Many managers fear that developing a strategic plan is a waste of time. The process is often arduous and misunderstood, and usually produces a laborious document that is quickly discarded. With the demands of day-to-day life, the path forward seems to be self-evident, so why invest time in strategic planning? 

To ensure its sustainability, every organization must evolve. The status quo is never an option, as the market evolves, technologies develop and society changes. Therefore, the purpose of a strategic plan is to determine where an organization needs to evolve and in what ways. 

Without a strategic plan, decisions are driven by current circumstances, rather than a long- term perspective. If you are only reacting to events, promising opportunities are likely to be ignored or a circuitous route will be taken because of a lack of clarity about the destination. If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, how can you be sure you’re taking the best route? 

Whether you are in charge of a small or large company, a department or a team, clarifying your objectives, developing your strategies and detailing your action plans are essential to your successful evolution. 

Note: All of the proposed practices apply to a company, a business unit, a department or a team. To simplify the reading of the text, the word ‘organization’ is used.