Strategic planning is the process
of defining an organization’s direction in the near- and long-term. Strategic
planning links planning with implementation (Bryson 2016). This entails
bringing together key internal and external stakeholders to gain their input.
Without strategic planning, organizations fail to anticipate changing trends and
to prepare for the future.
“…identifying and helping organize a deliberate pathway to promote mutual persuasion and learning among stakeholders about what to do, how, and why in order to fulfill an organization’s mission and meet its mandates.” ~ John M. Bryson (2016)
Strategic Planning Process
Source: United Way
The strategic planning process
builds upon itself and has a natural progression, though organizations often
find themselves repeating iterations of the steps (Bryson 2016). Every step of
the process should be completed with implementation and evaluation in mind
(Bryson 2016). It should be repeated at least annually to assess how the
organization is doing in regards to hitting its benchmarks and implementing its
action plans. Regular strategic planning also allows the organization to
identify new SWOTs and strategic issues as they arise and to adjust its
long-term plans accordingly.
Benefits of Strategic Planning
Strategic planning
prevents organizations from suffering from a lack of direction or from spreading
themselves too thin as they try to go in too many different directions at once.
By virtue of completing the strategic planning process, an organization becomes
more future- and action-oriented (Bryson 2016).
Since the process entails
gathering input from internal and external stakeholders, the result is
collaborative solutions rather than prescribed, top-down ones. The strategic
planning process entails creating small groups to promote deeper discussion and
encourage everyone to contribute their ideas. Small groups encourage even the
most reticent group members to share their thoughts. Increased input helps the
agency to identify more solutions and to anticipate more of the drawbacks to any
potential plans of action. Gaining input from a wide circle of people builds
consensus around the plan. Furthermore, it increases stakeholder buy-in, upping
the likelihood of greater involvement and support for the organization’s
initiatives from management, the board of directors, partner organizations,
program beneficiaries, and the wider community.
References
Bryson, John M. “Strategic Planning and the Strategy Change Cycle.” In Renz, David (eds.), Jossey-Bass Handbook of Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2016.
United
Way of Dane County. “Strategic Planning Process.”
