The Strategic Plan is the core of successfully Riding Disruption

Strategy Elements

  1. A consensus vision for the organization – where the organization sees itself in the future (see Vision)

  2. An organizational Mission – a high level description of what the organization plans to accomplish

  3. Goals – a concise list of what needs to be done to fulfill the vision, generally 18 months to 5 years in duration, fewer is better (no more than seven).

  4. Objectives – generally one year to three years in duration, these describe specific results that must be obtained to achieve an organizational goal. These must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART). Fewer is better, three is a good maximum number for each Goal.

  5. Action Plans to achieve the results described in the Objectives. Good project management practices are essential to strategic success.

For detail on creating a strategic plan we recommend the Association for Strategic Planning. We recommend LBL Strategies for training on Strategic Management Performance Systems and Strategic Thinking.

 

Environmental Scanning

Environmental Scanning is the continual monitoring of the environment for any changes that might impact fulfillment of vision (aka situation assessment or awareness). It is also important to integrate Strategic Foresight into your scanning.  A well-articulated scan is essential to begin the Strategic Planning process. Fortunately, the environmental scan we use for strategic planning is contained in the Riding Disruption Scanning.

 
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Stakeholder Engagement

Engaging the entire organization is essential to have a strategic plan that is effective and responsive to change. The process for this is like the engagement of leadership in creating a vision for the organization but spans the entire workforce that is affected by the plan. Participation of employees (or their representatives) from all functions of the organization and at every level is the goal. This participation will require a top notch internal communications function.

 

Workflow

Managing the strategic plan is a cyclical process. The elements of the plan are developed in the ‘Create/Validate Vision' and 'Create Strategic Plan steps.'