Strategic Planning Model: A Reflection

Emma N. Ramos

PHDEL (Educational Planning and Management)

Exercise Blog Entry No. 2                                                                           

Strategic Planning Model

Reflection

              There is a popular saying that states “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail”. I think this statement really summarizes everything about planning. Many experts would really say that planning is very important in an organization. I would say that strategic planning is a process whereby you dissect your school organization to determine its strengths and weaknesses. During this process the members of the school community should set the goals, objectives, vision and mission statement.

              Before I’ll continue let me define first strategic planning. According to Matt Evans strategic planning is the process of establishing priorities on what you will accomplish in the future. It forces you to make choices on what you will do and will not do. It pulls the entire organization together around a single game plan for execution and a broad outline on where resources will get allocated.

              Strategic planning is the cornerstone of every common-interest community. Strategic planning is the process by which an organization envisions its future and develops the necessary procedures and operations to achieve that future. Without strategic planning, the community will never know where it is going – much less know if it ever got there. An important concept of strategic planning is an understanding that in order for the community to flourish, everyone needs to work to ensure the team’s goals are met. (Matt H. Evans). The primary motive for organizations to do strategic planning is to learn and to make decisions about the future of the organization based on that learning. 

              For me strategic planning is significantly important for the following reasons:

1. Forces a look into the future and therefore provides an opportunity to influence the future, or assume a proactive posture.
2. Provides better awareness of needs and of the facilities related issues and environment.
3. Helps define the overall mission of the organization and focuses on the objectives.
4. Provides a sense of direction, continuity, and effective staffing and leadership.
5. Plugs everyone into the system and provides standards of accountability for people, programs, and allocated resources.
6. To give the organization better control over external forces
7. To serve as a tool for decision making and resource allocation
8. To bring everyone together in the organization so that they are on the same wavelength
9. To raise board members’ awareness of current issues and operations
10. To reawaken and motivate key people within the organization
11. To position the agency for a merger or joint venture
12. To increase morale within an organization and develop a sense of trust and cohesion
13. To relate organizational capacity to community need.

              Personally, I believe that strategic planning improves performance. It will enable the organization to solve major issues at a macro level and able to communicate to everyone what is important. Strategic planning is the key to helping the organization to collectively and cooperatively gain control of the future and the destiny of the organization.

http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/worldclass/strategic_planning.asp