1. Strategic Planning That's as Easy as Pizza Pie
In business, it's not enough to
simply have a great idea,
product or service and then
hope that success will find its
way to you.
Successful businesses are built
around a vision or purpose. It's
what drives those within the
business to set out on a mission
to achieve that purpose. Much
like the old adage about how to
eat an elephant (one bite at a
time), the mission is much too "I brought you to this pizza joint,
large to digest at once. It must Ralph, to present my alternative to
be broken down into smaller your 'how to eat an elephant' strategic
pieces. That process is strategic planning philosophy."
planning.
Though, for most business
people the thought of strategic Buy SmartDraw now and
planning is just as nauseating save $100 for a limited time.
as the notion of eating an
elephant.
What we need is to eliminate
the elephant paradigm.
Strategic planning should be
more like eating a pizza. But
can it be that easy? Yes, it can;
by combining a few simple
concepts with visual strategic
planning tools from SmartDraw.
Why Visual Strategic Planning?
Top companies know that strategic planning is critical to their competitive
advantage and long-term success. And the very best know that visuals are an
essential part of each phase of the process-from data collection and pre-planning
to action, implementation and measurement.
By extending the use of strategic planning visuals to all members of the team, the

2. process can be up to six times more effective!
Only SmartDraw has the automation and ease of use to allow your entire team to
quickly create ALL of the visuals required for smart and effective strategic
planning.
Start by Thinking Big
The importance of grasping your company's big picture cannot be overstated. Start
with the vision of your enterprise. This is a future-thinking concept of how you
want the world to look. It may be emotive and should be long-term. A non-profit
organization may have as its vision "a world without poverty," for example. Part of
GM's corporate vision is to "lead the world in alternative fuel propulsion." Steve
Jobs once laid out his vision of "an Apple on every desk." Does a vision have to be
achievable? Not at all. It's an ideal, but it should be one that motivates every
member of the organization to act in its direction.
Propose a Mission
With the vision in mind, a mission should be established. The mission is the
company's reason for being. It connects where the company is today with a vision
for the future. It should also help employees connect with customers, suppliers and
each other. The best mission statement is simple, direct and clear. Any employee
should be able to recite it at any time. The idea is that everything each employee
does, it does with the purpose of advancing the company toward its mission. CVS
Pharmacy, for example, has a very simple and clear mission: "We will be the
easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use."

3. Set Goals
Tony Robbins said, "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the
visible." Goals, sometimes called targets, are something that your business will
focus on achieving. They should be quantifiable and attainable.
Examples of goals might be:
To increase our subscriber base by 50% over the next five years.
To increase our revenues by 20% per year over the next three years.
To improve our customer retention rate from 40% to 60% by the end of
next year.
Just as a pilot must file a flight plan before setting out for his destination, a
business should have a clear set of goals that are expressed as part of a written
strategic plan.
Perform an Environmental Scan
What is an environmental scan? It's an analysis of issues - both internal and
external to the organization - that impact your goals and how you will set
objectives and tactics to achieve them.
There are three basic parts of an environmental scan.
1. Internal - a look at the company's current situation including critical issues,
strengths and weaknesses.
2. External - those issues outside the company such as competition, the
economy and regulations that will affect its plans.
3. Summary of these findings in a SWOT diagram.

4. Elements of the environmental scan can range from simple to complex. They could
be just informal discussions focusing on the conditions existing within the
company. Perhaps they could involve more formal, structured exercises. Or they
could involve carrying out sophisticated analyses of the business environment and
internal operating circumstances. The classic SWOT analysis (an assessment of
external opportunities and threats as well as internal strengths and weaknesses)
will summarize the results of the environmental scan, regardless of the complexity
of your analysis.
Develop a Strategy
You now have a grasp of the situation at hand; your mission is defined, goals are
set and analysis of internal and external issues is completed. Now you have to
figure out how you're going to go about the strategy of achieving your goals.
The key in developing a strategy, in fact the key to successful strategic planning
overall, is to be brutally honest and realistic in all facets of the process.

5. What avenues are open to you for attaining the goals you've set? What kinds of
actions and resources are required? Who does what, and when?
Good strategic planning is an iterative process that may require reassessing
internal and external scan information and adjusting goals accordingly. When
complete, the result is a clear, concise and workable blueprint for your business to
follow in pursuit of its stated goals.
Keep it Simple
Sometimes, people are overwhelmed by the seemingly complex nature of the
strategic planning process. The bottom line is to keep it simple. The best way to do
that is with visual strategic planning using SmartDraw.
Why SmartDraw?
One-Click Microsoft Office® Integration
Insert visuals in Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® documents with one click.
SmartDraw is also SharePoint® enabled and imports Visio® files.

6. Automatic Formatting
Click simple commands and SmartDraw builds your visual for you, automatically.
Add or remove a shape and SmartDraw realigns and arranges all the elements so
that everything looks great. You don't need to be able to draw to use SmartDraw.
Quick-Start Templates
Dozens of professionally-designed strategic planning examples make you instantly
productive. Simply choose the applicable template and customize it to suit your
needs.
Get Started Now
Visual strategic planning for your company's success is only a click away. Discover
for yourself the powerful benefits of SmartDraw. Buy SmartDraw now and save
$100!
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touch with us on your favorite social networks.

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