Stages of strategic planning

If your company follows the principle of strategic management, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of its strategic planning activity - this is one of the main functions. Working in such an organization provides a sense of stability, because all your actions are ordered, all strategies are aimed at a clearly marked result. It is the human resource that is considered the most important, every employee (and you including) is in the price.

Goals and objectives of strategic planning

As you have already understood, a clearly articulated goal is one of the main tasks of strategic planning. The aim may be to expand the sales market, introduce an innovative product, use alternative raw materials, increase sales of products.

If the company's goals are reflected in the long-term and strategic plan, then the tasks are set in the current plan. The tasks are aimed at the gradual movement of the firm towards the implementation of strategic objectives, as well as the identification of ways to implement them. Therefore, the tasks are set for the company's divisions. To achieve a common goal, tasks can be set for different departments of the company.

Features of strategic planning

In addition to strategic planning, there is another traditional type of tactical planning . The latter establishes how the work should go, with the definition of the deadlines and milestones.

Fundamentals of strategic planning:

• the enterprise has an idea of ​​its own place in the market in the future;
• the main problems are seen outside the company, but even their company can foresee and prevent;
• Strategic goals are developed annually by the company's top management, in the form of a meeting.

It is advisable to combine both types of planning in the company's activities: tactical planning can become a strategic specification, within the framework of existing strategies. The elaboration of the plan should be carried out simultaneously with the development of the annual budget.

So, let's look at the main stages of strategic planning:

1. Defining the goals and mission of the company with clear time constraints.
2. Full analysis of the company's internal and external environment, assessment of potential opportunities.
3. The choice of four types of strategic planning strategies: reduction, limited growth or growth. Perhaps a combination of three strategies.
4. Immediate strategy development.
5. Implementation of the strategy.
6. Monitoring the implementation of the strategy and its evaluation.

It is very important that the difference between the goals set and achieved was minimal (if, of course, the goals did not go beyond the boldest plans).

Disadvantages of strategic planning

For all its logicality and effectiveness, strategic planning has its drawback. An apparent picture of the future is just a description of the state and goals that the company should strive for, finding its place in the market and the opportunity to understand its own competitiveness. In fact, the method of strategic planning does not have a clear algorithm for implementing the plan, its effectiveness depends on the intuition of the manager and his ability to guide the company in the right direction, lead to the set goals. In this situation, an unambiguous understanding of the goals by all employees of the enterprise is important. In general, the process of strategic planning requires much more resources - both resources and time - in comparison with prospective planning. That is why most Western companies believe that the strategic planning mechanism should be improved, but strategic planning itself, of course, has the right to live.