Strategic Planning - Establishing how to deliver Transformation

The term “strategic planning” might seem lofty and high reaching to some people, but the concept is actually packed with power and potential. Strategy is what drives organizations forward; it is the method for achieving a particular goal or a set of goals over a period of time. And planning is what makes the strategy come to life.

An enterprise strategic planning roadmap enables organizational change, progress measurement, and dynamic adjustments based on the impacts of decisions.

For strategic execution to be successful, enterprises need to start with a strategic plan that identifies the problems an organization plans to address; and a roadmap that cuts across all facets of the organization. This allows for a clear prioritization of work and resources across the various departments and business units.

The need for effective strategic planning is especially important for organizations that are setting out on digital transformation initiatives – as many are doing today in a variety of industries. This can involve everything from launching cloud deployments to building a mobile technology environment to creating a big data/analytics infrastructure to elevate customer experiences with the company’s products and services.

Strategic planning in and of itself does not guarantee success. In fact, if it’s done poorly, strategic planning can cost a company:

·       Time

·       Money

·       Competitive edge

·       Customer base

·       Market share

·       Skilled employees

·       Other valuable assets

That’s a lot to risk!

Identify the business problems to be solved

One of the first things an organization needs to do is set goals to be achieved through the strategic planning effort. Regardless of how the planning gets done, if there is no clear, consistent understanding of the company objectives and problems the organization is facing, how can the planning process provide viable solutions?

An organization might be facing any number of challenges or problems that need to be addressed. For example:

·       A retailer trying to maintain or grow market share in the face of new competition from online businesses

·       A manufacturing company that needs a way to modernize its production processes in the face of rising costs and declining demand

·       A hospital looking for ways to reduce re-admissions of patients as part of a broad effort to enhance the health of the community

Once an organization has a complete understanding of what problems it needs to solve and what it is hoping to achieve, it can develop or revise its strategic plan.

 Developing the Strategic Plan

Our expert consultants will deliver strategic advice for your organization to attain its goals. We offer packaged products to address your requirements and cover aspects including:

? Workshops and one-to-one meetings

? Defining your strategy for transformation

? Compiling the business case to deliver your objectives

? Define the cost and benefits roadmap

? Define the technology and delivery required to enable the business

? Assess the impact on your organization, its structure, and its culture

Although strategic planning might be a well-entrenched idea, organizations and teams need to remember that knowing how to plan is an ongoing learning experience.

Even for veteran planning stakeholders at well-established companies, there is always something new to learn, a better way of doing things.

Coltech Consulting has a proven track record of building strategic plans for our clients in most cases enabling our clients to save north of 23% on their IT spend whilst delivering important transformation.

Get in touch to discuss how we can help your business in the same way.