TAN, PATRICK RAY M.

DATE: JULY 18, 2017

ID NO. 15000666 TITLE: STRATEGIC PLANNING: A TEN-STEP GUIDE

Engineering Strategic Planning refers to wide agreement among nonprofit leaders and experts
that planning is a critical part of good management and control. It means that planning helps declare
that an organization remains applicable and quick to respond to the needs of the public, and to give or
to share to the governmental permanence and expansion. This strategic planning provides a foundation
for monitoring development. An organization requires a mission, together, the plan and the mission are
known as the strategy of the firm. Before describing the strategic management process within a global
environment, it is important to first understand the strategic disposition for doing things in a particular
way a focus that will guide its operations, and a plan to accomplish the mission. Together, the plan and
the mission are known as the strategy of the firm. Before describing the strategic management process
within a global environment, it is important to first understand the strategic disposition for doing things
in a particular way. The disposition of a firm helps explain the decision that a firm makes.
Strategic planning is a process to provide direction and meaning to day-to-day activities. It
examines an organization’s values, status, environment, and relates those factors to the organization’s
desired future state, usually expressed in five to ten year time periods. Strategic planning is both a
reaction to, and a tool for adapting to, those changes, and creating an organization’s future within the
context of change. Strategic planning provides the means for an organization to adapt its services and
activities to meet changing needs in its environment. It provides a framework not only for the
improvement of program but also for the restructuring of programs, management, and for evaluation of
the organization’s progress in these efforts.

The vision or mission identities the organization’s purpose and its desired future state. The
process of internal assessment and future visioning may uncover, within an organization, differing views
of its purpose, its current level of effectiveness, and its potential for the future. Managers use a vision
statement as the shorthand of how they see their business down the line. The vision is a broad
statement that shows where the business wants to be in future. Visions are broad long term images of
the company with which managers communicate where they are today, what they do and where they
envision their business in future. Whereas the vision shows in broad terms where the business wants to
be, the mission statement lays out in broad terms what the current tasks of the business are. Missions
are used in setting up the strategic direction of the firm which is the foundation for a company's
strategy.
Specific goals, what is to be achieve, are identified to help move the organization from its
current state o desired future state. Goals may be sequential over, for example, a five-year strategic
plan, with a completion date specified for each goal. The objectives may be considered action step, the
accumulation of achievements necessary for attaining each goal. Objectives answer the questions of
who is responsible, what specifically will be done, how and where it will be done, and when it will be
completed. The goals and objectives must convey at all times a sense of movement toward the desired
end state.
 Also there is dissimilarity between strategic and long-range planning while closely related to
long –range planning , strategic planning is usually considered to place a greater importance on
strategies-on how the organization will attain its vision- while long-range planning places greater
importance on determining the vision.
The best portfolio is the one that best fits the company’s strengths and weaknesses to the
opportunities in the government. The company must analyze its current business portfolio and decide
which areas should receive more, less or no investment.
The purpose of strategic planning is to identify the most promising areas of the organization,
ensuring its growth and prosperity. It must be based on the analysis of prospects for development of the
organization, under certain assumptions about changes in the environment in which It operates. Based
on this analysis of development of organization are formed separate areas of production and economic
activity and selected strategies for achieving goals. If long term and annual plans of the organization
involves planning of the selected areas of the organization, in strategic planning are determined the new
areas of development. Strategic planning is aimed at adapting the organization to organization to
constantly changing environmental conditions and to the benefits of new opportunities.
However, there are many situations and examples when companies do not use strategic planning in
their activities. There are several reason by some firms do not use strategic planning.
1. Strategic planning does not give a detailed description of the picture of the future, and gives
only a description of the state to which the firm must strive in the future, what position can and
should borrow in the market and in business.
2. Strategic planning has no clear algorithm for drawing up and implementing the plan. His
narrative theory reduces to a certain philosophy or ideology of doing business.
3. The strategic planning process for its implementation requires significant resources and time
compared to traditional planning. This is due to more stringent requirements for
strategic Plan: it must be flexible to take into account any changes both within the organization
and in the external environment, etc.
4. The negative consequences of errors of strategic planning, as a rule, are much worse than in a
traditional perspective, for example when decisions are made about investments, opportunities
of doing business abroad, etc.
5. Some companies are working in a seasonal business, or in rapidly changing markets, where
Long Term and Strategic Planning is practically impossible.
6. The strategic plan should be supported by extensive research and evidence, and not many
companies actually do it. But to compete effectively in today’s business world, a firm must
continually collect and analyze vast amounts of information about the industry, market,
competition and other factors.
7. Strategic planning is a serious and complex work, which requires high competent specialists.
But it is not always possible to find qualified managers, as most companies hire only the
operating managers, who supervise and plan current activities, and senior management also
does not always have the right skills in strategic planning.

It also tells that there are many different models and actions steps for strategic planning. It assumes a
accommodating effort between board and staff, perhaps with a particular strategic planning committee
of board of members and staff taking responsibility for the effort. According to the article there are 10
steps that is being used in strategic planning. Step 1 tells about how to agree on a strategic planning
process, it provide an understanding of what is strategic planning is and how it is done. Step 2 tells
about how to carry out an environmental scan. This step helps provide an understanding of how the
organization relates to its eternal environment. Step 3 tells about how to identify key issues, question,
and choices to be addressed as part of the strategic, this specifies the strategic issues or question that
organization should address, and setting priorities in terms of time or importance. This step 1-3 indicates
the occurrence before a strategic planning retreat. Step 4 tells about how to define or review the
organization’s values, community vision, and mission. This step is assuring that there is agreement on
why the organization exists, what goals or outcomes it seeks to achieve, what it stands for, and whom it
serves. Step 5 tells about how to develop a shared vision for the organization. This step tells how in
some strategic planning efforts, a vision for the organization is developed after a vision for the
community has been discussed—with the assumption that a shared organizational vision may be
dependent upon a shared vision of what society should become. Step 6 tells about how to develop a
series of goals or organizational status statements which describe the organization in a specified number
of years—assuming it is successful in addressing its mission. This step tells usually a short step from the
vision to goals – sometimes the statements describing the vision are essentially goal statements, also
this step contain program, resources, status, relationships, and institutional development. Step 7 tells
about how to agree upon key strategies to reach the goals and address key issues identified through the
environmental scan, this step tells how major emphasis should be on broad strategies, including current
and new program, advocacy, collaborative, or other approaches, this steps 4-7 indicates during the
retreat. Step 8 tells about how to develop an action plan that addresses goals and specifies objectives
and work plans on annual basis, this step tells that once the longer-term elements of a strategic plan
have been developed, it is time to ensure a specific work plan to begin implementation. Step 9 tells
about how to finalize a written strategic plan that summarizes the results and decisions of the strategic
planning process. This step tells that there is no set format, but be sure to include the outputs of each
major step. Step 10 tells about the build in procedures for monitoring, and for modifying strategies
based on changes in the external environment or the organization. This step tells the positive progress
towards goals and objectives and use of strategies is monitored regularly, with strategies revised and
annual objectives developed yearly, based on the process made, obstacle encountered, and the
changing environment, this steps 8-10 indicates after the retreat.

In conclusion strategic planning helps people and organization to make the job carefully and securely
without many problems.