Summary:

Starting off the new year with a strategic plan and high hopes to achieve success won’t get you far if your plan is flawed, as most are. The following steps outline the basics when developing a strategic plan.

1. Know the difference between a strategy and a tactic. Strategy is the plan that defines where you’re going.  Tactics are the things you do and use to get to the destination.

2. Be specific. A few words can make all the difference in the direction you take your firm, and the tactics you use to implement a strategy.

3. Engage the aging process. Like great wine, the making of a strategic plan takes time.  A strategic plan is NOT built during a weekend retreat!  It evolves out of thoughts, research, information, and experiences.

4. Keep it simple. Use the A-B-C approach:

A. Establish what you want to achieve: STRATEGY.
B. List available, realistic ways to make it happen: TACTICS
C. Select options that give the highest rewards for the lowest output: IMPLEMENTATION.

5. Follow the plan. Most plans are developed, and then put on a shelf.

6. Be flexible. If, during the course of the year, you find that the plan needs some tweaking, you can certainly modify it.  Be careful not to switch directions too often, as this will discredit you and your plan in the eyes of its followers.

Article Quote:

“Every year, we meet thousand of decision makers around the country in our consulting and speaking work.  Like you, they’re smart, ambitious, and they’re doing a decent job.  But, they’re also often frustrated that they aren’t doing better.  When we break down the element for them, we find that few if any of them have a good strategic plan they can work from.  In fact, most of them don’t even know how to create one.”

Link: http://lazerpromotions.com/blog/general/6-ways-to-build-a-stronger-strategic-plan

All the steps listed above are important to follow when building and implementing your strategic plan. Another useful tool is performance technology that not only keeps the plan visible to all users, but allows management an instant view of progress and accountability. ManagePro software is one such application that allows users to execute and monitor their strategic plans.

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

Summary:

The most critical element for a successful strategic plan is the extent to which everyone in the company can see a direct link between high performance in what they do every day and the long-term prosperity of the company.

Offered are key elements of a strategic plan, including who should participate, what to include in the vision and mission statements, and short & long term goals. Resistance to change should be expected and one of the best ways to overcome this resistance is to have those who will be implementing the changes participate in determining what those changes will be.

Article Quote:

“Plan the work and work the plan.  Whether it’s an individual salesperson’s call plan for the next week or the company’s strategic plan for years to come, the principle is the same.  It doesn’t matter how great the plan is if implementation is poor, excessively late or both.  In this regard, follow-up to compare actual results with plan is invaluable.”

Link: http://www.activegarage.com/strategic-plan-critical-to-successful-implementation-of-key-decisions

Ultimately you need to make your daily calendar reflect what’s strategically important, not just a list of your scheduled appointments and deadlines. Your day is going to be a challenge between what’s required and what’s strategically important.

A great way to increase productivity is to stop multi-tasking and start chunking your time into smaller segments. By doing so, you can achieve more in the same amount of time. Strategic planning software is a valuable tool when managing tasks and people.

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