Strategic Planning Project

Strategic Planning Project

PART 1

Strategic planning within organizations provides a plethora of benefits to the organization including meeting goals specified in the plan and contributing to the long-term success of an organization.

 

For this assignment, select either your own organization or one you know enough about to complete a series of assignments related to strategic planning for a proposal you would like to implement.

 

Once you have selected the organization, identify a strategic goal through preforming a SWOT analysis within your sphere of influence. For example, if you are not currently in a management or leadership position, it is acceptable to focus on a more focused area of your organization you are currently in a position to impact. If you are a classroom teacher, perhaps you see opportunities for improving access to technology in your district. If you are a nurse, perhaps you see opportunities to improve communication processes in your department, etc.

 

A SWOT analysis is part of strategy formulation that leads to goal setting and then progresses to the development of a strategic plan.

Complete a SWOT analysis using the “SWOT Analysis” template. Consider the following guiding questions as you complete the SWOT Analysis:

  1. What are the recognized strengths of your identified area?
  2. What does your identified area do better than other companies?
  3. What unique capabilities or resources does you identified area possess?
  4. What do other companies consider to be your strength?
  5. What are the recognized weaknesses of your identified area?
  6. What do competitors do better than your identified area?
  7. What areas can be improved at your current position?
  8. What do other companies consider to be your weakness?
  9. What trends or conditions impact the company in a positive way?
  10. What opportunities exist for the identified area?
  11. What trends or conditions impact the identified area in a negative way?
  12. What is the competition doing that may have an impact on your identified area?
  13. Does your identified area have solid financial support?
  14. What impact does your weakness have on the threats your identified area faces?

These questions are samples of what you may need to address in your SWOT Analysis. Using the SWOT analysis results, develop at least one strategic goal. Submit both the completed SWOT analysis document and the strategic goal.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

PART 2

The Strategic Planning: SWOT Analysis assignment completed helped you identify a strategic goal within your sphere of influence. This assignment asks you to visually represent the cause-and-effect relationship among goals, operations, and stakeholders. In addition, this assignment seeks to examine the impact on various operational processes within the selected organization

According to your Management textbook, a strategy map “is a visual representation of the key drivers of an organization’s success, showing the cause-and-effect relationship among goals and plans.” A strategy map seeks to align organizational goals into strategy and provide clear direction for the organization.

Review the mission statement of your selected organization. Prior to creating a strategy map, identify your stakeholders. Complete a stakeholder analysis to identify and prioritize the various stakeholders. Refer to the “Stakeholder Analysis” resource from Mindtools (https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_07.htm) and complete all steps.

Based on your strategic goal, create a strategy map using Microsoft Word. Include only the required perspectives (financial, customer, internal, and learning and growth) that pertain to the strategic goal in your map. The cause-and-effect relationships are described by connecting arrows.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

PART 3

Use your completed strategy map to formulate functional-level strategy for the primary business functions included in your plan. Functional-level strategies are the action plans used by departments within organizations to support the execution of business-level strategy at the managerial level. Create a 500 word action plan that addresses the following:

  1. Identify which management tactics and strategies you will implement to meet your strategic goals for each of the stakeholders, departments, or business functions impacted by your plan: MBO, MBM, single-use or standing plans, competitive advantage, contingency planning, building scenarios, crisis planning, and innovation.
  2. Provide an explanation of how you will apply managerial decision-making methods throughout your action plan.
  3. Which business functions will be impacted by your action plan? What tactics will you use to manage implementation across business functions? What can you do to enhance collaboration/cross-functionality to ensure the success of your plan?
  4. Identify leadership strategies you plan to implement throughout the execution of your action plan. In particular, explain which strategies you would implement to foster team collaboration among the multiple stakeholders who must collaborate to successfully implement the plan. Why do you think these will be successful?

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines.

PART 4

Using your completed action plan, create a 500 word communication plan for disseminating your action plan to all of the stakeholders. Which strategies do you plan to utilize and why? Your plan should demonstrate how you plan to use formal and informal communication channels to implement the plan.

In addition, explain how the communication plan addresses what you are hoping to achieve with your strategic goal. What leadership or managerial skills will you draw upon in implementing this plan?

While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines.

PART 5

In order to complete your strategic plan, select the methods you will use to evaluate how your strategic goal is being met. Include specific metrics that will be used to evaluate the success of the implementation of the plan. What types of controls will you use? Provide your response in 275 words.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

PART 6

Effective oral communication is essential in the business setting, especially when it comes to achieving buy-in for significant, complex, or costly change. To practice your oral communication skills, create a 5 minute oral presentation of your strategic plan for your manager or director or other essential stakeholders whose approval you would require. Be sure to address the “why” and “how” for your strategic plan in the presentation, providing all the necessary details your audience needs to make an informed decision.