Strategic plan

I’ve had lots of opportunities to create and facilitate strategic plans.

A lot of people complain that these kinds of plans get put on a shelf after the flurry of activity, then never looked at again. Which is totally true.

But I’d like to offer a different viewpoint, a bit less pessimistic.

The purpose of a strategic planning exercise is to have the discussions and come to conclusions. The stack of paper just helps to remind you that you did that, and to celebrate just a little.

It’s not easy to have the discussions about about this kind of stuff. We have a broad range of viewpoints, from vague fears to wild aspirations. Some don’t really believe in planning at all, having seen success by just winging it as stuff happens. Which would be fine if you never want to get ahead and be proactive.

And driving to conclusions can be even harder. What happens when we don’t have enough data? What are the risks in making a decision which will become obsolete next week? Am I going to be held accountable when we don’t achieve each and every thing?

The answer, of course, depends very much on your organization’s culture.

If you struggle to make those decisions, fine. It’s still valuable to have the discussions so you know how much alignment you have. Because that’s the real point.