How important is it to create a strategic plan for your business?
Strategic management is the process of managing a business to achieve a defined set of goals.
In contrast to operational management, which focuses on the day-to-day operations of a business, strategic management focuses on long-term goals and planning for the future success of a business.
One of the most common methods used in strategic management is the SWOT analysis. This method is used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats facing a business. It is a way of identifying the opportunities for growth and improvement and the areas where a business might need to change its strategy to meet future challenges. Another simple method used in strategic management is the PESTEL analysis, (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal). This analysis is used to assess these six external factors concerning your business situation.
How do you create a strategic plan?
The first step in strategic management is to clearly identify and state your business goals. This is the starting point for any strategic plan. You need to be clear about what you want to achieve over the long term to define and plan the short-term goals that will help you get to the strategic point.
Your short-term or interim goals should be challenging but reachable, and they should be specific enough that you can measure their progress.
A company can achieve its goals in different ways, depending on the situation. It is therefore important to ensure your strategic goals are being reflected within the deliverables of your Business Initiatives and Projects.
The use of clever reporting tools will provide valuable insight into the many variables that contribute to the successful delivery of the projects.
Benefits of creating a strategic plan
- Allows organisations to be proactive rather than reactive
- Provides a sense of direction
- Increases operational efficiency
- Helps to increase market share and profitability
- It can make a business more durable and adaptable
