A strategic plan illuminates the path the organization will take to reach
its mission and realize its vision.
p.1 What characterizes
a good strategic plan? A strategic plan is a blueprint for allocating scarce resources against an organization's best
opportunities in an environment of uncertainty and resistance. It defines the path the organization will take to
fulfill its mission and realize its vision.
p.3 Information is not the essence of strategy. Understanding
is the essence of strategy.
p.3 The organization's strategic situation should be assessed and
key issues identified before you go into a planning retreat. The format should be simple, "Here are the dozen
strategic issues we feel are most important and here's why we think so."
p.5 What plans must the organization make to outmaneuver its competitors...?
How can it exploit their vulnerabilities while avoiding the threats they offer?
p.5 Action planning is where the rubber hits the road. As
Peter Drucker once observed, there is a point at which all planning disintegrates into work. A powerful strategic
plan without supporting action plans is like a Ferrari without tires. It's not going any place. Too many strategic
plans never become "actionable."
p.6 The essence of good strategic planning is the ability to focus
- to concentrate resources against the best opportunities.
