Strategic Business Planning

The ability to set and implement a strategic business plan is a key skill of good leadership. A strategic business plan determines EVERYTHING that happens to and in a business. To a large extent it determines the level of excellence that can be reached.

The future will not happen if one wishes hard enough. It requires decision, it imposes risk, it requires action, it demands allocation of resources, above all human resources, it requires work.

- Peter Drucker on Strategic Planning

Businesses united by a clear vision of where they have been and where they are going... and why... tend to accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than those without a clear written vision.

The key to a successful strategic business plan is to jointly set the business strategy with all the key people involved so that everyone in the business is aligned with the vision, mission and goals. This insures that the business goes forward with everyone working together promoting the mission and vision internally as well as externally. This gives the business the greatest chance of attaining its goals.

Setting a business strategy requires an understanding of the company’s history, in particular the past year, and then looking forward to the year ahead in detail and the next four years in a general sense. To do this a starting point has to be established. Typically this is established by the businesses mission, needs, and resources: human and financial. Based on this a corporate development plan can be put in place defining the day to day operation of the business. The corporate development plan is the foundation for the business plan.

A strategic business plan is only a plan. It is only as good as the people implementing it. ALIGNMENT IS KEY. Forces pulling together, in the same direction, will accomplish far more than forces pulling in different directions. This requires good business management. A team working together.

• Identity: Strengths and Weaknesses. Who you and the business are.
• Values: What you and the business believe in. What you and the business represent.
• Goals: Personal and Business. Must be realistic and attainable
• Action Plan: Derived from Identity, Values and Goals.
• Motivation: Ingredient that creates success.
• Discipline: Personal and business.
• Flexibility: Essential. Nothing is constant, things change.
• Outcome: Result of previous seven steps and implementation.

Biz Strategies can help you with every phase of the strategic business planning process. Email us at planning@bizstrategies.biz with any questions or requirements you may have. We will answer your questions or provide you with a no obligation proposal.

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