Latest Strategic Planning Articles

What is The Meaning & Importance of Corporate Strategy?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:15:00 -0700

Corporate strategy is supposed to be the means by which an organization achieves and sustains success. Yet, it rarely rises to that level, despite an abundance of corporate strategy theory and significant research from many organizations over the past few decades. The changes over the years are considered in the form of small, theoretical refinements, rather than large and significant steps required for further management transition (Papers4you.com, 2006).

What explains the relative failure of most organizations to create effective strategy? Part of the problem is that corporation and their managers have great difficulty clearly and consistently defining what corporate strategy is, and much of that struggle can be traced to their interpretation of the word strategy itself.

The original meaning of the word strategy derives from the Geek strategy, which is used in the military terms and represents the ability to employ available resources to win a war. This interpretation has generated problems when such concept is used in a business context because it implies the existence, even the necessity, of opponents. As a result, most managers believed that a corporate strategy implies a strong focus on competition, since competition takes place almost exclusively at the offering level, most organizations concentrate their strategic efforts on constantly improving the goods and services they offer. This overemphasis on the temporary success, however, can often obscure the kind of thinking and emphasis that would lead to sustained success, even a continuous repetition of temporary successes doesn’t equate to sustainable strategy. In an effort to increase the value of single offerings, the organization may be distracted from larger questions of structure, mission and objective (Papers4you.com, 2006).

In war, objectives can often be clearly defined, and so strategy is thought of as a means to a specific end. This view has persisted in the corporate world where strategies are conceived as plans to accomplish specific goals. Although corporate strategy can be very goal-oriented, especially in the early stages of a company’s development, the very nature of goals implies temporary success. By contrast, sustainable success is not, and cannot be an end unto itself or a goal to achieve. Therefore, goal orientation becomes arguably inappropriate when success has to be indefinitely sustained.

Despite this, an overwhelming number of top executives and researchers make extensive use of objectives in their quest of lasting corporate success. Certainly, a number of factors contribute to this: the need of leaders with limited tenure to point to achievements, the tyranny of meeting the expectations of the financial markets and most management teams extensively rely on forecasting and planning. Still, the idea held by most managers that strategy itself is all about goal achievement only exacerbates the situation. Therefore, it is important for strategists to remember that the more specific an objective, the further away it may potentially lead the organization from its optimal big picture.

So how strategy should be redefined? Clearly it cannot rely too strongly on objectives nor can it focus too heavily on competition. A more fundamental concept is needed to guide an organization in seeing its big picture, and such concept should be customer. To create sustainable, long-term success, an organization must first and fundamentally understand and relate to its customers. It is the ongoing encouragement of this understanding, based on neither specific competitors nor temporal objectives, which must be at the heart of any real strategy. And it is that from which all objectives should naturally flow.

How To Repair A Broken New Years Resolution

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 06:24:07 -0700

How long did it take to break your New Years resolution this year You have not yet You are one of the rare few.

Why so rare Because many resolutions are made as a cultural custom its what we do every year at this time. And for the majority, the custom of breaking a resolution is as strong a part of the tradition as making it.

In their hearts, most people expect it to happen. As a hypnotherapist, the postNew Years crowds are already breaking down my doors. But must we behave the same way every new year No. How to prevent it or repair it Read on.

Mistakes We Make

The reasons we often fail at keeping our resolution though we are experts at making them are the following. Notice which of these common reasons are yours, and then choose to make a positive change in the resolutions you select, how you construct them, and how you share them. Heres the scoop on what can go wrong and how to avoid it.

Mistake 1 The Resolution Is Too Complicated or Severe

I will never eat another candy bar again, never ever is too severe unless you have been strongly advised by your doctor. Heres what toocomplicated sounds like I will work out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, unless Monday is a holiday, or I walk to work three times or more that week, or I go out drinking and canot get up early enough.

The logic may be sound, but rather than including all those ifs, ands, and buts in creating the resolution, go with the flow as life happens. Figure you will work out three times a week. If you wake up late one morning, get up early another day and work out then instead. Its common sense, but many people miss it.

Overall learning if the resolution isnot working, rethink it.

Mistake 2 Its All About What You Wont Do Nothing About What You Will Do

People need a good mixture of dos and donts, wills and wonts to get the job done right. Instead of just a list of what you wont eat so as to lose weight, also include your new preferred menu. For some of us the preferred items alone will do the job. But knowing only what you are cutting out, and nothing about what you are including in, makes Jane a sad, confused girl.

So if you want to lose that extra weight, say something I will emphasize fruit, vegetables and sugar free drinks as snacks, and move away from sugary, fatty snacks. If you are like many of my clients, thinking only of the first half what you CHOOSE to eat is sufficient. That way you need not concentrate on what you are losing out on. Know yourself and experiment.

Side note Just declaring what you will do is not sufficient you will also need to make that trip down the fruit and veggie aisle.

Overall learning Turn a wont do resolution into something that will give you direction a will do resolution

Mistake 3 You are Denying An Important Need or Desire

If you overeat, over drink, or have sex with people you donot really want to be having sex with, theres probably something you are missing. A need that is going unfulfilled. Have an honest talk with yourself, a smart and loyal friend, or a counselor, therapist or hypnotist, and find that thing, and get it fulfilled in some healthy way. You may need time to work through it, but thats okay the rewards will be great.

Ignore it and that undesirable behavior will keep returning, sometimes more fiercely.

Overall learning: Figure out what is been left unfulfilled and work on getting it satisfied or restructured positively.

Mistake 4 You Expect to Fail

An old friend of mine used to make a resolution every new year to lose 15 pounds and keep them off. Sometimes she lost them, and sometimes she did not, but the new body never lasted. Now that I have been a hypnotist for around 10 years, the reason is obvious.

She always said something like this I am going to lose that 15 pounds this year, I hope or I am going to try to lose those 15 pounds or I am going to take off the 15 pounds at least for a while.

Notice how she built failure into every one of those resolutions. Frankly, resolutions are the closest thing to hypnotic suggestions. Build in failure and you have practically hypnotized yourself to fail.

Overall learning Ask yourself what kind of support, help, or learning you need to succeed then proceed to get them.

Mistake 5 You are Not Getting Support Or You are Getting Negative Support

Whether your quest this year is to lose weight, run a triathalon, get a great new job, or find a life partner, tell only people who will support you. If the friend or relative is unsupportive, envious, or spiteful regarding your endeavor, do not use him or her as a sounding board. In fact, do not even tell him her about your goal or decision until it is a done deal.

It is really okay to share only with supporters or cheerleaders and avoid the naysayers who do not have helpful, valid objections. If you have close relatives you should tell but are afraid they will disrupt your momentum, disclose only when you are so in the flow that you are bulletproof.

Overall learning Your best defense is to watch and listen, and then do what you need to do to protect your goal.

Role OF Internet Marketing Strategies for Business Owners

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:39:17 -0800

Internet Marketing Strategies are focused on driving paying customers to your online business. Internet marketing strategies are the fuel that feed the engine of your online business. Implement the wrong one and you're dead in the water. Internet marketing strategies are one of my interests as well, i also actually enjoy writing about this stuff on my blog. What do you think about establishing an online partnership between our sites ? Is a question you should be addressing to sites in a similar or associated niche to your own ,as relevant links are crucial to your pr ( page rank) with al the major search engines.

Internet marketing strategies are employed in a wide variety of spheres dealing with business expansion. For details visit to :www.social-marketing-secret.com. These are search engine marketing, display marketing, e-mail and affiliate marketing.Internet marketing strategies are not that complicated once you understand the various online marketing techniques and how to bring them together. I try through my articles to provide easy to follow instructions on how to apply the most important elements to achieve your goals.

Add keywords to your web content to get your site search engine optimized (seo). Check the businesses that rate the highest with the search engines and get your website optimized to the same keywords and watch your business show up high in search results. Additionally, be sure to carefully consider the implications that any personal information you disclose may have on those to whom you provide services. As with any professional communication, take care to avoid statements that could be viewed as fraudulent.

Design is design, right? The purpose for any page design whether that be print or Web is to attract a readers response. Design your site to capture data and interactive information,you may then use this information to form a unified marketing message personalized to each consumer.

Online marketing does not rest and finish with ppc (pay-per-click) advertisements. Try to build an online community to market your website to your niche. Online reputation management works with all content, negative and positive, that shows up within search engine results. A hybrid of branding and Internet marketing, 9th sphere 's orm solution incorporates a series of communication and marketing strategies to help spread the right word about a company or individual.
Discover how "automated" follow-up email campaigns can make you serious $$$s per month, and how you can use these strategies for your business. Search Engines run the same way a surfer would as they enter your site through a link on another 's web site or search engine / directory and use the site navigation to make its way to filter through your web site. Search Engines use this information to determine how popular your website is and the more popular your website is the better your chances of higher page rank.

Search engine optimization (seo) means ensuring that all your web pages are easily accessible by search engines. Search engine optimization (seo) changes your web pages so that search engines can index and rank them better.There are if you don't wish to carry out this function yourself, many companies which offer professional seo services.

SEO, as it is called commonly, is a set of methods and tactics aimed at improving your search engine ranking and the visibility of your site in search engine results. SEO, or search engine optimization, has become an essential part of any successful online presence. In fact, approximately 80% of all web traffic now starts at a search engine.

Yes of course, you can earn a very nice income selling e-books online. Ebooks are electronic versions of printed material that can contain text, sound and images. They also provide you with a great way of marketing your services. For more info login to:www.outsource-beginners.com.That may all be true, but you must remember that without the support of a good search engine, that is all for naught.

Four Important Reasons to Consult with School Stakeholders

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0800

There are many individuals and groups associated with schools and many of these people are likely to have valuable ideas to contribute to schools. Because they are close to your school they also have a vested interest in its success. The more you involve these people in contributing to the strategic direction you wish the school to take, the more ownership they will have of the final product and the more loyalty for the brand. Generally when schools talk about their stakeholders they are thinking of the board, parents, staff and students; however, this excludes many important and valuable groups from providing input to your strategic planning and thinking. Stakeholders also might include: Old Scholars Business owners Employees who take students for work experience, for example Clients/customers Community groups Community leaders Competitors Donors Experts on educational issues, such as university personnel Regulators Suppliers Professional Organizations Partners or potential partners Potential enrolments. Consulting with a wide variety of stakeholders has much to offer your school. Widespread consultation: One: Increases the quality and quantity of input and reduces the chances of group think. It is possible that those closest to the school are also those most resistant to change. A broader perspective challenges traditional thinking and increases the likelihood of more creative decision making and problem solving. Two: Encourages ownership of school goals. The more opportunity people have to shape the direction of the school, they more likely they are to be satisfied with the final product. All of the conventional wisdom, as well as educational research, tells us that ownership of decisions and strategies is essential for take up of a plan. Three: increases the chances of success. The more commitment you have to a plan the more the people involved are motivated to make it happen and the more interest others have in monitoring its success. Four: Widespread consultation improves relationships. Genuinely seeking and valuing the input of others increases self esteem and improves relationships. It also reduces the chances of misinformation and complaints of lack of transparency. Schools can consult in a variety of ways: by surveying as many stakeholders as possible; by providing opportunities for one on one meetings; or by organizing focus group consultations with a small group of stakeholders. Surveys are cost efficient and provide quantitative information. One on one meetings build personal relationships and provide deep, quality and detailed data. Similarly, focus group consultations bring together people, often from the same representative group (e.g. parents) to present the point of view of a particular category of stakeholders and provide qualitative data. All of the data provided from a wide cross section of stakeholders feeds into the strategic planning and thinking of the school, and increases the chances of accessing quality data for quality decision making.

Based On Strategies of Affiliate Marketing

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:34:25 -0800

Glossary of Affiliate Marketing Terms. Understanding Affiliate Programs.

Affiliate Marketing is probably the least complicated way to get into an Internet business or home business. There are tens of hundreds of affiliate programs advertised on the Internet and some of the concepts and terms can be confusing for a person just starting out.

Essentially, an affiliate sells other people's products for a commission. Sales are chalked up through planned affiliate marketing strategies. Creditable merchants include marketing tools that an affiliate can access from his or her control panel or back office. These affiliate marketing tools include text links, banners, graphics, email campaigns and other variations, and affiliates basically need to just cut and paste.

This arrangement suits both the affiliate (salesperson) and the merchant (producer) very well indeed. For more details visit to www.scroll-pops.com. The merchant has a large group of salespersons all over the network promoting his or her products and services (for which she pays a generous commission), and the affiliate doesn't have to bother with overheads, carrying stock, inventory management, shipping, insurance and other administrative demands.

The affiliate program is one of the most popular and ubiquitous methods chosen by work-from-home and internet business enthusiasts.

However not all affiliate programs are created equal, and it is wise to understand their terms and conditions, payment methods, and to do due diligence on the merchant's background, reliability, creditability and level of support before getting involved.

While some affiliate programs require an initial joining fee, most are free affiliate programs.

Here's A Glossary of Affiliate Marketing/Affiliate Program Terms To Help You Zero In On What's What.

*Affiliates (also termed as an Associates or Publishers) - Webmasters (website owners) who includes links on their web site that point to a merchant's products or services. The affiliate gets commissions for all the transactions/sales that are closed through their affiliate link.

*Affiliate Program (also known as an Partner or Associate Program)
This is where merchants / companies agree to web site owners (affiliates, Partners or Associates) joining their program to promote their products or services.

*Affiliate Directory
This is a Site / Company that catalogues a large number of different types of affiliate programs for which you can sign up as an affiliate.

*Affiliate Network
A site where merchants can list their affiliate program/s. for more information logon to www.firesale-automator.com. Affiliates can then join and promote the merchants' products and services by using text links, banners, etc. The advantage of joining through a network is that all the affiliate programs you join can be tracked from one website. Payments are received from the network rather than from individual merchants. Affiliates will receive commissions in one payment, usually monthly, based on the total sales of all the programs that are promoted.

*Banner Programs / advertisements
Banners are graphical advertisements, around 480 pixels wide by 60 to 70 pixels tall. By including these banners on your website, you usually get paid per 1000 impressions, per sale, or per click-through.

*Direct Referrals
These are people that you directly introduce to an affiliate program.

*Indirect Referrals
These are referred to an affiliate program by your direct referrals.

*Merchants
A merchant is a company that sells products or services. As an affiliate, you partner with these merchants and help them sell their products online. You then earn commissions by pay per lead or pay per sale, depending on the terms.

*Net 60, Net 30, etc
This refers to payment terms. In net 60, you get your commission 60 days after the active month, and 30 days after for net 30.

*Pay Per Click (also known as PPC)
Merchants pay affiliates for each click on a text link or banner that takes the visitor to the merchant's website.

*PopUps/Unders & Exits
These advertisements or websites normally popup the same time as the site, but can be timed to display later. They usually display in a new browser window or tab. A Pop-Under Ad will display behind the site so no one notices that it is there until they leave. Exit ads pop up only after a visitor leaves the site.

*Pay Per Lead / Action
Affiliates receive a commission for each referred visitor completes the merchant's desired action.

Measure What Matters, Dump What Doesn't

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

I recently met with my friend Neil to discuss several business building strategies. I shared with him a tool that I use in my own business on a daily basis. You can create this tool on your own, it's super easy to use, and I guarantee it will help you grow your business exponentially. The tool is a simple text document (I created mine in Microsoft Word) that you use to measure your daily KPIs. KPI stands for key performance indicator, and every business - even yours - has them. The first step in creating your KPI measurement tool is to figure out what your Key Performance Indicators are - what activities do you do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis that directly contribute to the success of your business? Some examples of KPIs might be the number of phone calls you make, the amount of time you spend networking, the number of presentations you deliver, the number of articles you distribute, etc. Next, create a simple sheet where you can measure your performance in each of these areas. The document I created for myself is a single sheet of paper in landscape view (that's the wide-way) divided in half so there are two columns. In the first column, I measure Monday through Friday activities, and in the second column I measure weekly activities. I cut the sheet in half (so each column became its own page) and took it to the local print shop. I had them make 52 copies of each page and turn the copies into a notepad. (Most print shops or copy shops have this capability.) I can keep the notepad handy and use it on a daily basis. Before making 52 copies and turning them into a notepad, you'll want to spend some time testing out your Key Performance Indicators. Your KPIs might not be immediately evident, and you might be wasting your time by measuring things that don't really matter. For instance, you might think that distributing press releases in an important KPI for your business. Test it out for a while. Send out press releases on a regular basis, measure your performance, and determine your results. What has this activity done for you? Did you get more sales inquiries after sending press releases? How valuable were those inquiries? Will you be able to attribute an increase in the bottom line to sending out press releases? If so, then this activity is definitely a KPI. But on the other hand, if you think adding a new article to your blog on a daily basis is an important Key Performance Indicator, try it out for a while. Write an article every day and track the results. Did you add more prospect names to your database as a result of your articles? Did you see your sales increase? If not, this activity is probably not a KPI for your business, so there's no point focusing on it and measuring it. After a few weeks, you'll be able to figure out which activities are actually contributing to your progress. If you notice your sales increase as your networking increases, then networking is definitely a KPI. If the time spent on a certain activity varies but your sales remain stagnant, you'll know that activity is not a KPI. It can be dumped from your list. Once you've identified your KPIs and you've measured them for a set time, you'll then have an awesome tool to plan for your sales growth. You'll know exactly what to do in order to grow your business. Let's say you've identified "making prospect phone calls" as an important KPI. And in your measuring process, you've discovered that when you make 5 phone calls each day, you average $15,000 in sales for the week. If you'd like to increase your progress to $30,000 in sales every week, you know you'll need to make at least 10 phone calls. Identifying your KPIs is the most important step in effectively using this tool. That step is extremely personal and will differ from business to business.

Business Simulations -- Meeting the Training Needs of Today's Companies

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

From the One Minute Manager concept, Total Quality Management, and Six Sigma Certification programs, business have spent large sums of money in an attempt to train their management and working staff to perform within the guidelines of these models. Believing that this training would unite management and all levels of employees to work together toward company goals has been the motivating factor behind institution of these programs. From previous thoughts and models, the business world has evolved to supporting new interactive training programs, known as business simulations. The main difference in the models of the past and business simulation programs is that unlike the classroom lectures and motivational speakers, business simulations create situations, which imitate actual workplace events. The old style training programs were based on the concept of awareness tactics, lectures, and interactive skits, but usually were not job related for all members of the training team, and lessons were soon forgotten after the classes ended. Employees returned to their jobs, only to revert to old habits and routines. Business simulation training; is designed and modeled after real life business situations, at a highly interactive level. These modules are usually computer based and modified to simulate events of the company's real life business. Outcomes depend on the decisions made, just like in real business situations. The answers and paths taken, build upon each other to create real life experiences. In some models, all levels of employees are drawn into problem solving or because of the decisions made, the scenario may escalate to the management level. A key position in this level of training; is the facilitator. This person must be highly skilled in the area of group dynamics, and is in charge of keeping the session moving forward, and fostering an environment to enhance learning. They also lead the group in self-evaluation of how the situations were handled, and if improvements could have been made to change the outcome. Employees retain what they learn in these sessions, because they are relative to the jobs they do every day. They can relate to the events and remember encountering a similar situation. When a difficult or new situation arises in the real workplace, the employees may have already experienced the process and can adjust decision making to reach the desired outcome. As companies scamper to replace retiring baby boomers, especially those in key leadership positions, business simulation training is taking the lead in long range management plans. It is the hope of these companies that business simulation training will prepare younger and inexperienced managers to become top of the line leaders of the future.

Business Intelligence -- Tools for All Companies

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The term business intelligence (BI), although sounding mysterious, is simply the act of tracking and analyzing company data. Most companies have business intelligence tools in place, but may not realize how focusing on this data and using technology to track business events can greatly improve the operations and bottom line of any company. Business intelligence is actually an umbrella term used to describe a set of concepts and methods to improve business decision-making by using specific tools to provide facts to support decisions. These tools can be spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel is the most widely used), reporting and querying software that extracts, sorts, and reports data (Crystal Reports is a widely used product), dashboards, which gives the user the ability to glance at trends and drill down further into data, and many very technical models which are mostly used by large corporations. In setting up a business intelligence program, the first step a company will need to take is determining what the short to medium term purpose of the program will be. What goal(s) does the organization want to address by the program? How will it relate to the overall success of the company? Will access to the data eventually improve results and/or performance? Next is determining if the company has the tools for information gathering in the area to be assessed. Is there the capability to monitor the important sources of information? How much data is needed and how will it be stored and analyzed? The financial outlay of a new business initiative should be estimated and the cost of present operations assessed to determine value. What is the risk if the initiative fails? What is the gain for succeeding? How will the data be collected and the benefits measured? Is there a team in place to act as the control? At what point can a determination be made as to if the initiative is successful? Is there a plan in place if the project does not produce the desired results? A business intelligence initiative can be as simple as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to track sales, visits, or other basic data, or it can be so complex that companies purchase entire servers to provide tools for tracking, analyzing, reporting, storing, drilling, and disbursing, to name only a few functions available. Whatever your business size, all companies can benefit from some form of business intelligence. The most successful business decisions are made on the most accurate data.

Pay a Little Now or Pay Someone Else a Whole Lot Later

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

To take advantage of the opportunities that exist now and will develop over the next two years, it is crucial for you to know where you and your business really stand today. How can you build on opportunities you find or develop new opportunities when you do not really understand the strengths and benefits you have? Jack and Suzy Welch said to plan as if the downturn will be longer and harsher than you think, in the October 13th Business Week. Think of it this way. Those people who go through some version of this strategic hunkering down thinking increase their ability to survive. If things get even worse, they saved time and money, versus those who were reactive rather than proactive. If things get better quicker than projected, these proactive companies will be in a stronger cash position to take advantage or opportunities than the reactive companies. At a strategic or 50,000 foot view, see this as a prescribed plan for your business that includes similar steps to the process you may personally follow when a crisis occurs: A check-up to identify immediate issues. What areas, if any need a deeper search, after someone takes the blood pressure, weight, and a series of basic questions for your company? A diagnostic through review of financials, systems and operations, on those areas where additional risk prevention seems needed. After all if the financial statements and information flow are the lifeblood of your business, how well does the blood flow to vital organs? A treatment plan, in which we implement best practices. Even Tiger Woods has a coach to help him reach and stay at peak levels. What areas of your business have a little or a lot of flab or even pus developed? A wellness program to maintain financial health. Planning for eventualities now can be as simple as strategic thinking with the right 8 people in the room, instead of foolishly spending a 6 or 7 figure balance that you may really wish you still had this time next year. This process can be used to start a business, fine tune an existing business, or create a new division or subsidiary. Think of the similarities of your business to a ship. Both have leaders, a president and a Captain or Skipper. Both leaders have major difficulties seeing below their direct reports, or through or under the deck of the ship. Both have leaks that are ongoing. You might not know that water always leaks in ships. The secret is to pump the water out from leaks faster than new leaks grow. When this is done the ship, or Company, can sail on to dream destinations, or a company to its dream targets or goals. Or, both can sink from apparently invisible leaks. Sometimes, an iceberg drifts into your corporate path. Remember movies or stories about the Titanic. Foreseeable outside events can quickly sink an unsinkable ship, or fatally damage a seemingly vibrant business. This process will help you find and fix those profit leaks, so you do not list or sink, and can stay afloat toward your dream goals. When the economic climate changes as dramatically and as frequently as it seems to be nowadays, some version of contingency planning or risk management should be on every executive team agenda. Do not ignore the warning signs and watch your ship go down. Face your risks squarely and come up with a flexible ERM plan. Do not wait until you are making that Mayday call to a world that has its own crises underway!

The Best Five Tips for Successful Strategic Planning

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700

How can you be sure your strategic planning will make a difference to your school? There are, at least, five things you can do to ensure you give yourself the best chance to move your school towards its stated vision. Tip 1 Be clear about your vision. If you do not know what you want to achieve, you cannot make decisions about how you are going to get there. One of the key attributes of successful schools is that they have a well-articulated vision that all members of the school community are aware of and believe in. It is worthwhile spending time to get your vision right because all later strategic planning decisions depend on whether or not the actions arising from the plan are consistent with the vision. Tip 2 Be strategic. This tip is so obvious that it is almost ridiculous; however, a great deal of strategic planning gets bogged down in detail rather than looking at the bigger picture. There are many operations in the day-to-day running of a school that remain relatively constant; for example, attention to student safety, the curriculum, the co-curricular program. Unless you intend to change one of these operational areas, they should not be part of your strategic planning process. Rather, your strategic planning should deal with key strategic questions and issues. That is, the issues on which school effectiveness, student outcomes and the viability of the school depends. Tip 3 Be collaborative. A plan will not work if people are not out there making it happen. People will not work with any enthusiasm on a plan they do not own. The more members of the school community involved in the development of the plan, the more buy-in you will have and the more people who will be motivated to make the plan work. At the very least, school staff, students and parents should be involved in some stage of the development of your strategic plan. You might also consider involving local business people, the local community, old scholars and any other relevant people. Tip 4 Be specific. Key strategic goals need to be SMART. That is they should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited. Specific means they should be clear and able to be understood by all, including those not involved in the process. Measurable means they should articulate the desired outcome, not the specific strategies. For example, not write about improving student outcomes in general terms. Write something specific like: improve benchmarks testing results by 10% by the end of the year. Achievable means that the goal should be rigorous and cause stretching but it also should be possible to reach. People will soon lose interest in a goal they can never attain. Realistic, is similar to achievable. They is no point in setting a goal that all students will receive 100% in the end of year exam when clearly the only way this might be achieved is by setting a test so simple that anyone could do it; but it would hardly encourage good teaching or learning! Time-limited means that the goal has an end, and that the end is not so far into the future as to be meaningless. All goals need to yield some results by the end of the strategic planning period, and preferably there should also be some short-term goals leading towards the bigger goal as well. Tip 5 Be flexible. No strategic plan should be set in stone. On the contrary, plans should be regularly revisited, revised and reviewed in order to accommodate changes in the internal and external environment and to respond quickly to education policy changes and external environment trends.