Strategic planning is the process of defining (or redefining) an organization’s mission, goals, and objectives and developing a set of specific strategies to achieve them. Strategic planning typically involves intensive, facilitated discussion and the use of business analysis techniques (e.g., SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to evaluate an organization’s current state, target where an organization wants to go (its goals and objectives), and determine a path for getting there by identifying internal and external factors that may impede or support the plan and what changes are needed (e.g., in staffing, policies, practices) to be successful. Results from strategic planning sessions typically result in the refinement of the organization’s vision and an actionable plan for making it a reality.
