p.43 An important part of strategic plan development is knowing what information to collect.
p.58 SWOT analysis identifies the organization's strengths... weaknesses... opportunities... and threats...
It may be helpful to follow these guidelines when completing the SWOT analysis...
1. Be realistic.
2. Don't over-think or over-analyze - just say what first comes to mind.
3. Think "organization today and where it should be tomorrow" - don't dwell on the past.
4. Recognize that SWOT is subjective and that you may need additional data to support your findings.
p.63 The next activity in Step 2 is a critical step in creating a strategic plan - identifying the organization's
business drivers - situations that prompt an organization to take specific actions.
p.73 Data collection is often the most time-intensive part of strategic planning. If it's
not done wisely, valuable time will be wasted on unnecessary activities or error-ridden data will be used to make important
decisions... The effectiveness of the final strategic plan depends on the quality... of data used in building strategy
tactics.
p.74 The data collected should help prioritize work and resources
p.76 The data collected should be appropriate for use in developing a strategic plan and should be valid
and credible. [JLJ - they pay you to write stuff like that?]
p.149 Mission objectives communicate your ultimate purpose or intention for devising the
strategic plan. They state the direction you will take and the goals you have. They evolve from your mission
statement, and, as you formulate each objective, ask two questions:
1. Does this objective support our mission?
2. By fulfilling this objective, will we meet our mission?
