As the fourth quarter gets underway, many corporate communications and public affairs teams are beginning the annual strategic planning process. In our work with clients, we’ve found five factors that contribute to successful plan development and implementation, while boosting credibility with business leaders.
- Remember the purpose of planning. Communications plans are intended to drive action in pursuit of outcomes. Make sure the actions you will take (the what) are articulated clearly and coherently, along with the intended results (the why).
- Use facts and data. Information should shape your process and be referenced in your plan. This may include data on business performance, competitive landscape, market valuation, audience attitudes or other factors unique to your business or situation. Business leaders like data, not for data’s sake but to be sure that plans are grounded in reality.
- Tie your plan to specific business objectives. Is your goal to improve awareness or reputation? Why? For what purpose? Business goals might include capturing market share, boosting your stock price, securing a needed permit, reducing the risk of adverse regulatory outcomes or launching a new product successfully to meet sales goals. Whatever they are, the business objectives driving your communications plan should be articulated clearly.
- Set verifiable goals. To keep implementation on track and demonstrate performance, plans should be based on verifiable goals. At the most tactical level, goals can be programmatic – did we do what we said we would do? They can be based on outputs – how many earned media impressions, how much social engagement, how many consumer or employee touchpoints? More strategically, goals can be based on outcomes – did we change perceptions, secure the permit, achieve the sales goal, get the funding? Verifiable goals also need a basis for comparison. How did our performance compare with our plan, or with our competitors, or with last year, or with industry benchmarks?
- Build in accountability. Your plan should make clear who on the team is accountable for what actions, outputs and outcomes, along with an implementation timeline and mileposts for reporting progress. Pairing specific initiatives in your plan with the names of team members who are responsible has a wonderful way of boosting performance and results.
Smart strategic planning, disciplined implementation and fact-based results reporting all help communications and public affairs leaders earn a seat at the table. Winning the respect and confidence of the CEO and senior leadership team should be a goal of the annual planning process, and the time to start is now.
FAQs
The five basic requirements for a plan are that it be accessible, clear, specific, precise, and accurate.
What are 5 characteristics of an effective strategic plan? ›
Effective strategic planning elements overview:
- Defining your Vision.
- Crafting your Values.
- Determining desired Outcomes.
- Declaring explicit Accountability.
- Establishing leading KPIs.
The five basic requirements for a plan are that it be accessible, clear, specific, precise, and accurate.
What are the 5 elements of strategy? ›
These five elements of strategy include Arenas, Differentiators, Vehicles, Staging, and Economic Logic. This model was developed by strategy researchers Donald Hambrick and James Fredrickson. To achieve key objectives, every business must assemble a series of strategies.
What are the 5 points of strategy? ›
Key Points
- Plan.
- Ploy.
- Pattern.
- Position.
- Perspective.
Determine your strategic position. Prioritize your objectives. Develop a strategic plan. Execute and manage your plan.
What are the 5 stages of strategic implementation? ›
The five stages of the process are goal-setting, analysis, strategy formation, strategy implementation and strategy monitoring.
- Clarify Your Vision. The purpose of goal-setting is to clarify the vision for your business. ...
- Gather and Analyze Information. ...
- Formulate a Strategy. ...
- Implement Your Strategy. ...
- Evaluate and Control.
While there is no single approach to creating a strategic plan, most approaches can be boiled down to five overarching steps:
- Define your vision.
- Assess where you are.
- Determine your priorities and objectives.
- Define responsibilities.
- Measure and evaluate results.
Mintzberg's 5 Ps of Strategy include Plan, Ploy, Pattern, Position, and Perspective. Plan refers to a deliberate course of action that outlines the steps necessary to achieve a specific goal. Ploy refers to a maneuver or tactic used to gain an advantage over competitors.
What are the 5 drivers of strategy implementation? ›
Prior studies in strategic management literature suggests that leadership style, structural adaptations, human resources (Sabourin, 2015; Ngugi et al., 2017;Kihara, 2016;Sorooshian et al., 2010), motivation of the top management (Brenes et al., 2007), organizational culture (Abass et., 2017), employee commitment ( ...
The strategic decision-making process requires you to work through five stages:
- Define the problem. It is crucially important to determine whether this is the real root of the problem, or simply a symptom of another issue. ...
- Gather information. ...
- Develop options. ...
- Evaluate options. ...
- Choose and take action.
Skipping these important steps can leave your organization without direction. Read ahead to learn more about the six vital elements of strategic planning: vision, mission, objectives, strategy, approach, and tactics.
What is planning 5 points? ›
Planning involves the setting of goals and these predetermined goals are accomplished with the help of managerial functions like planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling. Planning provides standards against which actual performance is measured.
What are the 5 key characteristics of a strategic decision? ›
Strategic decision making (SOM) is of great and growing importance because of five characteristics of strategic decisions (SOs): (a) they are usually big, risky, and hard-to- reverse, with significant long-term effects, (b) they are the bridge between deliberate and emergent strategy, (c) they can be a major source of ...
What are the 5 key characteristics of strategic leaders? ›
Based on my experience and encounters with strategic leaders, I have identified the following five traits, which I consider essential for strategic leadership:
- Vision. Great strategic leaders have a clear and compelling vision that is going far beyond the current reality. ...
- Openness. ...
- Focus. ...
- Courage. ...
- Prudence.
Here are the 7 basic elements of a strategic plan: vision, mission, SWOT analysis, core values, goals, objectives, and action plans.
What are the 4 P's of strategic planning? ›
With these management tools providing input in real time, organizations can quickly adjust course as circ*mstances present new opportunities or threats. A simple model made up of “Four Ps” can help companies create this advantage. These Ps are Perceptions, Performance, Purpose, and Process.
