Business and Individual Foresight

Strategic planning determines where an organization (or individual) is going over the next year or more, how it's going to get there and how it'll know if it got there or not. The planning process applies to both individuals and businesses. Planning services offer guidelines for the entrepreneur to carry out according to the nature and needs of their organization. >>> More...

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Development of the formal Strategic Plan greatly helps to clarify the organization's plans and ensure that key leaders, team members, advisors and decision makers are all "on the same page". 

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Benefits of Strategic Planning

Strategic planning serves a variety of purposes in organization, including strategies to:
1. Clearly define the purpose of the organization and to establish realistic goals and objectives. These goals must be consistent with the company's mission in a defined time frame and must be within the organization’s capacity for implementation.
2. Communicate those goals and objectives 
3. Develop a sense of ownership of the plan.
4. Ensure the most effective use is made of the organization’s resources by focusing the resources on the key priorities.
5. Provide a base from which progress can be measured and establish a mechanism for informed change when needed.

Other benefits of strategic planning:
* Provides clearer focus of organization, producing more efficiency and effectiveness
* Bridges staff and board of directors (for corporations)
* Builds strong teams in the board and the staff (corporations)
* Provides the glue that keeps the board together (corporations)
* Solves major problems

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When Should Strategic Planning Be Done?
The scheduling for the strategic planning process depends on the nature and needs of the organization and the its immediate external environment. Consider the following guidelines:
1. Strategic planning should be done when an organization is just getting started. (The strategic plan is usually part of an overall business plan, along with a marketing plan, financial plan and operational/management plan.)
2. Strategic planning should also be done in preparation for a new major venture, for example, developing a new department, division, major new product or line of products, etc.
3. Strategic planning should also be conducted at least once a year in order to be ready for the coming fiscal year (the financial management of an organization is usually based on a year-to-year, or fiscal year, basis). In this case, strategic planning should be conducted in time to identify the organizational goals to be achieved at least over the coming fiscal year, resources needed to achieve those goals, and funded needed to obtain the resources. 
4. Each year, action plans should be updated.
5. Note that, during implementation of the plan, the progress of the implementation should be reviewed at least on a quarterly basis. The frequency of review depends on the extent of the rate of change in and around the organization.

Arise Business Services  - Strategic Planning and Consulting Services   

503-913-3993

Please contact us: info@arise-consulting.com