The document outlines the key aspects of strategic planning for an agency. It discusses that strategic plans are long-term plans based on business objectives that identify assumptions, risks, and environmental factors. It also defines strategic planning as anticipatory decision-making to identify desired future states and develop plans to reach goals and objectives. Finally, it emphasizes that consulting all stakeholders is crucial for a successful strategic planning process.

1. AGENCY MANAGEMENT
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2. STRATEGIC PLANNING
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3. Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you're going.
Alice: I don't know where I'm going!
Cat: Then it doesn't matter which way
you go!
Lewis Carroll, 1872, Through the Looking Glass
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4. DEFINITION
 Long-term plans based on the organizations
overall business objectives. Strategic plans
are typically multiple years and reach out 5 or
10 years (or more) using Scenarios or other
planning methods that identifies
Assumptions, Risks, and Environmental
factors.
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5.  Strategic planning suggests ways to identify
and to move toward desired future states. It
consists of the process of developing and
implementing plans to reach goals and
objectives.
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6. What is a Plan?
 A plan is a scheme of action to attain an objective.
 We make informal plans whenever we decide we
want something, and work out what to do to get it.
 It is a basic assumption that plans based on better
information and greater capability will be more useful
in helping us to achieve our goals.
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7.  However, do not assume that planning must
be entirely rational, that once they are written
down plans must be closely adhered to, or
that there is a single best way to do planning.
 A strategic plan is drawn up and
implemented with a conscious awareness
that planning and action take place in
complex social, political and economic
environments.
 Strategic planning takes account of how
others in the environment may affect, or be
affected by our planning.
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8.  Planning is anticipatory decision-making; a
process of deciding what will be done before
the action is required.
 Strategic planning takes into account the
reality that things will change between the
time of making the plan and the time of
implementing it.
 So strategic planning is flexible and
responsive to changing circumstances.
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9. Goodstein, Nolan and Pfeiffer define strategic
planning as
“The process by which the guiding members of
an organization envision its future and
develop the necessary procedures and
operations to achieve that future”
(Goodstein, 1993: 3).
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10.  The vision of a future state is an important
element.
 Itsnot necessarily just taking into account
current trends, or an attempt to anticipate the
future and prepare for it.
 Strategic planning does more than plan for
the future; it helps us to create the future that
we want for ourselves and those who follow
us.
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11. Characteristics of Strategic planning:
1 Strategic planning is a coherent, unifying and
integrative pattern of decision making. It is
conscious, explicit, and proactive.
2 Strategic planning is a means of establishing the
purpose of an organisation, program, or project
and the objectives, actions, and allocation of
resources required to achieve the purpose.
3 Strategic planning defines an organisation’s
competitive field.
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12. 4 Strategic planning responds to internal strengths
and weaknesses and external opportunities and
threats to develop and capitalise on advantages
which come along.
5 Strategic planning becomes a system for
differentiating tasks and roles, so that structure
follows function.
6 Strategic planning is a way of identifying the
economic, social, political benefits that an
organisation will offer to its stakeholders.
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13. 7 Strategic planning answers the question: ‘Where
are we going?’
8 Strategic planning gives a sense of direction,
provides a mission statement, clarifies the scope
of operations and establishes a set of goals and
objectives
9 Strategic planning pushes us to have a hard look
at ourselves, and the threats and opportunities
of the external environment. It forces us to
measure the gap between our objectives and
our capacity to attain them.
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14. 10 Strategic planning asks: ‘How will we get
here?’ to make explicit the implicit model we
are following, as well as the resources we
will need to allocate to the process of
getting there.
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15. Why use Strategic Planning?
1. To provide a framework for action which can
 Guide the program or project and the people working in
it.
 Promote discussion among participants and
stakeholders.
 Provide a means to decide what actions are needed.
 Produce a workable plan in a reasonable period of time.
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16. 2. To give an opportunity to put everyone’s
energy behind certain agreed goals,
objectives and shared visions.
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17. 3. To help an organisation and its participants to
develop and utilise a better understanding of the
environment
 To understand the arena they are operating in at
present.
 To become familiar with current and potential
capabilities and limitations.
 To monitor changes and current events, and constantly
adjust.
 To provide proper incentives at individual and
organisational levels.
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18.  As with most things a strategic plan must be
written with S.M.A.R.T. principles i.e.
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Time bound
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19. Strategic Planning Cycle
1. Statement of purpose
2. Create a Vision of the future
3. Identify external influences (P.E.S.T.L.E
Analysis)
4. Identify current Strengths and Weaknesses
(S.W.OT. Analysis)
5. Audit Resources
6. Set out objectives
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20. 6. Develop a Financial Plan
7. Produce a Timetable for the Plan
8. Monitor, Evaluate and Review
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21.  Allof the above actions will be
rendered useless if you have not
CONSULTED all STAKEHOLDERS in
the organisation at all points in the
strategic planning process.
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22. PESTLE Analysis (PEST analysis)
The PESTLE acronym.
 Political
 Economic
 Social
 Technological
 Legal
 Environmental
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23. Political
 Global,
national, regional, local and
community trends, changes, events etc
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24. Economic
 World,national, local trends changes,
events etc
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25. Social
 Developments in society – culture,
behaviour, expectations, composition
etc
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26. Technological
 Developments in computer hardware,
software, applications, other
equipment, materials, products and
processes etc
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27. Legal
 World/EU/National/Regional legislation
changes, prospects etc
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28. Environmental
 Global/EU/National/Local
issues,
pressures, movements etc
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