Running head: STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS 1
Strategic Planning Process
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STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS 2
Strategic Planning Process
Planning process
Management planning is a process of assessing the goals of an organization and creating
realistic and detailed plan of action that shall be used in meeting the goals. Similar to writing o a
business plan, the management plan usually takes into consideration both the short and the long
term strategies. A basic step in management planning process is the creation of a road map
outlining every task that the company should accomplish in order to meets its general objective.
The management plan creates a process to be followed in order to ensure that all the targets and
goals are met within the stated time frame.
There are different steps involved in management planning process. These steps are:
1. Establishing of the goals:
The first step is identifying the different company goals. This portion is supposed to
include detailed overview of every goal, which includes the reason why the goals have been
selected and the expected outcome of the goals (Grunig, 2008). If possible, objectives may be
described in qualitative or quantitative terms.
2. Indemnifying resources:
Every goal should have human and financial resources projections that are associated
with their completion. For example, the management plan may identify the number of sales
people that the company may acquire as well as the cost in order to meet the selected goals of
increasing their sales.
3. Establishing the goal-related tasks:
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Every goal should have projects or tasks that are associated with their achievements. An
example is in case a goal is raising profits by twenty five per cent, the manager is supposed to lay
out the tasks that shall be required in order to meet these objectives such as increasing of the
sales staff.
4. Prioritizing the tasks and goals:
Prioritization of the tasks and goals is about ordering different objectives in terms of
importance. The tasks that are deemed as being the most important theoretically be approached
as well as completed being the first ones (Grunig, 2008). The different prioritizing processes may
also reflect the steps necessary in the completion of a task.
5. Creating assignments and timelines:
As a company prioritizes its projects, it should establish timelines to be used in
completing the associated tasks and then assign the individuals responsible in completing them.
This part of management planning process is supposed to consider the liabilities associated with
staffing of members as well as the time allocated in completing the assignment.
6. Establishing evaluation methods:
The management planning process is supposed to include the strategies for the evaluation
of the progress towards completion of goals through a specified time frame. One of the ways of
doing this is by requesting monthly progress reports from the department heads.
7. Identification of the alternative causes of action:
Even best-laid plans may at times be thrown off by anticipated events. Management plans
are supposed to include contingency plans in case some aspects of master plans prove
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unattainable. The alternative courses of action may be incorporated in every segment of the
general planning process or in the management plan in its entirety.
Decision making process
1. Identifying the decision into be made:
The first step in the decision making process is identifying the decision that is supposed to
be made (Leidner, 1994). In this step, you realize that a decision is supposed to be made.one
goes through internal process of defining clearly the nature in which the decision should take,
which is an important step.
2. Gathering relevant information:
The second step if gathering of information. Most of the decisions usually require the
collection of pertinent information. The trick within this step is understanding the information
needed, the sources of information, as well as how to get it.
3. Identifying alternatives:
Through the process of gathering information, one may identify different possible paths
of action and alternatives (Leidner, 1994). Further, one may use their own imagination and
information in constructing new alternatives. This step may also involve listing the possible
alternatives that are desirable in making the decision.
4. Weighing evidence:
Weighing different evidences is the fourth step in decision making. In this step, an
individual draws on emotions and information to figure out what impact that each evident may
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have. The individual should evaluate whether nee identifies in the first step would be beneficial
through using each alternative.
5. Choosing among alternatives:
Once one has weighed on the different evidence, it is possible to select the best
alternative that best suits the situation (Leidner, 1994). One may further choose different
combinations of these alternatives. In most cases, the highly ranked alternative in step four may
be the best alternative to use in most cases.
6. Taking action:
The sixth step in the decision making process is taking an action. In this step, one begins
making position actions that through implementing the different alternatives that were chosen in
the previous step.
7. Reviewing decision and consequences:
The last step in the decision making process is reviewing the decisions made and their
consequences. In this step, one experience the results of the decisions made and evaluate if the
problem has been solved or not. In case the decision works, one may stay with it for some time.
However, if the decision failed, one may repeat several steps in order to get the best decision to
use. One may gather more details in order to improve the decision made. Gathering information
may provide better and more informed reason in using different decisions in solving a problem.
The personal attributes of a manager may influence decision making in different ways.
Mangers may make decision based on their own interest. In this case, managers may make a
decision in order to benefit themselves. Such a practice may have negative impacts on a
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company’s operation as a whole. However, decision making processes should be inclusive where
different individuals are involved in making decisions, which may play a major role in reducing
decisions made based on selfish interests. Decisions made on the interest of an organization
benefits the organization and all the individuals working for the organization, which is the main
purpose of decision making.
Strategic planning process may be influenced by environmental factors that may affect
decision making. There are different environmental factors that may influence decision making.
For example, such environmental factors may include consumer behavior and the economy.
However, it is the duty of the management to make quality decisions, which are influenced
positively by the environment.
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References
Grunig, J. E. (2008). Information, entrepreneurship, and economic development: A study of the
decision making process of Colombian latifundistas.
Leidner, D.E., & Elam, J.J. (1994). Executive information systems: Their impact on executive
decision making.@Journal of Management Information Systems, 10(3), 139-155.
Retrieved from theEBSCOhost@database.
