7. Using the Strategic Planning Worksheet

When using the Strategic Planning Worksheet below, note the following suggestions:

1. Relate the planning exercise to a specific company or, if diversified, to individual strategic business units.
2. Ideally the worksheet should be compiled by a multi-discipline management group, or separately by 2/3 groups and then discussed in plenary session if a large business unit is involved.
3. If working on your own, complete the worksheet and then return to it a few times over the following few days and critically review what you wrote - why, why, why etc. and ask yourself whether you have seen the "wood for trees".
4. A completed worksheet should be edited down into a 1-2 page document and reviewed by the group(s). The final form of the document need not follow the worksheet's layout provided all the matters are covered.
5. All ideas, issues etc. should be internally consistent and realistic.
6. You need a very good understanding of the market, competitors etc. in order to make a clear assessment of your SWOTs. If you haven't got this insight, suspend work on your strategic plan until you have done this basic research.
7. Allow enough time as you may find it much more difficult to write a short plan than a long one !!!!