Business Performance Improvement Resource

BPIR Best Practice ReportBusiness Excellence Series

Volume 2, Issue 1

Strategy: Strategic Planning Process

Why spend time re-inventing the wheel when you can learn from the experience of others?

@BPIRcom

Business Performance Improvement Resourcesupporting your quest for excellence

The TRADE Best Practice Benchmarking Methodology(the latest version is available at BPIR.com)

www.coer.org.nz/apply/trade-best-practice-benchmarking

The International Best Practice Competition and Organisation-Wide Innovation Award(hundreds of best practice award videos and case studies are available at BPIR.com)

www.bestpracticecompetition.com

The Global Benchmarking Award(dozens of benchmarking award videos and case studies are available at BPIR.com)

www.globalbenchmarkingaward.com

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Welcome to BPIR.com’s Business Excellence series The BPIR.com Business Excellence Series has been designed as a premium collection of more than 30 best practice reports. The reports are professionally crafted with all the criteria of Business Excellence Models and Frameworks in mind, in particular the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the EFQM Excellence Model. Business Excellence Models are internationally recognised, holistic models that enable organisations to assess and improve their journey towards world-class performance. The series will assist organisations to find and implement best practices across all six major categories (and sub-criteria/items) of Business Excellence Models:

leadership•strategy•customers•information and knowledge management•human resources, and•operations.•

The Centre for Organisational Excellence Research (COER) is a leader in research into Business Excellence and, as founders of BPIR.com, brings its expertise to this new series. COER is currently working on a number of exciting projects relating to Business Excellence, including the largest ever study on the design, deployment, and impact of national, regional, and sectoral Business Excellence programs. This research, called Excellence Without Borders, is supported by the Global Excellence Model Council and involves more than 35 of the 70+ countries that actively promote Business Excellence.

This new series builds on BPIR.com’s internationally acclaimed Best Practice Report series, which has been at the cutting-edge of business performance improvement research since 2002. Over the years, we’ve produced more than 100 Best Practice Reports, examining wide-ranging and diverse topics including Six Sigma, social media, manufacturing outsourcing, Lean techniques, flexible work arrangements, and product life cycle management. Each report provides a succinct review of the topic, expert opinion, best practice case studies, latest research, benchmarks, and self-assessment resources. Various materials—such as e-books, reports, and infographics—are provided as downloadable links. You will find a full list of these reports, all of which are available to members, on the back cover of this issue.

Become a member of BPIR.com There are many benefits to becoming a member of BPIR.com – not least of which is receiving future issues of our best practice reports in your inbox and exclusive access to our best practice database of reports, videos, articles, and expert analysis. This treasure trove of information, hands-on experience, and learning will take your business to the next level.

If you are a non-member, you will find some of the links in this report do not work. To join BPIR.com simply click here or to find out more about membership, email membership@bpir.com or visit www.bpir.com – and be sure to follow us on Twitter at @BPIRcom.

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Strategy: Strategic Planning Process

The Definition

Strategic planning is a systemic process through which an organisation assesses where it is at the present time, communicates where it wants to be in the future (through its mission and vision), and makes the necessary decisions to reach its goals. The process includes making sure that monitoring, control and improvement mechanisms are in place, which help to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan and mitigate any interruptions.

The Stage

An organisation that fails to plan strategically, plans to fail. According to the Baldrige Excellence Framework, a strategic planning process addresses strategic and action planning; the implementation of plans; how plans are changed if circumstances dictate; and, how accomplishments are measured and sustained. Long-term organisational sustainability and the competitive environment are key strategic issues that must form an integral part of an organisation’s overall planning.

Strategic thinking that is not supported by a robust and timely strategic planning process is unlikely to lead to success. There are many examples of highly successful companies whose fortunes have dipped significantly – or who have even gone out of business – because they did not show the agility they needed to plan strategically at the appropriate time.

This report, which kicks off the second major business excellence model category of Leadership, aims to enable readers to visualise and devise a ground-level, robust strategic planning process for conventional, innovative and disruptive business environments. It provides information about value-added strategic processes and provides links to a wide range of resources that are designed to help your organisation get to where it wants to be.

In This Report…

What is a “strategic planning process”?1.Which organisations have been recognised for their strong strategic planning processes?2.How have organisations been successful with their strategic planning process?3.What research has been undertaken into strategic planning processes?4.What tools and methods are used to achieve high levels of success in a strategic planning process?5.How can the success of strategic planning processes be measured?6.What do business leaders say about the strategic planning process?7.Conclusion.8.

“A strategy is multi-dimensional planning, multi-team collaboration, and multitasking action.”

—Pearl Zhu, Author

Author: Dr Almas Tazein, BPIR.com Limited Editor: Dr Robin Mann, Centre for Organisational Excellence Research Editor: Michael Adams, Thingwall Communications (Canada).

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1. What is a “strategic planning process”?

1.1 The Strategic Planning Process in 15 Minutes Source: SME Strategy, Canada (date of information: 2017)Link (video): The Steps of the Strategic Planning Process in under 15 MinutesApplication/Key learning points: Anthony Taylor is a thought leader on strategy and leadership, as well as principal and lead strategic planning facilitator at SME Strategy in Canada. In this comprehensive video course, he shows you how to implement all the steps in the planning process and create your own strategic plans. This is a simplified version that will take you less than 15 minutes to watch.

1.2 The Basics of Strategic Planning and Strategic Management Source: Strategy Management Group (SMG), United States (date of information: 2019)Link: What Is Strategic Planning?Application/Key learning points: Strategy Management Group (SMG) provides consulting, training, and professional certification services to commercial, government, and non-profit organisations around the world. In this excellent and easy-to-read overview, SMG lays out the basics of strategic planning and management, explaining how they differ and what steps you can take to develop and manage your own strategic planning process.

1.3 Strategic Planning for Business: It HelpsSource: Project Manager, United States (date of information: 2019)Link: Strategic Planning in BusinessApplication/Key learning points: By planning strategically for the future, a company can anticipate potential unknowns and embark on a journey where it is most likely to achieve its goals. This excellent article by Peter Landau provides succinct information on subjects that all organisations would benefit from understanding, and answers a series of questions including: what is a strategic plan and which businesses need strategic planning? What is the difference between a strategic plan and a business plan? What are the key components of a strategic plan? What are the essentials of the strategic planning process? What strategic planning issues should you always bear in mind?

1.4 Overview of the Strategic Planning ProcessSource: Virtual Strategist, United States (date of information: 2016)Link (video): Overview of the Strategic Planning ProcessApplication/Key learning points: In just under six minutes, Erica Olsen, chief operating officer and co-founder of OnStrategy, illustrates the entire strategic planning process. Instead of going through a bullet point list, this whiteboard presentation gives an overview of the process and provides end-to-end details. She explains the importance of defining your direction and setting up an effective strategic plan that you can communicate to staff. This ensures everyone knows what your priorities are – and it will help everyone to pull in the same direction.

1.5 Five Steps for a Successful Strategic Planning Process Source: Thriving Small Business, United States (date of information: 2019)Link: The 5-Step Process of Strategic PlanningApplication/Key learning points: This is an interesting, well-written article with practical examples to explain all five steps in a successful strategic planning process. Patricia Lotich, founder of Lotich Business Solutions in the United States, explains how organisations have managed to reduce the time it takes to design and develop a strategic plan from almost a decade to two or three years. She further explains how developing a strategic plan is a multi-step process, and emphasises the importance of passion for the purpose and clarity of your goals before you begin the process.

1.6 Four-Phase Guide to Strategic Planning Process Basics Source: OnStrategy, United States (date of information: 2019)Link: OnStrategy - Essentials Guide to Strategic Planning Download (PDF): OnStrategy - Complete Guide to Strategic PlanningDownload (PDF): OnStrategy - Strategic Planning Process ChecklistApplication/Key learning points: To help your organisation drive results by achieving sustainable strategic focus, here is a step-by-step guide to strategic planning. The information is presented in a way that explains the nuances of the process and there is a list of relevant questions for organisations to ask during each of the four phases. An ‘action grid’ keeps track of what is happening, who is involved, what tools and techniques are being used, and how long it is estimated to take.

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1.7 Strategic Planning in the Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Sector Source: Gross, Mendelsohn, United States (date of information: 2018)Link (video): Strategic Planning: Tips from a Nonprofit Strategic Planning FacilitatorLink: Strategic Planning for NGOs: A Guide to Understand the Basics of Strategic PlanningApplication/Key learning points: The first link leads to a two-minute question-and-answer video, which covers the following issues: when should non-profits revisit or start a strategic plan? Why does strategic planning matter for non-profits? What mistakes do non-profits often make in their strategic planning? The second link deals with why many NGOs do not have clear, well-written plans that articulate their vision, and looks at the steps they might take to develop a strategic plan.

2. Which organisations have been recognised for their strong strategic planning processes? 2.1 Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award WinnerSource: Association for Strategic Planning, Canada (date of information: 2019)Link: Winners of the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning AwardLink: Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award OverviewApplication/Key learning points: The Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award recognises excellence in the practice of strategy. The award is intended to enable individuals and organisations to succeed through strategic thinking, planning and action. The winner of the 2019 awards in the Government, Non-National category was Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). GDRFA demonstrated excellence in strategic planning by proficiently applying well-established planning processes; using innovative approaches to promote strategic planning; undertaking thorough customer and industry analyses; logically implementing plans as measurable activities; and, demonstrating implementation effectiveness with compelling performance results. 2.2 Scottish University Wins Outstanding Strategic Planning Team AwardSource: University of Glasgow, United Kingdom (date of information: 2016)Link: University Wins Outstanding Strategic Planning Team Award in THELMAsApplication/Key learning points: Scotland’s University of Glasgow was the winner in the Outstanding Strategic Planning Team category at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (THELMAs) in 2016. The awards recognise outstanding leadership and management within the United Kingdom’s higher education institutions. The University of Glasgow won the award as a result of a strategy that involved far-reaching consultation and engagement across the whole university, leading to an inspiring plan to create change. This resulted in new financial and planning frameworks which devolved and empowered local leadership to improve the agility of decision making. The process had a profound impact on almost all aspects of the university’s processes. 2.3 Strategic Planning Process Leads to Baldrige National Quality AwardSource: BPIR.com Download (PDF): 2016 Malcolm Baldrige Award Recipient Application: Don Chalmers Ford, United States (date of information: 2016)Application/Key learning points: Critical workforce engagement, satisfaction and organisational success were at the core of the integrated strategic planning system implemented by Don Chalmers Ford (DCF), a car dealership franchise and winner of the 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. DCF used systematic strategic planning as a continuous improvement process to align strategies and action plans that supported its mission. This process guided the Organisational Excellence System, and because of DCF’s small organisational size, its systems and processes were fully deployed and integrated. All goals were linked to the strategic planning process, cascaded down to every employee, and tracked in a closed-loop system.

2.4 Brussels-Capital Region Wins Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning Award Source: URBACT, European Union (date of information: 2019)Link: Meet the Team behind the Award-Winning ‘Strategic Plan for Goods Traffic in the Brussels-Capital Region’Application/Key learning points: The Brussels Mobility Freight Team succeeded in its mission to make the Brussels-Capital Region a model of sustainable and efficient urban freight transport when the Region was crowned winner of the 5th Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning Award. The EU initiative rewarded Brussels for its commitment to long-term policies on sustainable freight, and for putting its approach into action with a strategic plan for goods traffic. This interview with the team reveals how the strategic plan for goods traffic was made possible.

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3. How have organisations been successful with their strategic planning process?

3.1 Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital (MHSLH) & Stellar Solutions Source: BPIR.comDownload (PDF): Baldrige Learning from Role Models Strategy, United States (date of information: 2019)Application/Key learning points: This blog, which is part of the Baldrige Criteria Blog Series, highlights some of the successful strategies and programmes shared by award winners in Category 2 (strategic management) of the Baldrige Awards. This article shares some of the ways MHSLH and Stellar Solutions developed, implemented, changed and measured the progress of strategic objectives and action plans, and used strategic planning to ensure long-term organisational success and a competitive environment. MHSLH gathered information across the Memorial Hermann Health System (of which it is an integral part) to develop its strategic plan with a focus on ADVANCE strategies, which are used to form strategic initiatives, metrics, and targets. Stellar, a professional engineering services company providing technical expertise for national and international aerospace programmes, made sure strategic planning was grounded in its vision; highly integrated; driven by employees; and, aligned with employees’ dream jobs.

3.2 Strategic Planning to Drive Long-Term Value and GrowthSource: Boston Consulting Group, United States (date of information: 2016)Link: Four Best Practices for Strategic PlanningApplication/Key learning points: More turbulent environments call for nimbler and more agile approaches to enable the speed of planning to match that of fast-changing market environments. Many organisations see their strategic planning approach as being too rigid, reactive and disconnected from implementation. This excellent article explores four strategic planning best practices from which companies can benefit. Supported with references to global companies such as Philips and Procter & Gamble, as well as classic business scenarios, the article shows how these best practices can refine the strategic planning process and be customised to your own organisation and business environment.

3.3 Gagnon Associates Lead Client’s First Strategic PlanSource: Gagnon Associates, United States (date of information: 2019)Link: Case Study: Strategic Plan Development & OrganisationApplication/Key learning points: This case study describes how Gagnon Associates, a management and organisational consulting service from the United States, helped in the development and implementation of a direct-mail catalogue marketing company’s first comprehensive strategic plan. It illustrates how developing and implementing the plan contributed to increased profitability and company focus. It also led to a strategic refocusing of company direction, a revitalised organisation and improved business results, which the satisfied client described as “a turnaround.”

3.4 PESTLE Analysis of Automotive & Fashion IndustriesSource: PESTLE Analysis, United States (date of information: 2019)Link: PESTLE Analysis of the Automotive Industry,Link: PESTLE Analysis of ZaraApplication/Key learning points: A PESTLE analysis can be used as a tool to track the environment in which a company or industry is operating or planning to launch a new project or product. PESTLE, which stands for political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental, enables an overview of all these different considerations. These two analyses deal with two different industries, both of which have come under attack for their effects on the environment. The two articles will help you form your own opinion on whether the automotive industry will survive, and whether one of the world’s leading fashion brands will continue to thrive.

3.5 30 SWOT Analyses of the Best Performing Companies in the WorldSource: Strategic Management Insight, Lithuania (date of information: 2019)Link: SWOT Analyses of the Best Performing Companies in the WorldApplication/Key learning points: SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) involves the collection and description of information about internal and external factors which might have an impact on an organisation. This article provides SWOT analyses of 30 of the most famous companies in the world, including Apple, BMW, McDonalds, Samsung and Google. The analyses provide an understanding about the companies and the tactics they are likely to use in their strategic planning.

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3.6 Achieving Strategic Agility: Why Strategic Planning Needs to Be RevisitedSource: IMD, Switzerland (date of information: 2019)Download (PDF): Tomorrow’s Challenges - Achieving Strategic Agility - Why Strategic Planning Needs to Be RevisitedApplication/Key learning points: This excellent case study shows how Tetra Pak, a business-to-business (B2B) multinational company, developed a more agile planning process as it moved from an annual decision-making cycle to a continuous one. By developing the ability to quickly start, stop or accelerate cross-functional initiatives, the company remained adaptive throughout the year while also building long-term capabilities. 3.7 Strategic Plan: Memorial Hospital Maine Health Source: Memorial Hospital Maine Health, United States (date of information: 2019)Download (PDF): Memorial Hospital Strategic Plan Summary 2017-19Application/Key learning points: This is an example of an excellent strategic plan. Memorial Hospital is a non-profit critical access hospital located in New Hampshire. The strategic plan sets the hospital’s priorities, goals and objectives for 2017-19 in five main areas: quality improvement and patient experience; population health and wellness; financial performance; service delivery transformation; and, workforce development and engagement. Memorial Hospital and Health Care was a winner of the 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

4. What research has been undertaken into strategic planning processes? 4.1 Key Trends Used to Inform Strategic PlanningSource: The Wall Street Journal, United States (date of information: 2019)Link: 3 Enduring Trends Inform Strategic Planning EffortsApplication/Key learning points: From new technologies to changing patterns of consumer behaviour, changes are coming at organisations from every direction, affecting how they serve customers and create value for stakeholders. This ‘disruption’ is also making it difficult for them to feel confident in their long-term plans. This article provides a series of interesting perspectives on how to make the strategic planning task less scary by considering three ongoing business trends. 4.2 Insights and Trends to Help with Strategic PlanningSource: The Strategy Group, Australia; S Brand, United States (date of information: 2018; 2016)Link: Key Trends for Your Strategic Planning.Link: Top 10 “Should Be” Trends in Strategic Planning for 2016… Will They Happen?Application/Key learning points: These two interesting perspectives will help situate your own strategic planning efforts. First, Jeffrey Tobias gives an overview of Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report. Meeker is a partner with one of the world’s leading venture capital companies and delivers an annual report on trends not only in technology, but more importantly on the impact of technology. These are important considerations for short and long-term strategic planning. The second article is by Sheryl Trent, an expert in strategic planning and facilitation. She focuses on the reasons why companies do strategic planning.

4.3 Strategic Planning for GrowthSource: National Center for the Middle Market, United States (date of information: 2018)Download (PDF): How Middle Market Companies Map Their Future Strategic PlanningLink (video): Key Findings: Strategic Planning for Growth of Middle Market FirmsApplication/Key learning points: The National Center for the Middle Market exists to ensure that the vitality and robustness of middle market companies are fully realised as fundamental to the United States’ economic outlook and prosperity. With annual revenues between US$ 10 million and US$ 1 billion, the middle market comprises those companies, larger than small businesses but smaller than big businesses, which account for the middle third of the United States economy’s revenue. The Center surveyed 400 active financial decision makers from middle market businesses across a range of industries and geographies to learn more about companies’ specific actions and attitudes around strategy. Both the article and the three-minute video provide interesting insights.

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4.4 What Link Exists Between Strategic Planning and Financial Performance?Source: South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, South Africa, (date of information: 2018)Download (PDF): Relationship Between Strategic Planning and Financial Performance 2018Application/Key learning points: The goal of this nine-page study from the highly respected South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences is to investigate the relationship between strategic planning and its contribution to the performance of organisations within the context of South African small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs). Here the relationship is argued as a potential driver in alleviating poverty and enabling economic prosperity. The study aims to determine the relationship using survey responses from 225 respondents, all of whom are owners or managers of SMMEs. 4.5 ITU’s Four-Year Strategic PlanSource: International Telecommunication Union, Switzerland (date of information: 2015)Download (PDF): ITU Strategic Plan for the Union 2016-2019Application/Key learning points: International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest international organisation. Its strategic plan for 2016-2019 sets the vision, mission and values of the organisation, an ITU-wide target, and ITU sector and intersectoral objectives and outcomes to be achieved over the four-year period. The plan includes four strategic goals – growth, inclusiveness, sustainability, and innovation and partnership – to help ITU to continue to meet future challenges and embrace new opportunities. It shows the link between strategic, operational and financial planning; implementation criteria and monitoring; and, evaluation and risk management in the ITU results-based management framework. 4.6 Strategic Planning for Health in TurkeySource: World Health Organization: Regional Office for Europe (date of information: 2015-2017)Download (PDF): Strategic Planning for Health: a Case Study from TurkeyApplication/Key learning points: This report explores the role of strategic planning in Turkey’s successful recent transformation of its health sector. It analyses the evolution of strategic planning for health from an informal tool to an official, highly structured process that closely follows the steps identified in accepted models of strategic planning. In addition, the report documents that Turkey’s most recent strategic plan (Strategic Plan 2013-2017) is an example of the new European policy framework, Health 2020, put into practice at the country level. It therefore serves as a role model for other countries wishing to strengthen their strategic planning capacity. 4.7 Guide to Strategic Planning and OGSMSource: ArchPoint Consulting, United States (date of information: 2018)Download (PDF): The Complete Guide to Strategic Planning and OGSMApplication/Key learning points: The OGSM (objective, goals, strategies and measures) strategic planning framework enables you to takes a complex idea like strategy and translate it into simple words and numbers that can be quickly and succinctly communicated at every level of an organisation. In short, it is an elegant solution to unwieldy challenges. This 15-page whitepaper focuses on the following important concepts: core components and key steps to a successful strategic plan, as well as its ‘dos and don’ts’; the OGSM strategic planning framework; why strategy execution matters and where companies fail; and the impact of change management on strategy execution.

4.8 SWOT Analysis to Develop Strategic Plan for an Engineering Technical Education Institution

Source: Research Gate, India (date of information: 2014) Download (PDF): Development of Strategic Plan in a Technical Educational Institution Through SWOT AnalysisApplication/Key learning points: This eight-page case study explains how a SWOT analysis was used to develop a strategic plan for an engineering technical education institute in India. The methodology used in the case study is transferrable for most colleges.

“A plan is a guide to keep you on course, efficient, and safe.” —Amber Hurdle, Leadership consultant & author

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5. What tools and methods are used to achieve high levels of success in a strategic planning process?5.1 Popular Strategic Planning Tools and ModelsSources & Links:

SWOT Analysis Templates and Examples for Any Situatio• n, AustraliaThe Ultimate List of Business Analysis Models | With Editable Template• s, AustraliaThe Boston Consulting Group Growth-Share Matri• x, InternationalStrategy Tool• s, LithuaniaUsing the Ansoff Matrix to Develop Marketing Strateg• y, United KingdomHow to Perform A SWOT Analysi• s, United States13 Strategic Planning Models to Conside• r, United StatesStrategy Spotlight: 8 Tools & Techniques to Apply to Strategic Analysis & Plannin• g, United StatesJumpstart New Projects with Mind Map• s, United StatesStrategic Planning Through PEST Analysi• s, United States Strategic Planning with the Benchmarking Framewor• k, United States6 Popular Strategic Planning Frameworks, and Which Framework Suits Best for Our Organisatio• n,

United States

Application/Key learning points: These links lead you to some of the most essential and effective strategic planning models for business that are in use throughout the world. These tools can be used by everyone to achieve a sustained competitive advantage. 5.2 Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map as Strategic Planning ToolsSources & Links:

The Balanced Scorecar• d, United StatesThe 4 Balanced Scorecard Perspectives: An Overview for Manager• s, United StatesHow to Create a Balanced Scorecard to Achieve Strategic Goal• s, United StatesA Complete Strategy Map Template (Including Examples• ), United States

Application/Key learning points: Everything managers need to know about the Balanced Scorecard—and it variations—can be found in these articles. The second link presents scenarios from various industry sector perspectives, including the traditional for-profit company; non-profits, charities and NGOs; and, government-funded organisations. Since strategy maps are important for flexibility with various industries and strategies, take a look at the fourth link for six strategy map examples from the manufacturing, airlines, healthcare and hospital, non-profit and social services, and local government sectors. 5.3 Integrating Innovation into Strategic PlanningSource: Innovation Enterprise Channels, United Kingdom (date of information: 2019)Link: How to Integrate Innovation into Strategic Planning: We ask the expertsApplication/Key learning points: Nine leading business figures were asked for their thoughts on how to develop a successful strategy to promote and implement innovation. Their answers, in the form of insights, advice and tips, are included in this article. The author stresses that innovation must be nurtured and integrated into an organisation’s core strategy for it to work. If it is not nurtured and integrated, innovation efforts risk descending into an incoherent set of autonomous processes and structures that are at odds with each other, wasting time and money, and ultimately stifling new ideas. 5.4 Four Steps to High-Impact Strategic Planning in GovernmentSource: Boston Consulting Group, United States (date of information: 2018)Link: Four Steps to High-Impact Strategic Planning in GovernmentApplication/Key learning points: On the basis of its more than 50 years of working as a leader in strategy, Boston Consulting Group has developed deep insight into the barriers that confront the private sector and an understanding of how they also challenge the public sector. This is a most informative article, which discusses the government’s strategic planning imperative (see “Exhibit 1: The W-shaped Approach”) that illustrates a highly effective approach to strategic planning. The article throws light on mounting public sector challenges, and the obstacles to effective strategic planning. Drawing on 31 interviews with current and former public sector leaders around the globe, Boston Consulting Group has identified four practical steps that governments can use to help eliminate these obstacles.

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5.5 The Value of Strategic Planning AgilitySource: Project Management for Today (date of information: 2018)Link (video): The Agile Approach: How to Benefit from Agility in Strategic PlanningApplication/Key learning points: In a complicated, unpredictable and rapidly changing modern world, taking weeks to develop a rigid strategic plan may no longer be the best way to ensure growth – regardless of the industry. This three-minute video shows the importance, steps and benefits of agility in strategic planning. 5.6 Strategic Agility Keeps You Afloat in Turbulent TimesSource: Balanced Scorecard Institute, United States (date of information: 2017)Link (video): Strategic Agility: Navigating Your Organisation Through Turbulent TimesApplication/Key learning points: Disruption, turbulence and risk are here to stay. This reality requires organisations to focus on the changing environment, strategy and people in order to improve overall team performance. This video effectively highlights key strategic management skills and agile capabilities organisations must possess to become and remain strategy focused. 5.7 Scenario Planning for a Circular Future: Example of PeterboroughSource: Tools Hero, Netherlands; Disruptive Innovation Festival, United Kingdom (dates of information: 2016; 2018)Link: Scenario Planning, a Powerful Strategy ToolLink (video): Scenario Planning for a Circular Future: Example of PeterboroughApplication/Key learning points: In a dynamic world with constantly moving targets, organisations are using scenario-based planning to prepare for each and every eventuality. It is an effective method for them to develop a sense of possible future scenarios, and of how they might affect their strategic objectives. In this way, strategies, products and services can be developed and adapted when necessary. The second link is a 10-minute film created by students at Cranfield University. It provides a scenario forecast motion graphic to encourage businesses and stakeholders in Peterborough to engage in becoming fully circular by 2050. A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and making continual use of resources. 5.8 Strategic Planning That Produces Real StrategySource: Bain & Company, Australia and United States (date of information: 2016)Link: Is Your Planning Process a Competitive Weapon or a Waste of Time?Application/Key learning points: World-class strategic planning incorporates five key principles, all of which are clearly explained in this article. Strategic planning capability based on these five principles eliminates the noise from the planning process, creates essential time for debate and distils the agenda down to the critical issues that will propel an organisation to sustained profitability and leadership. A critical first step is self-diagnosis. 5.9 Uniting Risk Management and Strategic Planning Source: Financial Management Magazine, United States (date of information: 2018)Link: Uniting Risk Management with Strategic PlanningApplication/Key learning points: This article emphasises the proactive framework in which foreseeable events and risks are best addressed at the start of a strategic and business planning process. It also deals with geopolitical, economic, and operational excellence implications to be considered; key issues and challenges; and, the importance of collaboration and transparency. In addition, see the 5-step process that outlines how to implement incremental changes in an organisation’s strategic planning and risk management processes. 5.10 What’s the Point of a Strategy… If You Can’t Execute It?Source: ClearPoint Strategy, United States (date of information: 2019) Link: Ted’s Talk: Why Have a Strategy If You Can’t Execute It?Application/Key learning points: Ted Jackson is founder of ClearPoint Strategy, a strategy management group in the United States. During a recent breakout session at the Association of Strategic Planning Conference, his presentation examined an interesting topic: is it better to have a bad strategy that is well-executed, or a great strategy that is poorly executed? The answer might surprise you. 5.11 Why You Should Optimise Your Strategic Planning ProcessSource: BBN Times, United States (date of information: 2018)Link: The Importance of Optimising Your Strategic Planning ProcessApplication/Key learning points: With the advent of consumerism making healthcare an increasingly more complex market, it is important companies make progress toward the initiatives that they have determined to be most significant. This article by a highly dynamic healthcare influencer and lateral thinking strategist provides novel insights into the world of strategic planning.

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6. How can strategic planning processes be measured?6.1 How to Select the Right Strategic Measures Source: ClearPoint Strategy, United States (date of information: 2019) Link: How to Select the Right Strategic Measures Application/Key learning points: Once your strategic objectives have been created and written, you need to know how to measure the success of your strategic plan, i.e. how can you evaluate them with recognised measures? This article addresses the qualities of a good strategic measure; the difference between outcomes and drivers; what guidelines to follow when you choose your measures (with a case example of Teach For America and its Balanced Scorecard); what information to include in your measure template; and, how to set targets for your measures.

6.2 Measuring the Success of Your Strategic PlanSource: ENVISIO, Canada (date of information: 2016)Link: Measuring the Success of Your Strategic PlanApplication/Key learning points: This article recommends establishing measurable and quantifiable objectives for successful strategic implementation process by following five simple steps: 1. Clear Objectives; 2. Efficiency; 3. Quality; 4. Accuracy; and, 5. Change Management: Leaving Behind the Status Quo. It also explains the role of staff in long-term plans, the biggest reason for the deterioration of strategic plans, and how to choose the right metrics for your own organisation.

6.3 How to Effectively Measure Strategic InitiativesSource: Entrepreneur, India (date of information: 2017)Link: How to Effectively Measure Strategic InitiativesApplication/Key learning points: Riaz Khadem, founder and CEO of Infotrac, a consulting firm that specialises in aligning and transforming organisations, lays out a plan to help you evaluate any project or initiative before, during and after the project is complete. Khadem introduces his Alignment Map, which serves as a compass and guide for the alignment process. Its goal is to focus everyone on those key factors that will lead to success

6.4 Three Strategic Planning Self-Assessment Tools/Surveys Source: BPIR.com, New Zealand (date of information: various) Download (PDF): Strategic Planning Self-AssessmentApplication/Key learning points: This self-assessment aims to assess the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation’s strategic planning process. It helps to examine how effective communication is between employees and decision makers; whether the company’s reporting relationships match its strategy; whether rewards are tied to desired results; and, whether strategy is evaluated after it is implemented.

Download (PDF): Strategic Planning (Not-for-Profit)Application/Key learning points: This outstanding assessment tool addresses critical management issues within a non-profit organisation. It can be used as a self-assessment tool, and can help you to guide a group discussion about your organisation’s strategic planning process. If it is used for a group discussion, each individual should complete the assessment tool. The group ideally should include board members, staff, volunteers, and service recipients.

Download (PDF): Strategic Planning Five-Minute Needs AssessmentApplication/Key learning points: This simple self-assessment tool consists of 15 questions to evaluate your company’s approach to strategic planning. The tool is designed for busy people who want results fast. By completing the quiz, you can rate your company’s performance with regard to the most critical elements of good strategic planning and management. Simple suggestions for improvement are provided.

6.5 Strategic Planning Gap Analysis On-StrategySource: OnStrategy, United States (date of information: 2019)Download (PDF): SPGA Benchmark Report SampleApplication/Key learning points: This 26-page report is grouped by six critical success factors required for achieving organisation-wide success in effective strategy design, implementation and ongoing performance management. The Overall Strategic Planning Gap Analysis and associated measurements are also a benchmarking tool for comparing individual organisational performance against the performance of similar organisations defined by size, industry or trade.

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7. What do business leaders say about the strategic planning process?

“Strategic planning for the future is the most hopeful indication of our increasing social intelligence.”—William H. Hastie, American judge, educator and public official

“Strategic planning is the continuous process of making present entrepreneurial (risk-taking) decisions systematically and with the greatest knowledge of their futurity; organising systematically the efforts needed to carry out these decisions; and measuring the results of these decisions against the expectations through organised, systematic feedback.”—Peter Drucker, Austrian-American management consultant, educator and author

“The problem with most strategic planning processes is they are not designed to create strategy. They are designed to create consistency and predictability.” —Kaihan Krippendorff, Former consultant with McKinsey & Company, author

“Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy, it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.” —Miyamoto Musashi, Japanese strategist and writer

“Don’t let emotions get the best of you. Knee jerk actions cause you to slip up and make the wrong move. People shouldn’t always know what you’re thinking. Observe, plan and prepare for the right moment to act. The element of surprise is one of life’s biggest advantages. The best card you have is the one you have yet to play.”—Carlos Wallace, American professor and author

“Success is 20% skills and 80% strategy. You might know how to succeed, but more importantly, what’s your plan to succeed?” — Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker

“Strategic planning should be more about collective wisdom building than top-down or bottom-up planning.” —W. Chan Kim, Business theorist, professor of strategy and management, INSEAD

“A strategy is multi-dimensional planning, multi-team collaboration, and multitasking action.” —Pearl Zhu, Author “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” —Sun Tzu, Chinese general, military strategist, writer and philosopher.

“The essence of strategy is in the activities – choosing to perform activities differently or to perform different activities than rivals. Otherwise, a strategy is nothing more than a marketing slogan that will not withstand competition.” —Michael E. Porter, American academic in economics, business strategy.

“After a business implements a strategy, competitors will react, and the firm’s strategy will need to adapt to meet the new challenges. There is no stopping point and no final battle. The competitive cycle continues on perpetually. Produce and compete or perish.” —Thomas Timings Holme, American professor, Yale

“A real strategy involves a clear set of choices that define what the firm is going to do and what it’s not going to do.” — Freek Vermeulen, Associate professor of strategic and international management, London Business School

“A plan is not putting you in a box and forcing you to stay there. A plan is a guide to keep you on course, efficient, and safe.” —Amber Hurdle, Leadership consultant, author

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8. Conclusion It has often been said that an organisation that fails to plan strategically, plans to fail. While this might be hyperbole, there is no doubt that a robust strategic planning process is of great importance to all organisations. It is the systemic process through which an organisation understands where it is at the present time, states where it wants to be, and develops a plan to get there.

Before starting a strategic planning process, it is imperative to understand what it entails. The opening video featuring Anthony Taylor, lead strategic planning facilitator at SME Strategy in Canada, will tell you how to implement all the steps in the planning process and create your own strategic plan (Section 1.1). Erica Olsen, co-founder of OnStrategy in the United States, illustrates the whole process through a clear and easy-to-understand whiteboard presentation (1.4), and there is a four-phase, step-by-step guide to clarify further (1.6).

It is always worthwhile learning from the best around, and Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs was recognised for excellence in the practice of strategy with a Richard Goodman Award (2.1). On a smaller scale, have a look at how Don Chalmers Ford, a car dealership franchise in the United States, was able to win the 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (2.3). And Belgium’s Brussels-Capital Region was rewarded for its strategic plan for goods traffic with a major European Union Award (2.4).

Various approaches to developing plans are shared in Section 3, including a PESTLE analysis (3.4) and a SWOT analysis (3.5). You can also find out why strategic agility is so important by reading an excellent case study on Tetra Pak, a business-to-business (B2B) multinational company in Switzerland (3.6). The latest trends and research are available in Section 4, including fascinating insights into the relationship between strategic planning and financial performance (4.4), a World Health Organization case study on the Turkish health system (4.6), and a complete guide to strategic planning and OGSM (4.7).

When developing your own strategic plan, it is good to recall the words of the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” To this end, you will find a series of self-assessments to help you measure how you have done. Riaz Khadem, founder and CEO of Infotrac, lays out a plan to help you evaluate any project or initiative before, during and after the project is complete (6.3), and there are a number of excellent tools available at BPIR.com (6.4).

Remember, as a BPIR.com member, you can access one of the world’s most impressive business performance resources at any time. And advice and support are always available to help you advance your strategic planning process.

Disclaimer: Recent information has been included in this report to ensure our readers are kept up to date with the latest research; where possible, permanent links have been provided. At the time of publishing, all links are live. We apologise in advance for any broken links that might occur after publication due to matters beyond our control.

BPIR.com has published more than 100 best practice reports. The BPIR.com Business Excellence Series has been designed as a premium collection of more than 30 best practice reports. Click on the links below to read the reports that have been published so far:

LeadershipLeadership: Vision, Mission, and ValuesLeadership: Legal and Ethical Behaviour

Leadership: Building a Successful OrganisationLeadership: Engagement and Communication with Stakeholders

Leadership: Governance

StrategyStrategy: Strategic Planning ProcessStrategy: Customers (coming soon)

Strategy: Information and Knowledge Management (coming soon)Strategy: Human Resources (coming soon)

Strategy: Operations (coming soon)