Proper strategic planning process steps are necessary for the long-term success of an organization

The results should guide the future course and direction of the company, and attain success as defined by the management.

What are the important steps in good strategic planning?

Market Segments

One of the first significant subjects the team analyzes is markets and customers, or market segments. These segments are usually defined by the products and/or services sold to various types of customers, clients and users. They define where the organization competes for business. Another is competitive analysis. This section provides an in-depth look at key competitors and where and how the business competes with different competitors.

Strengths and Weaknesses

We look into the strengths and weaknesses of the business, so that we can understand our critical strengths and weaknesses. We look for a sustainable competitive advantage, so we can beat or avoid competition.

Assumptions

Assumptions are kept separate from facts. They are temporary estimates of likely future events and developments that would have a significant impact on our business and over which we have no control.  We look at possible future directions for our market segments and our competition’s actions.

External and Internal Opportunities

We brainstorm perceived external and internal opportunities, then put these ideas through filters to eliminate those which simply don’t fit. From those which remain, we assess their future value and impacts on the organization. We then prioritize them into what should be the best opportunities for us.

Industry Scenario and Winner’s Profile

We predict what our industry will look like in five to ten years.  Then we build a Winner’s Profile built upon the industry scenario.  This is the starting point for our Core Business Strategy.

Strategic Issues

These are major questions which affect the future course and direction of the organization and are begging decisions. We list, then prioritize, then discuss. Here is where the first real decisions are made about our strategies. After a quick reality check on decisions just made, we determine our strategies in our core businesses and new opportunities. We select what new things we want to do to improve competitive situation, our infrastructure and our people.

Commitments

We discuss our commitments to the organization: Mission Statement, Goals and Objectives. Mission Statement is our public representation of our values and our vision for the future. Goals are internal measures of how we define success. Objectives are the intended results that support our Mission, Goals and Objectives.

Action Plans

We develop action plans to translate our objectives into results.  They lay out the specific actions required, the people involved, the necessary time and money and the timeline.  From the action plans we know the resources required (time and money).  We then develop budgets and schedules to provide those resources, to gauge the effectiveness of these projects, and to report on progress in financial terms. Finally, we establish a process for monitoring our action plans to assure they stay on schedule.

Intangibles

There are important intangibles that arise from the process.  Better understanding of each other’s situation and needs is one result. Another is the buy-in that team members get from going through the process and being a part of the team itself. A third intangible is the feeling that most get from being a part of the team. They get to see the interdependence of the various parts of the organization. They see how all must pull in the same direction to get the optimal results.

Leadership

The final ingredient is having good plan development leadership. This means someone who can keep the team on track and on time–a process leader/catalyst. Someone with the experience to guide, but not influence the results of the planning process. Process leadership is our forte.  We provide this leadership effectively and efficiently, having many years of experience in leading teams in many different industries. Contact me at 616-575-3193 or at baldwin@cssp.com, and let’s talk about how I can help you develop a better strategic plan.

Do you follow the above strategic planning process steps?  Consider holding an inexpensive one-day workshop on Simplified Strategic Planning.

For more on strategic planning, click here.

M. Dana Baldwin is Senior Strategist with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

Why strategic plans fail.  In my last post, I talked about the issues people have with keeping their strategic planning alive.  Today, I’d like to discuss some specific techniques I’ve seen companies use routinely to solve those problems.  Companies that achieved 100% of their objectives and had excellent financial performance used these tips.

Treat the planning meetings as a routine, regularly scheduled event

To keep your strategic planning alive, consider it an annual event and keep it on a fixed schedule.   Top performing companies usually take care to schedule the planning when its least likely to interfere with critical activities.  They often schedule the meetings at the beginning of the year.  This way something is wrong if they don’t start the next cycle of strategic planning on time.

Have monthly review meetings to stay on top of execution

If you’ve attended a Simplified Strategic Planning Seminar, you’ve already heard this tip.  It bears repeating, however, because so few companies actually do this.  This activity is one of three key practices that separate companies that achieve over 80% of their objectives from others.  The norm achieves just 30%.  There is simply no substitute for a short meeting every month to assure that the strategic priorities are moving forward.

Have action plan teams meet at least monthly

In addition to having monthly meetings, require that action plan teams meet before the monthly review meeting.  Not only will they be more aware of implementation activities, they will have a chance to “catch up” on any activities that are behind schedule.

Never postpone any planning activity for more than one month, if possible

This is a paraphrase of the unwritten rules I’ve seen in many top performing companies.  The underlying idea is that a month of wiggle room is OK, since we have to operate in the real world.  More than a month means we need to reconsider the resources we are using and how realistic the schedule is.  Knowing that a longer delay will lead to serious re-scheduling also motivates some executives to stay on track.

Adjust resource requirements (and expectations) instead of postponing

Again, this is the kind of adjustment you can make if you have monthly monitoring meetings.  You may need to re-think the people who are committed to the actions.  And how much time and money you are willing to set aside for them.  This may require changes in your objectives, but you will still maintain forward motion with your execution.  For example, you may decide you only have the resources for one new product, instead of three, or that you can only hire one engineer per quarter instead of two.  These kinds of adjustments may be frustrating, but they will assure that your execution stays on track.

Are you having a hard time keeping your strategic planning alive?  If you’d like help with that, consider holding a one-day workshop on Simplified Strategic Planning.

To learn Why Not to Start with Your Mission Statement, click here.

Robert Bradford is President & CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.  He can be reached at rbradford@cssp.com.

M. Dana Baldwin is Senior Strategist with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

Over the years, I’ve met many wonderful executives in my speaking and the simplified strategic planning seminar.  I’m sad and perplexed when the CEO leaves the seminar inspired to do great strategic planning – and then falters.  While some companies find difficulty in completing the first cycle, their process often falters after successfully completing the first cycle.

You’ve created a great plan once, and done maybe two or more cycles– and then you lose steam.  Is this a bad thing?  My experience says it’s awful, because there is a BIG upside to keeping your strategic plan alive.  There is a HUGE benefit to consistently fine-tuning your strategies to keep your company on course for success.  Come up with new information, new assumptions and new ideas.  Challenge previous assessments and analyses.  Review and revise strategies.  Develop new strategic objectives.  Revise budgets and schedules and develop new action plans.  Companies that routinely repeat the planning process every year outperform those that don’t.

So why do some companies stop, after initial success with strategic planning?

It’s not urgent, so the strategic planning process falters

This is the Achilles’ heel of strategic planning – strategic things are critically important, but rarely urgent (unless it’s too late).  There is no way around this – your team needs to have the ability to step back from cutting wood and, (as Stephen Covey put it) sharpen the saw.  If you can’t do this once a year, you will miss the benefits of annual strategic planning.  My own company and many of my clients reap the benefits of annual strategic planning.

It’s hard work, so the strategic planning process falters

Strategic planning – and strategy implementation – are harder work than most people expect.  This is because real strategic change is about learning how to do things better than you have in the past – and learning how to do things you’ve never done in the past.  It is probably harder than your routine activities, in your company, and it’s easy to pretend we don’t have to work so hard.  You may get away with that for a while.  However, your markets will change, your competitors will not stand still and new developments could ultimately kill your company (think Kodak).

Something may happen that takes priority, so the strategic planning process falters

This is the most common issue.  Indeed, good strategic planning can instigate activities and changes that are so big that it feels impossible to manage any stable, ongoing processes.  Rest assured, if you have this issue, you are not alone – and you can stay on track with the strategic planning process and manage the big things that are happening in your company.  After your first year or two of strategic planning you can use a lean, cut-down version.  Focusing on results-driving activities, this process should take no more than a day of preparation, a two day strategy meeting, and a day of implementation planning.  Done well, this will keep your strategy moving forward.

In the final analysis, good strategic planning is about results.  It’s about helping you do the right thing, in the right place, at the right time.  Keeping your strategic planning alive is the best way to move your company in that direction, regardless of what is happening today.

Why keep your strategic planning alive?  Have you encountered the pitfalls mentioned?  If you’d like to learn more about how you can avoid these pitfalls, consider attending the Simplified Strategic Planning seminar.

For more on Why Strategic Planning? Click here.

Robert Bradford is President & CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.  He can be reached at rbradford@cssp.com.

M. Dana Baldwin is Senior Strategist with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

“Strategy planning is messy” declared one CEO as a team member expressed a desire for a more linear approach.  The team member was frustrated, because he couldn’t see the end game.

The CEO went on to say, “It’s okay that it is messy.  We have to consider many alternatives and new information before we funnel down and select a few things to do.”  I find that when people embark on strategy planning, they want the process to be simple and linear.  Some want the answers to be obvious.  So why is strategy planning messy?

Contemplating the external factors that impact your business – gathering information and creating a shared base of knowledge

First of all, when your team starts its strategy planning journey, it should identify the topics worthy of research.  Once the team completes the reseach, they can make informed decisions about the course and direction of the company.  This research allows the team to make decisions based on facts, rather than on opinions and top-of-mind thinking.  Typically, information is collected about:

• Core business segments – our customers
• Competitors
• Technology
• Suppliers
• Economic and Industry Trends
• Regulations
• Human resource availability
• Potential new opportunities

Once each team member completes their research, they share it with the team.  So now each team member has a foundation for decision making

Still, even with this shared base of knowledge, people interpret information differently and give different weights to the information.  But with this base, your team needs to decide:

• Which of our core businesses should get the most emphasis?
• What opportunities should we pursue?
• How can we enhance the way we differentiate ourselves in the market?
• What do we need to develop internally to get where we want to go?

The team goes through many steps to sort out these questions

The team often drills down, make selections and then cycles back.  During a recent planning session, we started out reviewing research on 14 opportunities to significantly enhance the company’s growth.  Next, we developed a profile of an industry leader, looking out five to ten years.  Then we screened the opportunities, using our research and our vision of the industry leader as a backdrop.  We easily selected the top three opportunities – by a landslide!  Next, we discussed the three opportunities and it quickly became obvious that one was not as good as the others.  What was next? Just drill down on the two? No, it was not that easy.  After discussing the two, we found that we had two ways to pursue each one.  Thus, we were back up to four.  We then looked at the benefits and costs of each choice and we were able to come back to two.  Now each of the opportunities was well developed and the team agreed that these were the ones to focus on.

Was the process pretty?  No!

Many voiced frustrations during the journey, sensing that we would never get to a conclusion.  In the end, however, all the team members embraced the process.   They were surprised that the team come to a consensus and a clear direction as quickly as they did.  While the process was messy, when it came down to selecting top picks, the list narrowed down quickly.  During the final discussions, it was able to dig deep and get to the heart of the issue.  Good information enabled them to sort through what was important and to have a deep dive discussion on the key opportunities.  By the end of the meeting, everyone was firmly behind the topics selected and ready to develop successful action plans.

But we didn’t use all the information gathered!

Yes, this is often the case; but how do you know what is important when you start?  After researching certain topics, you may conclude that a topic will not impact the strategy for this round of planning.  Additionally, a topic may not be relevant, but it will spur discussion on another topic.  Hence, team members start thinking about it to see if it can have some value now or in future planning.

The hardest part of strategy planning is what you say “no” to 

As mentioned above, during strategy planning, you will consider a great deal of information and many options. You want to choose the options that best position your company for success.  During the life of your company, you will focus in different areas to achieve success.  For instance, say you are having difficulty meeting your delivery schedules or have issues with product quality.  While innovation may be fun, if you can’t successfully produce a product, all the innovation will go unnoticed.  Alternatively, your competition will notice it and copy it.  You may have to say “no” to some good ideas until your company is able to capitalize on its innovation.  This doesn’t mean you stop innovating.  It is simply a question of emphasis.  Sometimes you need to build the foundation for growth to occur.  Unfortunately, this sometimes makes strategy planning seem messy, as people don’t see things happening that are important. Making the hard decisions as to what must come first can cause a great deal of discussion and healthy disagreement.  Through these conversations the team selects the course and direction and the key strategic initiatives for future success.  Is fixing production fun?  Enhancing quality sexy?  If these aspects are not fixed, we may not have the platform to launch our innovative products and services.

Strategy Planning: Messy, but thorough

So, no, strategy planning is not necessarily a linear process.  It allows for ideas to come in from multiple sources.  It generates discussions about multiple options, often cycling around and discussing them again.  Then, the actual strategy summarizes what the team has discussed, the course and direction for the next 3-5 years for your core business segments, the new opportunities you want to pursue and what you need to develop internally to get where you want to go.  Then you take it down to tactics – what turns strategy into action:  what are the 6-10 key strategic initiatives the team would like to accomplish in order to move the strategy forward for the next 12 to 18 months.

If you have questions about strategic planning, please contact: Denise Harrison, harrison@cssp.com

Do you think that Strategy Planning is messy?  Attend the Simplified Strategic Planning Seminar for more instruction on how to develop all aspects of Simplified Strategic Planning.

Denise Harrison is a senior consultant for the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.  She can be reached at harrison@cssp.com.

© Copyright 2018 by Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI — Reprint permission

What will make strategic planning happen and keep people from getting mired in non-strategic activities?  Even at the top of organizations, strategic planning seems to take a back seat.  Like any other critical management activity, companies must do strategic planning routinely and not postpone it.  Today, I’d like to look at how to make strategic planning happen, no matter what.

First, we must remember why we do strategic planning

The purpose of strategy is to steer you in the right course and direction for future success.  Failure to do so will lead to blindly following your present course and direction or a strategy of aimless wandering.  The experiences of Kodak before they went bankrupt in 2012 well-represent the extent to which this is problematic.  Although Kodak management was aware of the threat of digital photography, they constantly failed to find a direction that worked.  The cultural resistance that grew from the perception of digital photography as “the enemy”compounded this issue, of course. Clearly, there are at least two key points.  The invention of the digital camera (at Kodak), and the acquisition of photo-sharing site Ofoto ( before Facebook).  Had either of these key events led to adequate strategic effort, Kodak might be a larger and successful company today.

YES, failing to act on the right opportunities at the right time can be catastrophic!

Postponement, while inevitable in the real world, needs to be minimized where possible

The counter to this issue is to stay on top of your strategy routinely.  In Simplified Strategic Planning, we make strategic planning happen by setting deadlines every month.  By doing so, your plan isn’t just a document gathering dust.

Write down and routinely revise your strategic plan

This prevents you from getting too wrapped up in any one detail of your strategy.  Indeed, you should try to get the whole process completed in a short time giving adequate consideration to key details.  Make sure you acknowledge each detail, evaluate its impact on your future, and then move on to the other details.

In Simplified Strategic Planning, we set a schedule and force prioritization of key elements of the strategy

Using this approach, you know ahead of time that you don’t have unlimited time to talk about low-impact concerns.  Furthermore, a holistic approach to strategy will require you give some consideration to all elements of strategic success.

To summarize, these are the five keys that will make strategic planning happen:

1. Know why you are doing it
2. Minimize postponement
3. Make the strategy part of your routine
4. Set a schedule for strategic planning
5. Force prioritization

These steps will help make strategic planning happen quickly and efficiently.  Consequently, you have more time to work on managing the important day to day matters in your business.

Are you having trouble getting started with your strategic planning or keeping it going?  If so, you may want to attend our seminar on Simplified Strategic Planning to learn more about competitve strategy and other aspects of strategic planning.

Robert Bradford is President & CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.  He can be reached at rbradford@cssp.com.

M. Dana Baldwin is Senior Strategist with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

Finding Strategic Issues that the team must resolve to produce an actionable Strategy is key in Simplified Strategic Planning

We find Strategic Issues with multiple diagnostic exercises.  One is an exercise we call “Winner’s Profile”. We do it for a couple of reasons. One is to help visualize what the future leader in your industry might look like in about five years.  Another is to help determine what issues we may have to address in our planning horizon.

Our goal is to be the leader or to be able to compete effectively with the hypothetical leader. First, the planning team lists their perceived key characteristics of that future hypothetical industry leader. Second, they determine the concepts/attributes/elements that are required of the successful leader. Third, the team enters the list of key characteristics into the exercise form and discuss each item listed.

The team tries to determine what that idealized leader would consider critical to success

First of all, the team grades the significance of each success element into one of three categories: critical, important or beneficial, using a numerical scale. Then they discuss all the elements and arrive at a consensus numerical value for each element on the list.  This sets the “standard” for judging our current performance.

Then the really challenging part of this process begins.  The team then uses another, balanced, numerical scale to rate how well their own company is performing each element today.  The team judges each rating against the importance of the perceived “standard” for that element roughly five years in the future. This sounds easy, but to be objective while doing this exercise can be difficult. Each person and each area of the company has territory to defend. It can be difficult to be totally objective, especially when rating today’s performance against a somewhat nebulous standard set in the future. This is where good, experienced, objective leadership is important in your planning.

Teams will see the value in doing this challenging exercise once they get immersed in it.

The team then compare the two numerical scales after completing the evaluation of the current performance.  Where there is a significant difference in the numerical values of the ratings for a component, the team discusses that strategic issue.  The team includes this item in the Strategic Issues decision process, which they complete soon after this exercise.

The results of this exercise help the team by highlighting critical issues which they need to address in the strategic planning process.  It will help the team develop a stronger, more actionable strategic plan for the organization.

If your team needs guidance in analyzing the key elements for the future course and direction of your company, we can help. Contact Dana Baldwin at baldwin@cssp.com or 616-575-3193.

M. Dana Baldwin is a Senior Consultant with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

Is your company full of smart, passionate people, who have strong ideas about your business? Do they have trouble agreeing on a strategy and sticking to it?

The problem is pretty simple:  many smart people are used to being the smartest person in the room.  Consequently, they are often rewarded for ignoring the ideas of others.  Furthermore, they have bad experiences when they allow others to convince them of alternatives.  The result is often gridlock if a bunch of those smart people work together in the same company.  In many cases, strategic discussions create such rancor that many are reluctant to engage in them.  Ultimately, the result is analysis paralysis – constant delays to get more information, to the point of inaction.  The problem is so real that some industries have little, if any, good strategic planning going on.

How can you avoid this issue?

Avoiding hiring smart people is NOT the answer.  Rather, you should look at ways to encourage teamwork and team-developed solutions as a normal course of business.  Give these people a chance to experience the positive benefits of cooperation.  Also, you should use a planning process designed to foster teamwork (as Simplified Strategic Planning is). Build a foundation of agreement upon data. Next analyze your data.  Finally draw your conclusions and execute your plans.  In addition, use a credible, respected outsider to facilitate your strategic planning process. This can both speed up the process and create a much stronger sense of buy-in from the whole team.

How do you handle having too many smart people in your strategic planning?  We’d love to hear ideas about how you manage this – or talk with you about how we can help.  Attend our next seminar on Simplified Strategic Planning to learn more about encouraging teamwork and other aspects of strategic planning.

Robert Bradford is President & CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.  He can be reached at rbradford@cssp.com.

M. Dana Baldwin is a Senior Consultant with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

In developing our strategic plan, we spend significant time analyzing our market segments and our competition.

There are other important factors which can affect our strategies, even our ability to continue in business as usual. Most organizations will have most or all of these factors.  However, there will be some which are not present or are minimally present in some companies. This depends on the type of business activities which add up to the complete company profile. This article will be the first of a short series of articles on the “other factors” we analyze in our strategic planning.  The first area of these other factors is: Technology Assessment.

We include three sections in this analysis. The first is Process Technology: How we use technology to actually produce the products or deliver the services we sell. We look at the current state of the technology to determine whether we are close to the most current technology. We will look at the others in another article.

How effective is our technology in delivering the desired products or services we produce for our customers?

Are we using highly automated high production volume equipment to produce our product? Are we using more manually operated machinery and technology to produce what we sell?  There usually is no right or wrong answer to this question, just an assessment of where we are.  Is our service delivery technology up to date?

Next, we look at the cost effectiveness of our technology

Does using the equipment we have produce our products at a cost level which will allow us to be competitive?  We also look at the costs of replacing or upgrading our equipment. Why would we want to replace a machine? For example, to lower our production costs might be one reason. If we have a serious malfunction might be another. If so, what will be the costs of doing so? How long might it take?  What impact might it have on our ability to produce until the replacement is installed?

Following this, we try to assess how long each machine will be economically effective. What is its useful life? When will production on the machine cease to be at a low enough cost to continue to justify keeping it?

Next, can we determine, or reasonably estimate, the state of the art of similar equipment at our competitors? Do they have an advantage or disadvantage in their technology? This might be in the cost of production, or in the ability of the technology to perform certain tasks effectively.  Admittedly, getting a realistic assessment of a competitor’s situation may be anywhere from difficult to impossible.

Once we have determined the current state of our technology, we need to look to the future

What will be our future needs for technology to do what we need going forward? Much the same analyses as above will have to be made looking forward. We will have to take into account on what path our strategies will take us. We will have to determine what our future needs will be, and how best to meet them. I’ve used machinery as my example, but the technologies could be scientific instruments, computers, communications or other specialized technologies. The process is essentially the same for all.

In short, planning how we will produce and deliver our products and services will take attention and integration with our strategic plan. If you need help in making these analyses, or with your complete strategic plan, call or email me.  My contact information is: Dana Baldwin 616-575-3193 and baldwin@cssp.com.

Does your organization include technology assessment in your strategic plan?  Attend the Simplified Strategic Planning Seminar to learn more about this and other aspects of Simplified Strategic Planning.

M. Dana Baldwin is a Senior Consultant with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at: baldwin@cssp.com

© Copyright 2018 by Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI — Reprint permission granted with full attribution

Plan the Dive, Dive the Plan

The mantra of scuba divers describes one of the most important guidelines for conducting a safe and successful diving trip. In spite of the enjoyment that comes from observing the exotic reef life of some Caribbean island, every dive is potentially a life and death situation.  Therefore, it is extremely important to follow through with the pre-dive plan.

Before each dive, the dive master explains the topography of the dive, the depth, and the time limit. It is critical that everyone on the team understands and agrees upon the details of the plan.

Once under water, conducting detailed communication about changing the plan is difficult. It is each diver’s responsibility to follow the plan and stick with the group. It is important not to drift away from the dive team even if you see some interesting reef life.

Similarly, in the real world of business management, during the implementation phase of your strategic plan, people will want to diverge.  A compelling ripple in the tides of the business environment can very easyily knock you off course. It takes discipline to stay on track. The management team must make the commitment to stay focused on the agreed upon plan. They should only make significant changes to the plan after careful consideration as to overall implications and consequences of the change.

Typically, our available resources are fully consumed by two general activities:

1. Maintaining ongoing business activities
2. Working on our strategic initiatives

Taking on additional projects often means that something originally part of the plan will be deprived of critical resources

As with the scuba diving adventure, there will be time to review the plan and make adjustments.  Clearly, the time to do this is, however, is not while you are underwater.

In spite of the seriousness of every dive, once your colleagues buy-in, it is easy to stick to the plan. After all, you are having fun! This is not always the case when implementing a business plan. This part of the strategic management process involves a lot of hard work! Because of this, it is much more difficult to maintain energy and enthusiasm to carry on the implementation as planned. After completing the planning portion of the annual cycle, it is quite common for the team to be energized by their confidence in the plan and their new found sense of control over their destiny. The team begins the implementation effort brimming with optimism and eagerness. The planning effort itself is the interesting and intellectually stimulating part of the process. Then comes the real challenge: It’s time to go to work!  Actually committing the resources, making the time, uncovering and addressing obstacles is the biggest challenge to “diving the plan”.

Execute the Implementation Plan

In order to have the resources to support the implementation of your strategic objectives, a company must maintain the healthy operation of their existing business. In spite of these resource requirements, it is essential that you find some time to work on the implementation plans.

Having participated in the planning process, the managers on the team can use their understanding of your long-term strategies to make appropriate resource decisions everyday. This enables them to prioritize their fire fighting and, potentially, eliminate some “Urgent but Unimportant” activities. This can free up the resources needed for attacking strategic objectives. This is why, in spite of the time required to perform the actual planning, strategic management is a net time-saver.

Note:  This post is the third in a series of posts from Tom Ambler’s article Strategic Management: 3 Steps to the Cycle of Success originally posted in Compass Points.  The first post introduced the series.  Read it here.  The second post discussed planning and gave a sports analogy.  Read it here. The next post in this series will discuss the third step in more detail.  For a more complete understanding of strategic management, attend the Simplified Strategic Planning Seminar.

© Copyright 2018 by Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI — Reprint permission granted with full attribution.

Tom Ambler is a Senior Consultant with Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc. He can be reached by email at ambler@cssp.com