Strategic planning is about envisioning a desired future, and translating this vision into broadly defined goals and objectives, and a sequence of action steps to achieve them.

 

In contrast to forecasting which begins with the current status and plots the path required to meet anticipated future needs, strategic planning begins with the desired view of the company in a future state and works backward to the current status, defining the steps needed to achieve the future state, reverse engineering if you like.

 

Many companies are so focused on the day-to-day that they have lost the ability and the reasons to look into the future - which aligns with the old adage that "if you don't know where you're going it doesn't matter how you get there!" 

 

Many business owners look at their budgets and forecasts as their business plan. This tactical view is important, however it often leads them to a short term, weak focus on business growth and opportunities, and misses the business potential.

 

In contrast to tactical planning which focuses on short term, operational objectives that lay the pathway for supervision and are derived from the strategic plan, the strategic plan itself asks and answers questions concerning markets, when & where to do business and methods to position the organisation within a certain geography, demography or multi-national arena to name a few.

 

Often, strategic plans include political, economic, social & technology considerations and their impacts and influences on the company's resources.

 

We provide that third eye that asks those questions required to plot the future success of your company.

 

Strategic Planning is all about...Looking over the Horizon.