Successful business planning is about developing your strategic plan for your business based upon proven business development tools. The Strategic Planning Workshop pulls these together into a single process, which takes the guesswork out of your business success. Taking the guess work out of your business success is a step-by-step process which develops business owners skills to strategically plan their business to take advantage of emerging markets, emerging trends, develop and launch new products. Strategic planning also enables companies to make structurally improvements to their business to improve its profitability, reduce costs and enhance productivity. Strategic planning workshop is a proven method of developing and implementing success see www.cowdenconsulting.co.uk

1. S
STRATEGIC
PLANNING
WORKSHOP
Richard Gourlay
Cowden Consulting
www.cowdenconsulting.co.uk

2. Strategy Defined
"Strategy is the direction and scope of an
organization which achieves advantage for the
organization through its configuration of resources
within a challenging environment, to meet the needs
of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations".
Johnson and Scholes

3. Strategy Defined
 Defines where the business trying to get to in the long-term: direction
 Which markets should a business compete in: scope
 How can the business perform better than the competition in those
markets: advantage
 What resources are required to be able to compete: resources
 What external, environmental factors affect the businesses' ability to
compete: environment
 What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and
around the business: stakeholders

4. What is Strategic Planning
S Is the process of establishing the future direction of your organisation.
S It forces directors and business owners to make choices about the future
of their business.
S It is the most valuable role any director undertakes, learn how see my
video which takes through each step www.cowdenconsulting.co.uk
S Creates a focus for the business efforts
S Delivers a clear direction for all business activity

5. Strategic Planning Importance
S Is a vital process in developing the future for a business.
S It reduces the risk in driving a business forward.
S Strategy is the clear competitive advantage which any
company can create.

6. Strategic Planning
S Enables directors to:-
 Establish priorities
 Create your game plan
 Set direction with certainty and knowledge
 Allocate resources appropriately
 Drive positive change

7. Strategic Planning Delivers
S The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the
second best time is today!
 A proactive mind-set about the future
 Improved business performance
 Solve structural problems
 The ability to take advantage of emerging markets
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail

8. Strategic Planning Is
S Asking and answering the following questions:-
 Where are we now?
 Where is our market going?
 Where do we need to be?
 How will we close that gap?
 How do we know we are getting there?

9. A Good Strategic Plan
S Creates:-
 Vision
 Direction
 Focus
 Improved performance
 Motivation

10. Strategic Plan Pre-requisites
 Leadership commitment and drive
 Stepping out to work ON the business not IN the business
 Buy-in to the strategic process
 Belief in change
 Ownership of the outcome

11. Building Strategy
 In strategic planning always begin with the end in mind
 Use established and trusted strategic planning tools to build
evidence.
 Use strategic planning processes to develop your strategic
plan.
 See my video and learn how to use these tools and processes
successfully: www.cowdenconsulting.co.uk

12. The Strategic Planning
Process
Assessment Baseline Components Processes Monitoring
Where have
we come
from?
Where are we
today?
Where do we
want to go?
How will we
get there?
How are we
doing?
Environmental
scanning
Situation, the
past ,present,
future
Mission,
Vision and
Values
Performance
Measurement
Performance
monitoring
Background
data
Significant
issues
Opportunities
for change
Targets and
standards
Progress
reviews
Situational
analysis
Capabilities
and alignment
Goals and
Objectives
Initiatives and
projects
Corrective action
PESTLE, 5
FORCES
GAP analysis
SWOT
TOWS,
STRATEGY
ACTION
PLANNING
BALANCED
SCORECARD

13. Strategy Development
Process
Internal
assessment
External
assessment
TOWSSWOT Strategy

14. Vision
S All leaders must create a vision for their business.
 Clear a defined statement
 Visionary about the future
 Aspirational to motivate and
 Strategically aligned to your TOWS analysis

15. Your Mission
S Leaders must motivate their internal stakeholders through a mission
statement, it must:-
 It must answer the question WHY your business exists Describe
what your business does.
 How your business does it.
 Define and articulate your core competencies.

16. Set Goals
 Goals are the vital outcomes which strategic planning delivers.
 Goals define your business strategy, bringing it to life.
 They are tangible outcomes which define success.
 Goals enable people to see your strategy.
 They provide the focus of all activity.

17. Setting Objectives
S To achieve strategic goals every business plan needs clear
objectives.
 Objectives are points which show the journey towards goals
and define the strategy you are following.
 Measurable and achievable points in your journey towards a
goal
 Specific objectives which lead to goals.

18. Action planning
 The specific steps in delivering your business.
 Action planning is the building blocks of all activity.
 The activity in each step builds towards and
objective which builds.
 Action plans are the vital steps in creating and
sustaining progress

19. Strategic Planning Workshop
 Strategic planning is vital in creating successful business.
 It is the single most valuable role and director can undertake.
 Developing your defined strategy is what makes a great leader.
 Learn how to grow and develop your business successfully, see my video at:
www.cowdenconsulting.co.uk
 Working ON your business not IN your business is the most valuable role any director
can undertake.
 See my website: www.cowdenmconsulting.com
 See Blog: http://cowdenconsulting.blogspot.co.uk/