Questions and Answers
We have heard that a company should start the planning process by developing a Mission Statement. Why doesn't the Simplified Strategic Planning process do this?
Definition becomes particularly relevant in any discussion of terms such as mission, goals or objectives. Within the Simplified Strategic Planning process, mission is defined as describing the intended future role of the business. It, along with Goals and Objectives define a commitment to the vision established in the company's Strategies. Defined as such, Strategies must be fully developed and articulated before the mission can be crafted. Our approach most certainly is different from others, but we feel that it is appropriate. To try to identify things such as the company's future commitments, focus, identity and competencies prior to establishing the strategic vision often leads to a very generic mission statement and one that is far less useful in terms of guidance in decision making.
Would it be helpful to have an outside consultant with specific expertise in our industry lead our planning process?Consultants with specific expertise in your industry can play a useful role in your planning process, but we would not recommend that they lead the process for two reasons. First, successful strategies are generally those that are different from your competitors. Since "experts" that work within a given industry would tend to favor a particular strategic direction, the strategies they help develop among several companies in the industry would be similar. Second, the most important skill sets of the leader have to do with communication, meeting management, listening and most importantly, complete understanding of the process. Specific industry knowledge is not required. Some teams will have an outside industry expert sit on the planning team along with the company's managers.
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