We have established our overall strategies for

future. We need to make it official by having the Strategic Plan approved. Approval may involve

Board of Directors, Executive Management, and others who need to lend their support to get

Plan implemented. By having key decision-makers approve

Strategic Plan, it signals that it's OK to implement

Plan. Implementation is managed through

development of an Operating Plan.
An Operating Plan is a step by step plan for implementing

Strategic Plan. Operating Plans depend upon good strategic plans. If there are fundamental problems with

Strategic Plan, then successful implementation will be extremely difficult. Additionally, since operating personnel must implement

Strategic Plan, some level of involvement prior to this point should have taken place.
Operating Plans are prepared for the short-term (usually one year). One major function of

Operating Plan is to allocate resources for getting

plan implemented. If resources are not available or there is an excess of resources, then

Strategic Plan should be re-evaluated.
Operating Plans need to cover

functional areas which are required for implementation - marketing, research & development, financing, operations, technology, etc. Each functional area will submit detail budgets and plans for inclusion within

Operating Plan. Detail functional plans address

following:
- Plans for establishing organizational size, structure, and staffing.
- Plans for asset deployment and investment.
- Plans for promotion, pricing and marketing of products and/or services.
- Plans for production changes and scheduling.
- Plans for management development and training.
- Plans for raising capital.
Generally, functional plans should be prepared by Managers over

functional area. They should not include areas outside the control of the Manager.

key task for

Manager is to remain focused on the Strategic Plan and not get lost in the detail.

best operating plans tend to minimize the detail and flow from

Strategic Plan.
Also consider the following points about Operating Plans:
- Operating Plans usually assign responsibilities and define

roles people will play in accomplishing

Strategic Plan.
- Operating Plans are routinely changed as you learn more and gain experience. An incremental, trial and error approach is often

best approach.
- Operating Plans need to be tight enough to meet strategic objectives, but loose enough to allow for creativity and flexibility.
- Operating Plans usually will include a timeline or deadline for completing tasks.
- Operating Plans should be communicated to everyone held responsible for doing

tasks. If outside groups will assist, then include them in

communication.
Evaluation and Control
Successful implementation requires monitoring

progress of action steps within the Operating Plan. Evaluation should be done on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, etc.) with an emphasis on the following:
- How much progress has been made in accomplishing

task?
- What is preventing us from moving forward?
- Is there a need to go back and revise

strategic objective?
- What adjustments should be made to
the Operating Plan?
One way to evaluate and control an Operating Plan is to include budgets. Budgets are used to allocate resources and coordinate how assets are deployed. Budgets compare actual results with performance standards. Budgets usually cover short-term (one year or less) and they cover several functional areas - marketing budget, production budget, technology budget, etc.
Budgets should be prepared based on

following criteria:
- Budgets should be simple and easy to understand.
- Use budgets for those areas that need to be monitored.
- Budgets should not dominate decision-making. They should be used as a tool for managing, not a way to manage.
All of
the budgets for an organization are combined into

Financial Plan.

Financial Plan is part of
the Operating Plan.
Note: For more information on

Financial Plan, take Short Course 2 on Financial Planning and Forecasting. One of
the problems with budgets is that they tend to be financial in nature.

Strategic Plan covers many functional areas not related to finance, such as marketing, customer service, production, and human resource management. Therefore, we need a measurement system for

non-financial areas.

performance measurement system used for measuring non-financial areas is called

Balanced Scorecard.

Balanced Scorecard is designed around
the Strategic Plan. Additionally,

Balanced Scorecard will include critical financial measurements. Therefore,
the Balanced Scorecard becomes

principal system for evaluation and control of
the Strategic Plan. Like
the Strategic Plan,

best Balanced Scorecards tend to be simple and manageable.
Contingency Plans
Because change is so much a part of planning and decision making, it is often useful to include contingency planning within

Operating Plan. Contingency Plans provide direction to operating personnel if unplanned events occur. For example, lower-level managers can prepare several budgets - expected budget, budget if growth rates are 10% below expected, 20% below expected, etc. These alternative or contingency plans provide guidance based on "what if" type analysis.
Contingency Plans are prepared similar to

Operating Plan. They cover
the short-term and outline specific action steps to be taken. However,

level of detail is kept to a minimum, providing enough information to set a new direction.
Larger companies will use simulation models to prepare contingency plans. For example, if market growth is 5% less than expected,

impact on
cash flow and earnings will be _____. Since more quantitative data is available at

operating level rather than
the upper levels of
the organization, simulation is more appropriate for developing operating plans than strategic plans.
Updating the Plan

final step in this entire process is to repeat

process; i.e. update
the Strategic Plan.

process needs to be dynamic since
the operating environment is changing. As a minimum, strategic plans need to be updated yearly by going through

basic process of assessment, critical issues, objectives, etc. This will involve new staffing, new projections, and new implementation steps. Additionally, you may need to change your approach to strategic planning. If a stable environment has become extremely dynamic, then a shift from a goals approach to scenario playing may be appropriate.
Summary
Strategic planning is a dynamic process of continuously looking at your current situation and plotting your next move. This requires a solid understanding of

organization as well as an understanding about
the environment that

organization operates in.

best organizations are always engaged in some form of strategic planning. There is no right way to do a strategic plan.

best approach is to find a process that fits with

organization. This requires a fit with
the mission statement,

strengths and weaknesses of
the organization, and
the opportunities and threats confronting

organization. If there is a fit, then start
the process by getting organized. Organization involves putting together a team or committee, collecting information about current plans, and outlining how

Strategic Plan will be developed.
Situational Analysis is
the next step in

process. Situational analysis is an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to
the organization. Significant critical issues (no more than eight) are listed. Critical issues are addressed by developing overall strategies or objectives.

combination of mission, objectives, principles, and other components becomes
the formal strategic plan.

final layer in

process is implementation of

plan. An Operating Plan is used to plot specific actions or tactics for getting

Strategic Plan implemented. Operating Plans consist of budgets, functional plans, financial plans, contingency plans, and other specific plans. Throughout this entire process, changes and updates can take place. Therefore, strategic plans and operating plans must be flexible and open to revision. At least once a year,

Strategic Plan is re-evaluated for changes.
Recommended Workbook: Strategic Planning Workbook by

Wilder Foundation, 919 Lafond Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104-2198, Ph: 1-800-274-6024 or 651-659-6024 or visit www.wilder.org.
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