With any new initiative in an organization, it's not enough to simply do the strategic planning on how to shape and implement it if you really care about creating strategic impact.
Even before launching strategic planning with a new initiative, you should start figuring out how the new initiative will be successfully sold and implemented.
Doing this involves many of the same steps as the actual strategic planning, and it's incredibly beneficial to do it upfront. The approach you develop should influence how the initiative is developed (and who participates in the subsequent strategic planning) to maximize opportunities for success.
12 Strategic Planning Questions Before You Start
Before you launch strategic planning, here are twelve questions to ask and answer in three key areas:
- Issues to help or challenge the initiative
- Decision making
- The implementation process
1. Issues to Help or Challenge the Initiative
Identify broader issues in the company that might impact a new initiative's success:
- What are the issues that could help or hinder implementation?
- How likely is each issue to be a factor?
- How do we address these issues to enhance the enabling ones and mitigate the challenging issues?
2. Decision Making
Identify who will decide on recommendations about the new initiative as it is implemented:
- Who are the decision makers and who influences them?
- What is important to them?
- What motivates them?
- Do they support the effort conceptually?
- How do they process information and make decisions?
3. The Implementation Process
Identify who will likely have to participate in implementation
- What motivates those who will be involved in implementation?
- What reluctance will those involved in implementation have relative to implementation?
- What challenges will they have (skill sets, capabilities, resources, etc.) with implementation?
- Do these individuals like to shape things, do things, or both?
Creating Strategic Impact Before Strategic Planning Starts
If you can get a handle on the answers to these twelve questions, not only will you be better prepared for strategic planning, but your path to new initiative implementation has a much better chance of creating strategic impact. – Mike Brown
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The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategic options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at info@brainzooming.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can help you enhance your strategy and implementation efforts.
