Missionary Planning in Management: Strategic Planning
Developing a Strategic Plan
Have you ever wondered why should I consider developing a missionary strategic plan for our parish? Well, your parish, like any other organization benefits from clear decision-making that is focused on your parish’s missionary long-term success. Attached, is a link to understanding the components to a strategic plan and the reason why it is critical to your parish’s vibrancy.
Planning is the part of management concerned with creating procedures, rules and guidelines for achieving a stated objective. Planning is carried out at both the macro and micro level. Managers need to create broad objectives and mission statements as well as look after the day to day running of the company.
Below, is one plan in management and how it can be used within an organizational framework:
I. Strategic Plan
A strategic plan is a high-level overview of the entire business, its vision, objectives, and value. This plan is the foundational basis of the organization, and will dictate decisions in the long-term. The scope of the plan can be two, three, five, or even ten years.
Managers at every level will turn to the strategic plan to guide their decisions. It will also influence the culture within an organization and how it interacts with customers and the media. Thus, the strategic plan must be forward looking, robust but flexible, with a keen focus on accommodating future growth.
The crucial components of a strategic plan are:
1. Vision
Where does the organization want to be five years from now? How does it want to influence the world?
These are some of the questions you must ask when you delineate your organization’s vision. It’s okay if this vision is grandiose and idealistic. If there is any room to wax poetic within a plan, it is here. Holding ambitions to “make a dent in the Universe” (Apple/Steve Jobs) is acceptable, as is a more realistic vision to create the most “customer-centric company on Earth” (Amazon).
2. Mission
The mission statement is a more realistic overview of the company’s aim and ambitions. Why does the company exist? What does it aim to achieve through its existence? A clothing company might want to “bring high street fashion to the masses,” while a non-profit might want to “eradicate polio.”
3. Values
“Inspire. Go above and beyond. Innovate. Exude passion. Stay humble. Make it fun”
Each organization has its own values. These values will guide managers and influence the kind of employees you hire. There is no template to follow when jotting down the values. You can write a 1,000 page essay, or something as simple as Google’s “Don’t be Evil” – it’s all up to you.
As you can see, there are really no rules to writing the perfect strategic plan. This is an open-ended, living document that grows with the organization. You can write whatever you want in it, as long as it dictates the future of your organization.
(Read the full article on Planning in Management: Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Plans)