Summary:

Tips offered for successful strategic planning include: set up a solid planning and benchmarking structure, use a strategic plan to drive accountability and alignment, involve every associate in the planning process, obtain formal agreement from everyone involved in the process, and implement the three Cs: consistency, communication, and clarity.

In the fifth tip, the U.S. Postal Service attributes its success in part to some key factors such as consistency, communication, and clarity. Planning does not change with changing corporate leadership. They strive for constant, simple communication with the 700,000 employees and millions of customers and they emphasize clarity and focus by limiting the number of top-line goals.

Article Quote:

“Before, the organization focused on integrated planning, various units maintained their own planning cycles without any conscious effort to connect or integrate them. The current planning structure ensures alignment across the organization, and Six Sigma initiatives improve core processes and help Bank of America deliver consistent results year after year.”

Link: http://nikhils-nick18.blogspot.com/2009/12/5-tips-for-successful-strategic.html

These are good tips to follow when developing a strategic plan. While I don’t believe a formal contract is necessary, it might be that little extra nudge that gets individuals to participate. Focusing on accountability and listening to employee ideas are great ways to get results.

A good strategic planning software enables leadership and the entire organization to be involved and connected to goals. Drilling down into objectives and tracking progress will help keep the strategic plan from collecting dust on the shelf.

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