Assembling your strategic plan is an important part of the entire strategic planning process. Having your strategic plan assemble in the correct order can help give clarity and direction to it. When you are finished going through the process, you reach a point where you need to take all the work you’ve done up to that point and put it together in one comprehensive document. This task may seem tedious, but I bet you can get someone on your staff who loves this type of detail work. So seek that person out to collate everything you’ve done to date. If you don’t have such a person, brew a big pot of coffee and get to work!
Here is why this part of the job is so important:
- The strategic direction becomes clear. Without compiling everything into one document, your plan is just a bunch of different parts. When the parts become whole, you clearly see how you can reach your vision.
- Ideas become action. Up until now, you’ve developed and collected a bunch of great ideas. By formalizing them into a plan, you can develop action plans and assess the financial viability of your choices.
- Gaps are identified. With everything in one place, stand back and evaluate your plan. Does it make sense? Are your goals supporting one another? Have you missed anything?
Below is a sample outline for your strategic plan:
I. Strategic Foundation and Direction
- Competitive Advantage
- Mission, Vision, Values
II. Current Strategic Position
- SWOT Analysis
- Customer Profiles
III. Organization-Wide Strategies
- Corporate Strategies
- Business Level Strategies
- Strategy Map
IV. Strategic Objectives and Goals
- Long-term Strategic Objectives
- Annual Corporate Goals
- Road Map
- Corporate Scorecard
V. Financial Projections and Organizational Structure
- Financial Projections
- Organization Chart
VI. Departmental and Individual Plans
- Department Scorecards
- Action Plans
More than likely you have some ideas, goals, and considerations that aren’t part of this plan, but you don’t want to lose them. Create a someday list or file. Put all your extra information in this file for your next strategic planning session.
