Summary:

Kerry Martin asks, “What’s strategic about having a fixed plan in a year of constant change?”  She points to the turbulence of economic events in 2009 and how they have rendered many strategic plans useless. Using an outdated or irrelevant strategic plan that was developed in a different economic environment is wasteful. Instead companies need to remain flexible and adjust their strategic plans accordingly.

If budgeted projections need to be pared down, preemptively adjust your tactics to find more efficient ways to accomplish your long-term objectives. By finding alternative ways to accomplish the long-term goal, companies may avoid losing entire campaigns.

Article Quote:

“For this New Year, make the resolution to be proactive with how your marketing plan or overall business model is assessed; don’t wait for 12 months to start over.”

Link:http://thestrategicfirm.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/proactive-strategic-planning/

Implementing and  monitoring a strategic plan should go hand in hand. Changing business factors dictate the need for adjusting strategies. Using scenario planning while developing your strategic plan can help avoid sudden pitfalls. However, even the best strategists cannot plan for every scenario.

In order to monitor your plan, it needs to be in front of the eyes and on the minds of everyone in the organization. Getting everyone involved in executing the plan increases the chance for success. Strategic planning and execution software developed to perform these tasks allows leadership to see, in minutes, how well the strategy is performing.

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