A Strategic Planning Short Course Part 2

Now, in part two of A Strategic Planning Short Course, we discuss the Tactical, or Deliverable phase of strategy planning. This is where the rubber meets the road. There are THREE NECESSARY pieces on the tactical side: They are 1. WHAT is going to be done, 2, WHO is going to do it, and 3, BY WHEN will it be completed.

Organizational Goals, Objectives and Measurements:
‍
Goals:
This is Part Two of the planning process. Our goals, which should start with a "To be" statement, deal with developing between two and five brief conceptual statements.

Goals Overview:
- Normally expressed in two to five brief conceptual sentences.
- Starts with to be

Sample Goals:
1. To be the best in providing customer delight.
2. To be the industry leader in same-store unit sales growth.
3. To be viewed as the best place to work within our industry in our market area.
4. To be a highly entrepreneurial organization, constantly challenging ourselves to look for and be receptive to change and opportunities.
5. To be successful financially, achieving our stated revenue and profit margin goals.

Objectives and Measurements:
Organizational objectives should consist of six to 14 to do statements. These objectives relate to specific items we want to achieve as a part of our job description.
The last portion of Part Two of our planning process involves measuring our objectives. Each objective will have one, two, three, or more related measurements. These measurements, which answer the "what we will do and when" question, are a means of stating what actions will be taken to assure the objectives are met, and by what date.

Organizational Objectives:
Usually six to 14 to do statements.

Measurements for Objectives:
One, two, three, or more will do's per objective, stating who will be responsible to do them and by when.

Sample Organizational Objectives
with Accompanying Measurements

Sample Objective:
Human Resource Manager to monitor and improve employee retention.

Sample Measurements:
A. To maintain monthly co-worker, manager, assistant manager, and corporate turnover rates at less than 1.5 percent and to publish these figures on a monthly basis.
B. To provide a monthly summary measuring the percent of co-workers longevity by the following levels: Less than one year, one to two years, two to three years, and over three years.
C. To implement, on a semi-annual basis, a full-day, off premises operational meeting with managers. The first meeting to be held by May 31.

Sample Objective:
To effectively pursue new accounts and increase sales among current accounts.

Sample Measurements:
A. Sales staff to open 120 new accounts during the year.
B. General Manager to develop a new account letter by June 1, to be sent to all new accounts.
C. Sales Manager to monitor personal sales calls to assure all customers are visited in person at least three times each year.
D. Sales Manager to develop three new account promotions during the year, with the first in place by April 20.
E. Sales staff to increase our forward contracts by $100,000 during fiscal 12 months. 

What to Do When the Plan Is in Place 

The success of your Strategic Plan depends on the frequency and consistency of its use. It should be consulted weekly by responsible parties and quarterly by the planning group as a whole. It must become an integral part of the organization's fabric and personality. 

Be sure your plan is carefully organized, neatly typed and appropriately covered or bound. It should be marked confidential and distributed to those who have a responsibility to carry it out. 

Your plan isn't complete until you have determined "who and when" responsibility for each Objective Measurement. Specific agreement should be obtained to determine who will be responsible for implementing the measurement and by what date it will be accomplished. Be very specific at the measurement level. Don't let agreed on implementation dates slide. Follow up on your measurements continuously. They are the real heart of the effectiveness of your plan's implementation. 

Summary 

Trying to be an achieving leader without planning effectively is like driving at night with your lights off. You may eventually arrive safely, but not without significant and foolhardy risk. And even if you do reach your destination without an accident, you will always arrive later than competition who planned and drove with their lights on. 

You have heard it before—"If you are failing to plan, you're planning to fail." It really is more than a cliche. The road to success passes through planning. If you don't plan, your business life will be full of detours. Planning is success insurance.