What are the key steps in Strategic Planning?

Explain each

To understand how strategic planning works, there are key steps to consider to attain
the overall, long-term goals. The following steps would help the organization to
determine the mission, vision, and goals by assigning tasks/projects that require
strategy mapping.

1.Defining the vision

Successful strategic planning involves alignment with a vision that may guide
employees to meet the organizational goals. The vision should consider the
engagement and involvement of the entire team/group because diverse perspectives
can create a clear vision for the organization. Aligning the vision with core values and
purpose makes things easy to follow through. Even if the vision is at a higher level of
goals, it must be achievable and relevant to do. Lastly, the vision should be flexible in
the emerging future trends and facing opportunities. For instance, the organization is
after with the vision of revolutionizing customer success through optimizing the process
of handling support tickets. Then, the stakeholders should understand their roles by
informing them how the mechanics will go on. A strategy map allows the stakeholders to
find their contribution to the project.

2.Assessing where the organization is

An assessment of the organization's performance is very relevant to know how

far it goes in terms of applying initiatives. Conducting a resource assessment can help
monitor the available funding, human capital involved, and technological resources if
there are limitations. SWOT analysis will give a clear assessment of things to know
about the progress or success of any task/project in the organization.

Seeking the strengths and weaknesses of the initiative can view where the
organization stands, especially the condition of the projects how they are to be done,
and their outcomes. Improvement of the organization will be observed by the existing
opportunities. The many opportunities, the greater the income to gain. Identifying
threats should take more attention to look how they can be minimized by the
organization.

3. Determining the priorities and objectives

If the mission and current standing of the organization were identified then a
preliminary plan should be started to outlines priorities and their corresponding
objectives. The priorities and objectives are set according to the achievable and
available resources. Effective goals can be set using the SMART framework.

Specific: Objectives are set clearly for the desired outcomes

 Measurable: To track progress, there must be a quantifiable criteria.

Achievable: Objectives must be attainable within the constraints of the

resources and the environment.

Relevant: Relevant objectives are well-developed based on the target

direction of the organization.

Time-bound: Setting a achievable timeline for each objective to meet sense

of urgency and focus.

For example, an eco-friendly tech company, its SMART goals might be:

Specific: The target residential customers and small businesses is to

increase the sales of its solar-powered device line by 25%.

Measurable: Tracking monthly sales and monitoring customer

feedback and reviews.

Achievable: The company should allocate more resources to the

marketing, sales, and customer service departments.

Relevant: The relevant objective is to support the company's growth

goals in a growing market of Eco-conscious consumers.

Time-bound: The company should conduct quarterly reviews and

achieve this rate of 25% increase in sales over the next 12
months.

4. Defining tactics and responsibilities

The personnel of the team should know how to achieve the goals and identified
who would be the accountable for each step. The responsibility of each member of the
team is relevant to the specific tasks to attain the desired outcomes. For example,
senior leadership team is assigned to distribute the works to their team
members.Everyone’s responsibilities may shift over time as the launching and gathering
initial data about the project. In this way, responsibilities can be identified as a key with
clear short-term metrics for success. Through this fact, the organization can make sure
that a plan is considered as adaptable to changing circumstances.

One of the common ways to describe tactics and metrics is to apply the OKR
( Objectives and Key Results) method that is useful to know the relevant key
performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and establish framework for analyzing the
results once the relevant data is accumulated.
 For instance, if the eco-friendly tech company consists a goal for sales increase,
there must be one objective that might be expanded to reach market goal for its solar-
powered products. The responsibility of the sales team would be developed an outreach
strategy to launch successfully its products in two new regions by Q2. Then, the KPI
would be a 60% conversation rate in those targeted markets.

5. Managing measuring, and evaluating

The step of Strategic plan involves the importance of managing progress of the
organization. This stage should be settled on a management process that engage everyone
in the team to measure success or failure. Every person is aligned on progress and can go
together to evaluate the execution of strategy at regular intervals.
Determining the milestones of working the plan can take place possibly weekly,
monthly, or quarterly. It depends on the nature of the project.

Evaluating the progress can be done by using agile retrospectives in real time or
asynchronously. Feed backs are gathered and organized from the key elements that
played a role in the strategy.
Retrospectives include three parts: What went well, What didn’t go well, and New
opportunities for improvement.
 A training center for children with specific need is planned to put up. List down up to 10
stakeholders, explain why they are stakeholders in this initiative, and then plot them in the
Stakeholders table below.
Considering the questions 'Who are stakeholders in educating children?' Stakeholders include
those with direct involvement, such as teachers, parents and students, and indirect roles, such
as government ministers, local MPs, businesses and the community.
What purpose do stakeholders in education serve?
Stakeholders aim to ensure that students receive a quality education. Using instruction to
prepare students for life after school helps them become productive members of society.
There are two main types of stakeholders in education, including the following:
Internal stakeholders
1. Students (Special Needs) are the primary stakeholders. They attend classes.Any changes to
the system directly affect them. They can demand special educational treatments.
2.Parents are key stakeholders because they pay for their children's education. Parents ensure
children attend classes and comply with the school's policies. They take care the health and
financial support needed by the children. Parents are expecting the school to keep their
children safe and reinforce the values taught at home. They support any activity presented in
the training center.
3. Teachers are directly responsible for student education. They have a degree of control over
what they teach and how they instruct their classes. Teachers prepare lessons according to the
curriculum and prepare students to progress and development. They can build strong
relationship between students and teachers, parents and teachers, and school to stakeholders.
4. Support staff includes cleaners, kitchen staff, transport, security and office staff. These
employees contribute to the daily running of the school. They ensure the premises are clean
and hygienic, the meals students receive are nutritious, transportation to extracurricular or off-
campus activities is safe and the building is secure at all times. Support staff also includes other
professionals, such as social workers and psychologists. They help schools to support children
with special needs and help them progress.
5. School administrators include school principals, assistant principals and other senior staff
members. They're responsible for ensuring that the school runs efficiently and effectively. They
collaborate with other stakeholders to help them make strategic decisions and implement
improvements.
6. The school board are community members that the community elects to oversee the
facilities in their local area and ensure that they provide a quality education that meets
educational standards. They have a financial responsibility regarding using taxpayer money and
other resources sensibly. Board members are responsible for ensuring that their schools help
students succeed.
External stakeholders
6. Local businesses
They provide various resources to the schools in their area, including financial aid, books
and other supplies. They can monitor the improvement of the school as they can give more
support if needed. They engage themselves in the success of any school activity that provide
development of the school and the welfare of the students.
7. Government and local authorities
Government officials determine the protocols and objectives of the education system. Different
ministers regulate educational strategies, including health and nutrition. They provide also
students’ safety and orderliness in the school vicinity.
8. Education policymakers
Policymakers determine the laws and regulations governing schools and other educational
institutions. They also allocate funds to enable schools to remain effective in preparing students
for life after school. Policymakers often collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure that
schools accommodate the requirements of students, their parents, local businesses and the
community.
9. Community
Local communities are stakeholders because they're also concerned with the students who
have special needs to be educated by their category. They understand that everyone has the
right to fulfill his/her basic needs.They may participate in community programmes and local
campaigns.
10. Philanthropists
Philanthropists often donate money to schools and other educational institutions. They may
offer scholarships on merit or bursaries on need. Their interest revolves around ensuring their
money is well spent on improving students' lives.

Stakeholder Influence Power How should

stakeholder be
 engaged?

1. Students Directly impacted by Demand special They attend the class

(Special Needs) the educational educational treatments /training center
system

2. Parents Parents ensure Pay for the children’s Volunteering to

children attend classes education / training support training center
and comply with the programs
school's policies.

3. Teachers Ensuring that students Building strong Teachers prepare

are learning relationship between lessons according to
teachers and students, the curriculum and
teachers and parents. prepare students to
progress and
development.

4. Support staff They ensure the They help schools to Participating in the
premises are clean support children with maintenance of the
(cleaners, kitchen
and hygienic, the special needs and help Training center and the
staff,
meals students receive them progress. monitoring of basic
transport, security
are nutritious, needs of the students
and office staff,
transportation to in daily basis.
social workers and
extracurricular or off-
psychologists.)
campus activities is
safe and the building
is secure at all times.

5. School They're responsible Supervising They collaborate with

Administrators/ for ensuring that the teachers/trainers and other stakeholders to
President of the school runs efficiently managing the training help them make
Training Center and effectively. center strategic decisions and
implement
improvements.

6. Local They provide various They can monitor the They engage
Businesses resources to the improvement of the themselves in the
schools in their area, school as they can give success of any school
including financial aid, more support if activity that provide
books and other needed. development of the
supplies. school and the welfare
of the students.
7.Government They determine the They regulate They provide also
and local protocols and educational strategies, students’ safety and
authorities objectives of the including health and orderliness in the
education system. nutrition. school vicinity.

8.Policy Makers They determine the They also allocate Policymakers often
laws and regulations funds to enable collaborate with other
governing schools and schools to remain stakeholders to ensure
other educational effective in preparing that schools
institutions. students for life after accommodate the
school. requirements of
students, their parents,
local businesses and
the community.

9.Community They're also They understand that They may participate in

concerned with the everyone has the right community programs
students who have to fulfill his/her basic and local campaigns.
special needs to be needs.
educated by their
category.

10.Philanthropists Their interest revolves They may offer They often donate
around ensuring their scholarships on merit money to schools and
money is well spent on or bursaries on need. other educational
improving students' institutions.
lives.