Prepare data and understand motivations.
According to Mark Zokle, the preparation phase of any strategic planning initiative is the most important. This is when key business motivations should be clearly identified, defined, and understood by company leaders.
Evaluate goals.
Once goals are outlined, they must be assessed to ensure they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timeline-oriented. In other words, don’t set goals that cannot be measured once achieved, says Mark Zokle.
Put the plan together.
By now, there should be enough information to form a basic plan of action. Mark Zokle emphasizes that the plan of action doesn’t need to be extremely detailed at this point. A simple “1, 2, 3” narrative is just fine to lay the groundwork. When calculating milestones, be specific about how each key player is to function and what his or her personal responsibilities and deadlines are. This is vital in relaying the importance of accountability. Details can be filled in as the plan continues to develop.
Communicate the plan at all levels.
Most businesses don’t include employees beyond the “boardroom crew” in the planning stages. However, everyone in the workforce should be aware of the organization’s strategy. Mark Zokle reports that leaders should be clearly identified so all employees understand to whom they are to report any pertinent information that may hinder the company’s success. These point persons will execute the plan at their level.
Track the strategy’s performance.
While this should be a no brainer, just over half of business leaders actually pay attention to whether their strategies are working or not. It is not enough to simply offer a blueprint of the plan, it must be tracked from beginning to end in order to make sure goals are reached.
