Bridging the Gap: How to Turn Your Vision into Action Through Strategic Planning

The word "strategy" is a buzzword in today’s industry, and you may encounter many opportunities related to it. However, the true scope of strategy goes beyond just organizational practices. While the market may coin various processes, frameworks, tools, and techniques, only a fraction of them are fully implemented in reality.

This article aims to explain the strategic planning process in a simple and understandable way. The term strategic refers to the pathway that an organization follows to achieve its desired future outcomes.

It's clear that if you want to improve your present, you must first have a comprehensive understanding of your past and present. Once you gather this information, you can assess your current position and determine the course of action required to reach your future goals.

Strategic planning serves as a bridge, helping organizations identify the strategies needed to achieve their expected future state. While this explanation is straightforward, it’s important to dive deeper using industry terms for further clarity.

Organizations work towards a better future, which is captured in their vision statement. The vision statement outlines a long-term, broad, and aspirational goal for the future. But don't worry—the vision can be broken down into more specific mission statements. For instance, a corporation’s vision may be achieved through the mission statements of its subsidiaries.

The next question you might ask is: How can we achieve the mission? This is where strategy comes into play, providing a roadmap to reach the desired destination. There can be many strategies, but the most effective way to achieve the mission is through strategic planning.

Strategic planning is the process of defining an organization’s direction and making decisions on how to allocate resources, including capital and personnel, to pursue long-term goals. It involves setting clear objectives, identifying key initiatives, assessing both internal and external environments, and developing actionable plans to achieve desired outcomes. Strategic planning aligns the organization’s mission, vision, and values with its future goals, ensuring that efforts are focused on sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

In the next article, I will explain the process of assessing the internal and external environments.