The roles of strategic planning and implementation

The roles of strategic preparation and implementationstrategic preparedness refers to defining an ecesiss strategies, direction of guidelines, and fashioning decisions on how the arrangement totallyocates its resources to pursue those strategies. The perk up out resources of an institution include capital, land, properties and people (workforce). Allocation of such resources is a major function of strategic grooming surgical operation. A company may use different techniques to implement its strategic externalisening such as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, PEST (Political, Economical, Social and Technological) analysis, STEER (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological and Regulatory) analysis, and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatic, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal) analysis. nigh(prenominal) the analysis technique is, the main purpose of making strategic planning for trading is to go down bulge the future courses of actions for an boldness. Strategic planning process deals with the following questions What do we do? For whom do we do it? and How do we excel it? or How can we beat or avoid competition? (Bradford Duncan, page 1). Strategic planning is typically being make for 3 to 5 calendar years for most of the telephone circuit administrations. However, some companies set their vision for up to 20 years.STRATEGIC be after PROCESSThe preparatory phase of scratch any new business both for receipts making and not for do good organization relies greatly on setting strategies and making appropriate strategic planning. In order to do so, an organization analyses its modern situation, objectives and marketing plans. Analysis of current situation mostly deals with the previous years Business Trend analysis, trade analysis, Competitive analysis, Market segmentation, Marketing mix, SWOT analysis, Positioning-analyzing perceptions and analyzing Sources of information.A companys Objec tives and Marketing plans deal with the future Marketing strategies, want market segmentation, Desired marketing-mix, TOWS-based objectives as a result of the SWOT, Positions and perceptual gaps and Yearly sales forecasts.APPROACHES TO STRATEGIC supplyAmong numerous approaches of making strategic planning, most organizations typically follow a three step process called Situation-Target-Path technique, where an organization evaluates the current situation of the business and how it came about, defines its goals and objectives, and maps a doable route to implement those goals and objectives.There is an secondary to this approach called Draw-See-Think approach, where the company draws the ideal image or the desired end-states, sees todays situation and persisting gaps from the ideal and its possible understanding, thinks what specific actions moldiness be interpreted to close the gap between todays situation and ideal state.FOR sugar AND NON-PROFIT STRATEGIC PLANNINGDifferent org anization carries out the strategic planning process differently. This variation in strategic planning process depends more on the size and nature of the organization rather the profit/non-profit post of the entities. Small size organizations whether profit or not for profit carry out their strategic planning almost similarly that differs from medium-large organizations. On the other hand, large for profit or large non-profit organizations tend to conduct similar planning activities that argon different from those conducted in small organizations.However, there are some differences in strategic planning process in hurt of profit or non-profit status of the organization by the following criteriaNon profit organizations give more emphasize on board development, storeraising and offer way, where in profit making organizations, emphasize is placed on activities to maximize profits more.ROLES OF STRATEGIC PLANNINGStrategic planning plays an important role in the business area and as well in the ordinary areas such as education, healthcare or g everywherenment. It is practiced and implemented widely everywhere both conversationally and formally.In any business organization the roles of strategic planning depend on the nature of the organizations leadership, farming of the organization, complexity of the organizations environment, size of the organization, expertise of the planners etc. According to the diverse goals or objectives of different business entity, unhomogeneous technique of strategic planning is used, for example, goal-based strategic planning, issue-based, organic or scenario-based strategic planning, etc. moreover in general, strategic planning serves the following purposes in almost every organization- Clearly defines the purpose of the organizations and set the objectives or goals - Communicate those goals and objectives to the organizations constituents- Develop a sense of ownership of the plan- Use the organizations resources most effic aciously by focusing on key priorities- Provide a base from which progress can be measured- Listen to everyones opinion to build consensus about where the organizationis going- Focus more on production most effectively and efficiently in order to grow theproduction- whole kit and caboodle as a bridge between staffs/employees and board of directors- Helps in team work with employees/staff and board members- Works as a glue that keeps board members together- Produce a sense of satisfaction among planners, particularly around a commonvision- Solves major problems in the organizationIt was thought in the anile days that only the vast enterprises need formulate strategies and adopt a strategic planning process. But with the span of time, the business environment has changed to a great extent. Todays business environment has become more hawkish and challenging. To survive in this competition, any organization whether big or small should come transport with the dress hat quality pro ducts or services that ordain satisfy the changing requirements of the clients. Customers take up become choosier as they are getting more alternative products and services. They leave behind take the products that provide best serve their requirements, in terms of quality or price. Satisfying these nodes is not so easy job. For that, an organization must come forward with the best products/services to remain in the leading military posture. For that reason, every business organization, small or big needs to formulate and implement its business strategies. Only the good strategies can make an organization roaring in todays competition and help oneselfs them to survive.Bigger companies will always be ahead in this race, as they have got rigorous strategies that are being planned and implemented throughout each of their levels. Smaller companies always blow up for survival and try to grow bigger.Strategic planning provides an organization direction. With the help of this, org anizations can know their position in the industry and take appropriate measures for future growth and expansion. Strategic planning also help them to process day to day business functions, which are very important to run the business roaringly.A companys mission/vision can never be attained without a proper strategic planning and the objectives of the company can not be achieved without it.A strategic planning process helps an organization in meeting the following perspectivesFocused purpose Strategic planning helps the organizations to define their short term business purposes clearly, i.e. where they want to see themselves in a year or two years of time, making the profit targets, segmenting their market, and making different marketing mix. Strategic planning ensures that mission is realistic and achievable and being taken with collectable considerations of current business trend and analysis. Good planning serves the best interests of the stakeholders. Moreover, it defines a p oint of differentiation. forthcoming Perspectives In considering the future perspectives of an organization, the strategic planning clearly defines the enormous term objectives, i.e. the vision of the organization, identifies the long-term interests of the stakeholders, and provides a foundation for decision-making to the management of the organization.Strategic advantage Strategic planning helps an organization achieving the warlike advantage over others and makes it clearly understood to all the stakeholders of the company. It also increases the employee productivity by clearly presenting the roles and duties they need to serve for the organization. out-of-door perspicacity A good strategic planning helps an organization in assessing the external factors outside the business entity, which is very important to be conquestful and to remain ahead of the competition. An external assessment reflects an organizations approaches to gather and hit the books essential market data, e.g . studying macro and micro economic information, identifying industry opportunities and threats, and understanding what it takes to be successful in a given market.Customer profiles Customer profiling is an external business assessment by the organization that define reasons why the customers should buy its products or services and the benefits persisting with such products. It also defines the reason why the customers should not buy some products or services, assess the customers bargaining power. Moreover, strategic planning helps the organization know the customers preferences of different choices of distribution channels.Industry and competitive analysis This is an important component of business scheme that helps the organization in identifying the primary competitors in the industry, determines potential and indirect competitors, also identifies their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, helps the organization in assessing the threats of replacing products or se rvices or new entrants into the market place. A good planning helps the organization in comparing growth rate with industry standard, and evaluates ongoing market process.Environmental assessment Strategic planning does the following to assess the business environment for the organization identifying the regulatory requirements Assessing vulnerability to adverse business cycle, summarizing opportunities and threats due to economic condition, new technology, demographic structure, legal or political events, socio-cultural norms, and the natural environment.Assessing key success factors Strategic planning helps the organization in assessing the key success factors in doing business. Key success factors are set with a critical thinking process that includes implementation of critical thinking process measuring competitive intensity setting the demand of products or services within the market defining key drivers to success within the industry and consistently monitoring key influences within the industry.Internal assessmentBy making strategic plans, an organization can assess its internal factors which help the organization to evaluate its own strengths and weaknesses. egotism assessment is very vital to sustain as a successful business entity. An organizations internal assessment process refers to the evaluation of its management process which includesFinance Strategic planning determines whether an organization has enough fund available for investment or for ongoing business functions sets up a comprehensive pricing stick keep the consistency of performance within a range of fiscal goal makes a targeted long ranged financial plan employs a cost benefit approach to resource allocation makes a financial plan that allow flexibility and economic or environmental disruption.Research development Having a strategic planning process empowers an organization to integrate all appropriate subdivisions with RD, maintain a creative and progressive process and ensures that RD department has all required resources to fulfill its functions.Production Strategic planning program helps an organization to integrate all of its departments to support the production process maintains that the production process is cost-effective, flexible, fast and responsive.Marketing Strategies helps an organization in making coordination among all the departments to support marketing, defining marketing plans, branding the products or services, usage of database to tail all the customers and market information, promotion of the products or services, and monitoring the ROI of all marketing campaigns.Sales Distribution By planning its strategies, an organization consistently achieves sales goals, ensures that its sales personnel have got the required skills to achieve plan are being provided with necessary information to achieve their goals, employs a well defined sales management process, and coordinates all other departments to support sales process.Customer servicin g If the organization takes the appropriate strategic planning, hence it can define the standard of its customer service, meet the customers expectations, measure the satisfaction level of the customers, achieve the customer loyalty by building a high commitment between employees and managers, and maintain a customer relationship management system that provides critical service information to make the best decision death penalty OF PLANNING PROCESSAfter formulating the strategies, a firms main concern is how to implement those s pick outed strategies. This is done by mover programs, budgets and procedures that involve the firms resources and motivation of the staffs to achieve such objectives.In order to ensure that the planning process is not a document that ends up collecting dust on the shelf, an organization should follow some guidelines that will ensure that the planning is being implemented. An organization can do that by involving people who will be responsible for implemen ting the plan, can make a cross functional team combining representatives from each department who will be liable to ensure that the plan is realistic and collaborative. In order to that, the organization must continue asking them whether the plans are realistic or not, or can they really achieve all their goals or not.The organization can organize the overall strategic plan into small action plans. In the overall planning document, the organization should specify who is doing what and by when it is going to be implemented. Some organizations may elect to include the action plans in a separate document from the strategic plan, which would include only the mission, vision, values, key issues and goals, and strategies.The organization should also specify and clarify the plans implementation roles and responsibilities in the implementation section of the plan and make a regular review on the progress of the implementation plan.Translating the strategic plans actions into job descriptio ns can throw the implementation process quicker.When people involved in any process know that the action plans will be regularly reviewed, then the implementers tend to do their jobs before they are being checked. So organization needs to review the plan time to time and communicate with the personnel involved in the process.Moreover, the organization can integrate the plans goals and objectives into chief executives performance review, this will get the implementation process more grandness as the chief executives involvement and support in the plan is a major driver to the plans implementation. unceasing feedback on the implementation plan from the planning participants to the executive committee is also very important in strategy implementation. Make sure that the organization has designated rotating checkers to verify if each implementer completes his/her assigned tasks. The organization should also grow an attitude of helping each other among the implementers in the strategy i mplantation program.The way by which the strategies are being implemented can have a significant impact on whether it will be successful or not. For this reason, care must be taken to communicate the strategies among implementers.For a free burning and successful strategies carried out by an organization, the implemented strategies must be regularly viewed and monitored, and necessary adjustments should be made time to time.Bradford and Duncan (2000). Simplified Strategic Planning. Chandler House.Patrick L. Burkhart and Suzanne Reuss (1993). Successful Strategic Planning A Guide for Nonprofit Agencies and Organizations. Newbury common Sage Publications.http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_planninghttp//managementhelp.org/plan_dec/str_plan/str_plan.htmMintzberg, Henry, Lampel, J., Ahlstrand, B., Strategy Safari A Guided Tour through the Wilds of Strategic Management