Summary:

Not having a strategic plan is the equivalent to setting yourself up for failure, according to Debbie Seidel-Bittke, founder of Dental Practice Solutions. The new year is almost here and if you don’t have your annual strategic planning meeting on the calendar, now is the time to schedule it for you and the entire team. Seidel-Bittke uses the analogy of taking a journey to a new destination without a road map with beginning a new year of business without a strategic plan. She writes that

Get everyone involve in the planning so you have a diverse set of ideas for recognizing opportunities and threats.  Moving the plan outside of the office help in keeping the meeting fun. Addressing what has already been accomplished and what needs to be accomplished begins the path for planning objectives.

Article Quote:

“You can not start a business and proceed blindly and just expect that everything will work out and you will achieve great success. It rarely will happen that way. At the very beginning of each year you need to sit down outside the regular dental office atmosphere and make a plan.”

Link: http://www.dentalheroes.com/strategic-plan-dental-practice/

Before you develope a strategic plan, have a clear understanding of what your business’ vision and mission statements are. Keeping these directives at the forefront will keep the plan aligned with the purpose of the business. Implementing a strategic planning and execution software will keep the plan in the minds of every individual in the organization while allowing visibility on what tasks should be completed next, and by whom.

This cohesive approach keeps the plan active and lets management see if any corrective adjustments need to be made. No plan, strategic or otherwise should be set in stone. It needs to remain flexible so that changes can be made quickly.

For more on strategic planning, see http://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/