Kick Off The New Year With A Strategic Planning Session

 

For many organizations, the summer months – particularly the festive season and the period that immediately follows it – tend to be slightly quieter on the business front than other times of the year.

But rather than see this seasonal lull as an opportunity to kick back and take it easy, one expert has suggested that this could be the perfect opportunity to take a look at strategic planning goals for the year ahead.

Jonathon Perrelli, blogging for the Washington Post Journal, stated that every minute of quiet time can be used to help put your business in the best possible position for 2014. He added that by making the most of your downtime, your organization will be able to pursue its goals in a smart, meaningful way in the year to come.

One way of doing this, he suggests, is to host a strategy planning day. From the outset, it is important to outline a realistic picture of where the organization is currently, as well as the end goal for 2014. Then, you can work backwards to put together a strategic plan of how to get there, incorporating input from all your crucial stakeholders.

Next, he suggests setting realistic, achievable goals and determining a way to measure your progress throughout the year.

Of course, one of the biggest challenges involved with strategic planning is that from time to time, you may have to adjust your goals as your business evolves and grows.

This is where strategy software can help you through the process. The right tools ensure you keep the lines of communication open with your other key players, so you can all assess and contribute to changes in the plan as and when they are needed.