Sunday 30 June 2013

The Importance Of Strategic Planning Missoula In Organizations

By Claudette Lambert


Strategic planning is important to all organizations, big and small, non-profit or for-profit. Its importance is especially seen in providing a direction that a firm ought to follow, as well as outlining measurable goals. There are clear guidelines on the daily management of the company. Another important component of strategic planning Missoula folks ought to take note of is the evaluation of progress. The goals that have been outlined must be backed up with benchmarks that are well-researched and quantifiable. These benchmarks will be used in evaluation.

Also, the plan establishes the intended outcomes and more importantly, provides tools of assessment which may be necessary in adjusting the direction of the organization with respect to the changing environment. Strategic planning produces important actions and decisions which are then able to shape what the company is, its purpose, the things it does as well as why id does those things. When this plan is implemented successfully, not only is the organization able to articulate where it is going, but is also has mechanisms to held it determine whether it is successful.

If you set your mission to be To help humanity, it becomes too broad even if your organization is a non-profit one. Consider something like connecting farmers with food banks in order to feed the hungry. Such a mission is general but more importantly, it is also actionable.

Besides having a plan, there must also be put in place a strategic management team. This refers to the collection of processes and activities that a company uses so that it can systematically align resources and also coordinate actions throughout the organization. Having put the management in place, a static plan is transformed into a system which is able to provide performance feedback. This management is also important in enabling the plan to grow even as there is change in other circumstances.

A goal such as achieving substantial growth in the coming years is not measurable. The reason is that it lacks important aspects of time frame and quantity. On the other hand, when you set your goal to be increasing sale by 15 percent in the next financial year, it appears better. You can see that it has both elements of time and quantity.

To know where you are headed with the plan, an evaluation mechanism must be put in place. At the end of set time, it is important to see if the target was achieved. The importance of evaluation is that it helps in identifying the new hurdles to your goals, and also redefines new objectives in light of these recent developments.

For instance, you may have set to a goal to increase sales by 25%. However, a formidable competitor also opens their business just next to yours. Obviously, you will not achieve your goal. You will thus be forced to redefine them in light of your competitor. Your new goal may be to preserve a certain percentage of market share.

To tell whether there was a success with a given plan, there has to be evaluation. Performance is evaluated here, and there is also refinement of other things like data reporting, culture, communication as well other management issues. These are the main steps of strategic planning Missoula folks should know.




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