2000 Overview

STRATEGIC PLANNING

What is Strategic Planning?

• Strategic Planning is a process undertaken by for-profit and not-for-profit organisations to determine the organisation's future. There are a variety of ways to define Strategic Planning, but all share a common core approach. The following is adapted from "Management" (by J A Pearce and R B Robinson, McGraw-Hill 1989) - a standard management text used in management training in New Zealand.

Strategic Planning - Broad Objectives

• The starting point is reconfirmation of the organisation's Purpose, Values, and Mission. These three fundamental concepts define the "strategic playing field" for the strategic planning activity.

1. Review current mission
   • debate whether it reflects basic focus the organisation should have
   • adjust mission (rarely)
   • provide clear mission statement to the rest of the organisation
2. Undertake Environmental Analysis to identify the organisation's external environment for strategic opportunities, threats, problems or other possible impediments
3. Organisational Profile - resources and skills (quality and quantity:
4. Financial
5. Physical, organisational, and human
6. Technological
7. Strategic Analysis
8. SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)
9. Identify Strategic Alternatives
10. Evaluate Strategic Alternatives
11. Make Strategic Choices (Risk Management essential)
12. Formulate Strategy
13. Implement Strategy
14. Evaluate Strategy

Pearce and Robinson note that not-for-profit organisations differ from for-profit organisations in a variety of ways, for instance, that the 'service they provide is intangible and hard to measure". This may mean the strategic planning process focuses more on some areas than others, but the process required is the same. They note however, that "there is some evidence that some of these [not-for-profit] organisations have no strategies at all. Rather they seem motivated more by short-term budget cycles and personal goals than by any interest in re-examining their purpose or mission in the light of altered environmental circumstances".

• The Council is undertaking a Strategic Planning Process - for approximate timelines see 2001 Planning Schedule Timelines

Three Step Business Planning

2000-01 Budget/Business Plan from Working Goup

1999 Strategic Plan Summary

© 2000 The Internet Society of New Zealand
Last updated 13 December 2000