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Strategic planning is just not as simple as you think of it to be. It is not just about documenting what to do and how to do. There are specific methods to follow so that everything works and nothing looks stupid and out of way. It is more about doing the right thing in a right way at a right time. It is about achieving goals which will help in achieving the vision of the business. A business needs to have a mission statement which will actually define the reason and purpose of the existence of the business. With these reasons and purposes in hand, there needs to be a vision (created by the leader), which needs to be achieved. To achieve a vision, the goals must be achieved. Goals are generally big and hence, they must be broken into smaller targets which are more realistic and achievable in the short term.

Once the targets are set, different departments will be intimated about the same and they will be informed about what is to be done. It is then that proper communication is needed to address all the challenges and possible threats as well as the potential growth options in hand. This is not all about target achievement. Several other things need to be analyzed. For instance, the internal environment is very important. The resources in hand, the structure, the leadership, the culture, the facilities, the expertise etc. are some of the very important aspects of strategic planning. A red flag in any one of these will mean a complete set back! Thus, they must be considered very seriously. If communication is not there, noting will work out. Just sending electronic mails and printed papers to the managers will not do the magic. In person communication will help them to understand the job in hand and in turn, they will explain the same to their people.

Asking questions is necessary. This will help to address different problems and work out solutions for the same. This is why communication is necessary. It is not about insisting on something that you want. It is about assessing whether you can actually achieve the same or not. Situations can be tempting and you may feel like jumping over a step to another. This is not the right way of executing any strategic plan. You will have to ensure that you resist the temptation. If there is a concern or a question being raised that you never wanted to listen or if there is a question being answered in a way not soothing to your ears, don't just discard the same. Everything is important and an all-round assessment is necessary. Even if there is something that you don't like, it may be more effective and helpful in achieving a target and hence, a goal!

Similarly, strategic planning must also include the external environment like political, economic, social etc. to assess the impact of those variables on the business for coming years. Customers, competition, stakeholders etc. also form the crucial aspect of strategic planning! All factors taken together will help a business to grow and anything discarded might just be the right element to destroy the whole business!