with your business team and discuss your options, implement the strategy suitable for you and then go make a lot of money!
