IT Companies Network

The Ultimate IT Strategy Planning Guide with Examples

Embarking on the journey to create a comprehensive IT strategy can be a daunting yet crucial endeavor for modern businesses; in this insightful guide, we provide you with essential tips, examples, and best practices to help you design and execute an effective IT plan that propels your organization toward success.

Information technology (IT) is playing an increasingly important role in modern business, given the rising advances in technology and the growing reliance on digital solutions for operation and competition. Whether it's storing, processing and analyzing data, automating administrative tasks or just the typical use of tech in the workplace , it's becoming increasingly central. Unfortunately, not all businesses are maximizing these advantages. What could be the reason?

The 10+ years of working in this industry has given us the incredible chance to interact with many organizations from various sectors, and this opportunity has helped us understand why many companies are struggling with IT. Surprisingly, it mostly boils down to develop and follow an IT strategic plan. Many CIOs and IT departments fail to realize that even with enough resources to deploy whatever technology you want, it could still fail if you ignore planning.

So this guide dives into IT Strategic Planning, providing you with all the ingredients you need to put together a winning IT Strategy Plan.

Also Read: Common IT problems

What is an IT strategic plan?

An IT strategy plan is the comprehensive document that serves as a roadmap for the IT strategy, outlining how an organization will use technology to achieve its goals. It defines the specific actions and initiatives that will be undertaken to align the organization's IT efforts with its overall mission, business strategy, and priorities. There are serious risks that come with neglecting to integrate IT planning into your business strategy.

A good IT strategy should align with the overall business strategy and goals of the organization. It should also take into account the current state of the organization's technology, the organization's budget and resources, as well as regulatory or compliance requirements.

The strategy should be flexible enough to adjust according to any new organizational demands, business objectives, external trends, available expertise, or user requirements. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to update their strategies.

Who creates the IT strategic plan?

Ideally, the CIO, or Chief Information Officer, is typically responsible for leading the development and implementation of the plan.

However, even in the absence of a CIO, it's still possible to develop an effective IT strategy. In such cases, the IT team, whether it is internal or outsourced, takes on a more prominent role in leading the process. This is particularly the case for SMBs , as they often have limited resources and budget to recruit a CIO or CTO.

Also Read: CTO as a Service: a Full Guide

Questions the IT strategic plan should address:

  • What resources do we need both internally and externally?
  • What technology investments are necessary to reach the business goals?
  • How will success be defined and evaluated?
  • How will the organization's IT strategy evolve over time to meet the changing needs of the business?
  • What IT initiatives and projects should be undertaken in the short-term and long-term?

Benefits of IT strategic plan

As we've already seen, the IT strategy plays the key role of aligning the organization's technology investments with its business goals, which can lead to a range of benefits. Here are the top ones:

1. Increased security

The right IT strategy can contribute to increased security by ensuring that your organization has the necessary safeguards in place to protect against threats. Here are two examples:

  • Risk assessment and management: The IT strategy document can guide the security teams to identify and assess potential security risks, as well as provide a roadmap for how to mitigate those risks. This might include measures such as implementing strong password policies and regularly updating software to fix vulnerabilities .
  • Investment in security infrastructure: An IT strategy can also provide guidance on the types of security measures and technologies that an organization should invest in. This might include investing in firewalls , VPNs , intrusion detection systems, SIEM tools , SOAR tools and other security solutions to protect against cyber threats .

Developing an IT strategy can help you come up with solutions to any gaps in your network security . With it, you can easily outline the current state of various items, which can be very insightful information on how to minimize attack vectors .

  • What is a Security Posture?
  • What is Cybersecurity Posture Assessment?

2. Change management

Change management is a critical component of the strategic IT plan as it ensures that the organization is prepared to respond to changes in the industry, technology, and market trends.

The goal is to make the transition to the new way of doing things as smooth as possible, while minimizing disruption.

Here are some ways a great IT strategy can help with change management:

  • Planning for change: Since the strategic IT plan provides a structured approach to change management, it means that organizations have a better way to anticipate changes, and implement them the right way.
  • Prioritization: A great IT strategy can help to prioritize changes based on the organization's goals and objectives.
  • Communication: A well-constructed IT strategy provides clear channels of communication. This makes it easy to educate and support stakeholders and employees throughout the change process, which leads to better acceptance of the changes.

Example: A company wants to move its financial reporting system to the cloud in order to improve efficiency and reduce IT costs . The IT strategy plan outlines the steps that will be taken to migrate the system to the cloud. These steps might include the selection of a cloud provider, the testing and validation of the new system, and the training of employees on how to use the new system. This roadmap helps ensure that the cloud migration is managed effectively and that any potential issues are addressed in a timely manner.

3. Cost management

IT spending can quickly get out of hand if not planned, and there is no better tool to help you prevent this than the IT strategic plan. It comes in handy when you want to identify and assess the costs associated with different technology options. This will then inform decision-making around which solutions to invest in, and which can wait.

Most importantly, the plan can help identify opportunities for cost savings . For example, the strategy might recommend using open-source software or cloud-based solutions to reduce software licensing costs, or might suggest consolidation of certain aspects of the IT infrastructure to reduce maintenance and management costs.

4. Improved decision-making

The IT strategy document offers a structure for assessing and contrasting various technological solutions, simplifying the process of making strategic decisions regarding technology investments.

Imagine that a company is considering implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. The IT strategy includes a section on CRM systems, which outlines the benefits and potential drawbacks of different options. It also includes criteria for evaluating different CRM systems, such as their scalability, integration with other systems, and user-friendliness.

Using this information, the company can assess the costs and benefits of different CRM systems, and can make an informed decision about which system is the best fit for its needs. The plan can also provide guidance on how to roll out a new CRM system, including a timeline, budget, and resource requirement.

The ability to quickly adapt the technology infrastructure to changing business needs is key for any organization, and this is one area that your IT strategy plan will prove incredibly useful. It simply provides a structured approach for making changes, and this means you can more readily respond to new opportunities and challenges.

Let's say you are an e-commerce company that is seeing an increase in demand for a particular line of products, and you need to quickly expand your platform to accommodate this growth. Your IT strategy includes a section on e-commerce infrastructure, which outlines the various options for scaling the platform, including adding new servers, implementing a content delivery network (CDN), and optimizing the website for performance.

With this ready-to-go structure, you are able to assess the costs and benefits of different options, and choose the approach that is most appropriate for this need.

6. Enhanced vendor management

Having an IT strategy in place can enable an organization to secure more advantageous terms from technology vendors, as well as a framework for assessing vendor performance.

With already established goals, you have the upper hand when negotiating with vendors. You know what your needs are, and don't have to take advice from the vendor just because they assert it's best for you. That being said, the vendor can still guide you in some areas if you'd like. Additionally, having a clear understanding of your needs allows you to communicate them effectively to vendors, giving you an advantage when dealing with them.

Vendor performance is also a major factor in vendor management. The strategy enables us to assess how vendors are doing against the predetermined goals and objectives for technology utilization within the company. The best part is that you can actually use this performance data to leverage better pricing or other concessions from vendors.

7. Compliance

We're living in the compliance era, which means some of your tech needs to meet industry and government regulations. Your strategy will make it easier by giving a structure for things like regular reviews and audits. Instead of having teams continually chasing after compliance standards, just include it in your IT strategy. This way, all departments will stay updated as the requirements keep changing.

Two of the most well-known compliance standards are the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Your strategy should include the steps to comply with these standards. Furthermore, in the event of any modifications or changes, you can simply refer back to your strategy and make the necessary adjustments.

  • What is SOC2? Everything You Need to Know for Compliance and Certification
  • PCI DSS Compliance Goals
  • MSP HIPAA Compliance Checklist

8. Enhanced talent management

Many organizations struggle to accurately assess their current and future tech needs, as well as the related skills and competencies needed to effectively use it. But with a well-developed IT strategic plan in place, this shouldn't be an issue. The plan will guide you in developing and retaining top talent, including what the best practices for recruiting are.

But to make sure you're covering all your bases, with regard to telnet management, the strategy should take into account the changing skills and competencies required due to changes in technology and emerging trends. This means the IT talent strategy should be updated continuously and not just treated as a one-off project.

9. Sustainability

With the help of a well documented IT strategy, you can easily spot opportunities to employ technology to lower the environmental footprint across your supply chain. This could mean capitalizing on digital platforms and tools to maximize production and logistics, or using data analytics to recognize areas where sustainability can be increased.

Technology such as 3D modeling, digital twins and simulations can help with enhancing product design in order to decrease environmental impact.

What should be included in the IT strategy plan?

Please note that the items here are not exhaustive. Feel free to add more or subtract those you feel do not apply to your organization.

5 steps in IT strategy planning

Developing an effective IT strategic plan is a multi-step process that involves key phases. The specific steps and the level of detail in each phase may vary depending on the organization, but here is a general overview of the process.

Step 1: Assessment

The strategy building process begins by evaluating the current state of the organization's IT capabilities, infrastructure, and systems.

These activities are the core of this phase, but feel free to tailor them to your organization's needs

  • SWOT Analysis: Identify the organization's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that relate to the IT capabilities, infrastructure, and systems. This analysis should be conducted by a cross-functional team, including IT staff and other key stakeholders, such as business leaders and customers.
  • Interviews: Conduct interviews with key stakeholders to gather information that can complement that obtained from SWOT analysis.
  • Data Collection: Collect data from various IT systems, such as databases , servers, networks, and applications. The data collected can include information such as system performance, capacity, availability, and security. You can use this to identify areas of improvement and potential risks.
  • Benchmarking: Compare the organization's IT capabilities with those of similar organizations in the same industry or sector. The benchmarking process can be used to identify best practices and areas for improvement.
  • Gap analysis: Compare the IT capability to the desired state, cutting across technology, processes, people and organizational structure.

Example: A retail organization might conduct SWOT analysis to identify its IT strengths, such as a highly efficient inventory management system and a well-trained IT staff. Weaknesses might include a lack of mobile optimization on their website and a lack of analytics capabilities. Opportunities might include the potential to expand their online sales, while threats might include increased competition from other retailers.

Be sure to get buy-in from all stakeholders during the assessment phase. This way you are able to identify any potential issues early on, and work to address them before they become major obstacles.

Step 2: Strategy Development

Based on the results of the assessment step, it's now time to develop the IT strategic plan. Key activities for this stage include:

  • Identify IT initiatives and projects: What are the IT initiatives and projects that will be undertaken to support the organization's overall goals and objectives. These may include areas such as business process automation , data analytics, digital transformation, cybersecurity , and cloud computing .
  • Set objectives and metrics for success: Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Use metrics to measure progress and evaluate the success of each initiative and project. Also read: Top 25 IT KPIs and Metrics You Should Track
  • Funding: Allocate resources and budget for each IT initiative and project. This includes identifying the personnel, equipment, and other resources that will be required, as well as developing a financial plan for each initiative and project.
  • Roadmap development: Create a roadmap that provides a high-level overview of what initiatives and projects will be undertaken, when they will be undertaken, and how they will be undertaken.
  • Alignment: Ensure that the IT initiatives and projects are properly aligned with the overall business strategy and vision.
  • Assign roles: Determine who will be responsible for specific tasks and activities. This includes who will be responsible for specific aspects of the work, and who will be accountable for delivering results.

Example: A healthcare organization's overall goal is to improve patient care by streamlining their appointment scheduling process. The IT strategic plan for this organization might include an IT initiative to develop a patient portal where patients can schedule appointments online. Objectives for this initiative might include increasing the number of appointments scheduled through the patient portal by 20% within the next 12 months. Metrics for success might include the number of appointments scheduled through the portal and patient satisfaction with the scheduling process. Funding could include budget and resources such as hiring a team of developers and designers to create the portal, and integrating it with the organization's existing systems. Alignment may include linking the initiative with overall business strategy and regulatory compliance.

As you can see, this phase involves a lot of critical thinking, data analysis, and decision making, as it's the foundation of the IT strategic plan. If the resources seem inadequate, it is necessary to reevaluate the strategy.

Step 3: Execution

The organization begins to implement the projects and initiatives as outlined in the plan. This may involve procuring new hardware and software, training employees, and rolling out new systems or processes.

The main goal of this phase is to define exactly what are the deliverables and outcomes. This is important as it is closely connected to reaching the business objectives.

Step 4: Review

After the execution phase, the organization evaluates the success of the IT strategic plan by comparing the results to the original goals and objectives. This may involve analyzing metrics such as cost savings, improved productivity, or increased customer satisfaction.

This phase presents the ultimate opportunity for the organization to see where the plan is going and create a feedback loop that can help to increase efficiency.

Step 5: Maintenance and improvement

Based on the results of the review, the organization may identify areas where the plan needs to be tweaked or improved. This may involve continuing to fine-tune and optimize systems, as well as staying up-to-date with new technologies and trends in the industry.

If the IT strategic plan doesn't work as expected, you can change it based on what's been learned throughout the journey. It is important to remember that IT strategic planning is a continuous process that must always be relevant for the organization.

We can also summarize the above steps into four levels that are commonly referred to as the the 4 main points of IT strategic planning, namely:

  • Environmental scanning
  • Strategy formulation
  • Strategy implementation
  • Strategy evaluation and maintenance

3 IT strategy examples

There is no stand-alone industry standard for creating an IT strategic plan. As a result there are various processes and examples for strategic planning. Most of them have some common thread between each other, but every single one of them is unique in its own way.

Let's have a look at some examples of IT strategy plans.

IT strategy plan example 1

Source: CMS Technologies

IT Strategy Planning

As we can observe from the image, CMS technologies break down IT strategy development into three primary tiers: Design, Develop and Deliver. Each of these are composed of 3-4 procedures to guarantee a comprehensive development of the tactic every step of the way, from analyzing the corporation's assets to how it communicates.

IT strategy plan example 2

Source: CIO Index

IT Strategic Plan

This IT strategy example from CIO Index is a bit more intricate. It's broken down into seven stages, with 1-3 layers beneath each one. The process begins with recognizing business diversities and formulating an IT vision. Lastly, it is time to evaluate and develop a Migration Plan which allows for modification of the IT strategy by forming a loop.

IT strategy plan example 3

Source: Info-Tech Research Group

This IT strategic plan example from the Info-tech research group is a simple yet effective procedure for aligning IT strategy with the organization's initiatives and objectives. The plan is specifically designed for small and medium-sized enterprises.

It includes different sections, such as the purpose of the plan, corporate strategy, business initiatives, IT strategy, and IT strategic plan.

IT strategic plan use cases

The past decades saw most organizations primarily utilizing the strategic IT plan when investing in costly technology. This made perfect sense, as it provided a process around spending big money and helped organizations ensure that they were getting the most value from their technology investments.

However, in recent years, the role of technology has evolved to become more than just buying new hardware and software. Technology has become an integral part of organizational operations, and as such, the strategic IT plan is finding new and diverse use cases, including operational.

Here are the most notable ones;

1. Mergers and acquisitions

A strategic IT plan can prove instrumental in merger and acquisition to ensure a smooth integration of IT systems and processes of the two organizations. It provides the framework for aligning the IT capabilities and goals of both the organizations.

So if company XYZ wants to merge with company ABC, they develop a strategic IT plan to align the IT capabilities and goals of both the organizations, and also identify and eliminate any duplicated systems.

2. Digital Transformation

The key driver behind digital transformation is the need to stay competitive in an increasingly digital world, where customers expect access to information and services 24/7, and where traditional business models are being disrupted by digital-native companies. This need is fueling spending as the market is projected to skyrocket to USD 4.339 trillion by 2030 — up from its current value of USD 752.38 billion in 2023.

So how can a strategic IT plan help your organization to take full advantage of digital transformation? A robust IT strategic plan prioritizes the most important digital transformation initiatives and guides the adoption of new technologies. It also includes a change management plan to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruptions.

Let's use a quick example of a retail company that wants to shift its business model to an e-commerce platform and mobile application. Their goal is to increase sales and customer engagement. The company can use strategic IT planning to identify key areas of the business that need to be transformed, such as customer experience, inventory management, and supply chain. They can then prioritize and plan the implementation of the necessary technology, such as e-commerce platform, mobile application, and data analytics, to support the transformation.

The plan will also aid in identifying the necessary changes to processes and organizational structure that will support the digital transformation.

3. Workforce technology

A strategic IT plan can guide the organization to provide the tools and resources that employees need to be productive. This may include devices, applications, collaboration tools, and IT training

Let's say a large manufacturing company wants to improve its workforce productivity by providing employees with mobile devices and applications to access information and perform tasks on the go. The company can use a strategic IT plan to identify the specific devices and applications that are needed, determine the best deployment and management strategies, and develop training and support programs for employees.

4. Innovation

A strategic IT plan can help organizations to foster an innovative culture that encourages and supports the development of new ideas, products, and processes. Here are a few ways this can play out:

  • Encouraging experimentation: A strategic IT plan can set a framework for experimentation and exploration. This entails giving a direction for setting aside resources and time for experimentation, as well as giving employees a degree of freedom to explore new ideas.
  • Supporting collaboration: A strategic IT plan can help organizations to create an environment that fosters collaboration, which could eventually spur innovation.

5. Infrastructure optimization

A strategic IT plan can be used to optimize an organization's IT infrastructure components , including hardware, software, and networks

Depending on needs, you can create a plan that provides a useful guide around aspects such as consolidating servers and data centers, modernizing hardware and software, and implementing virtualization and cloud technologies .

  • Data Center Migration Best Practices
  • Data Center Migration Plan: a Full Guide

6. Cybersecurity

You can use the strategic IT plan to enhance your organization's security posture by providing a blueprint upon which the IT teams, whether in-house or outsourced, will easily identify potential threats and implement preventive measures.

For example, a healthcare organization wants to enhance its cybersecurity posture to protect patient data and ensure compliance with regulations such as HIPAA. The company can use their strategic IT plan to identify potential cyber threats and vulnerabilities. The company can then prioritize and develop a plan to implement and manage security controls, such as firewalls , intrusion detection systems, encryption, and multi-factor authentication .

Also Read: Rising cyber attacks on Us hospitals

Top IT strategic planning software

These tools are a great asset when it comes to planning, executing and monitoring IT strategies. Although there are plenty of choices available, we've compiled the top ones and present them to you here.

Also Read: Types of small business software

IT strategic plan best practices

These best practices provide a foundation for creating a strategic plan that will surely make the difference between success and failure. It is about creating a plan that will not only help you navigate through the present but also be ready for the future.

  • Involve key stakeholders: It's important to involve key stakeholders from various departments. This is the best way to identify the specific needs of different groups, and ensure that the final strategy addresses those needs effectively.
  • Understand the organization's digital maturity: Digital maturity is a measure of how well an organization has adopted digital technologies. A more mature organization is able to take full advantage of digital technologies, whereas a less mature organization may struggle to make effective use of them. It's important to have a clear understanding of the current digital maturity level. This includes assessing the current state of IT systems, as well as identifying areas for improvement.
  • Understand the role of emerging technologies: Emerging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, machine learning, and blockchain have the potential to disrupt traditional business models, create new opportunities, and improve organizational performance. Make sure that the plan contains a clear roadmap on how to constantly keep a close eye on these technologies and their potential impact on your industry.
  • Develop a clear governance structure: The plan should include a governance structure that outlines responsibilities and decision-making processes related to IT.
  • Assess IT costs vs. value: IT can be a significant expense, and the strategic plan should provide for accurate assessment of the costs vs the value of IT investments. A key aspect of this is understanding the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IT investments, which includes not only the initial purchase price but also ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and other costs.

For optimal success, the IT strategic plan must be monitored, evaluated and revised regularly. This is the only way to guarantee that it remains pertinent and in line not only with the organization's objectives but also with the contemporary tech environment.

Do not be too fixated though on the need to have the perfect IT strategy plan from the start. Instead, approach the process with agility. Prioritize creating a minimal but functional plan, understanding that you will continue to refine and enhance it as you go.

FAQ Section

What is an it strategy planning process.

The IT strategic planning process refers to the methodical approach that organizations use to align their information technology (IT) capabilities with their overall business goals and objectives. The goal of the process is to ensure that the organization's IT investments are aligned with its overall strategy and are helping to drive business growth.

Please don't confuse this process with the project planning process, which is used to assign tasks to different projects. Strategy mapping on the other hand helps you determine your mission, vision, and goals. These terms are often confused, but they mean different things.

What is the role of a strategic IT plan?

The primary role of an IT strategic plan is to align the organization's IT capabilities with its overall business strategy and to help drive business growth.

The plan identifies specific IT projects and initiatives that need to be undertaken. It helps the organization prioritize these initiatives, allocate resources, such as budget and personnel, improve its IT capabilities by identifying areas where improvements are needed, and ensure that IT is being used efficiently to support the organization's business goals. It also facilitates communication and coordination across the organization by providing a common understanding of the IT goals, objectives and initiatives.

Why is strategic planning important for IT professionals?

Strategic planning is important for IT professionals for these reasons:

  • Understanding needs: Strategic planning can help IT professionals to better understand the organization's needs and priorities, and position themselves as valuable contributors to achieving the organization's goals.
  • Resource allocation: By participating in the strategic planning process, IT professionals can help the organization prioritize its IT investments by identifying the projects and initiatives that are most critical to the organization's success. This ensures that resources are being allocated to the areas that will have the greatest impact.
  • Efficiency: Strategic planning can help IT professionals ensure that IT is being used efficiently.
  • Building relationships and trust: Strategic planning allows IT professionals to collaborate with other departments, stakeholders and key decision makers. This can help build trust and collaboration across the organization.
  • Managing change: IT Strategic planning allows IT professionals to anticipate and manage change, helping them to be proactive and responsive to changes, rather than reactive.

IT Strategic Planning FAQ

What is it strategy.

IT strategy is an extensive plan that can help companies understand how to use technologies to meet their business and IT goals. It refers to a written document that points out various factors that can affect a company's use of technology.

What is IT strategic planning?

IT strategic planning involves creating a detailed blueprint that outlines how technology investments will support the organization's business objectives. This plan should encompass everything from resource allocation to project timelines.

How does an organization benefit from IT strategic planning?

Effective IT strategic planning aligns technology initiatives with business goals, which can lead to improved efficiency, increased productivity, cost savings, and a competitive advantage. It can also help manage risks and identify opportunities for innovation.

What are the key components of an IT strategic plan?

An IT strategic plan generally includes the following components: business objectives and strategies, IT objectives and strategies, a technology roadmap, a resource allocation plan, a risk management plan, and a governance model.

How often should an IT strategic plan be updated?

An IT strategic plan should be reviewed and updated regularly, usually on an annual basis. However, the plan should also be flexible enough to accommodate any unexpected changes or opportunities that may arise.

What role do emerging technologies play in IT strategic planning?

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things have the potential to disrupt traditional business models and create new opportunities. An IT strategic plan should therefore include a roadmap for monitoring these technologies and assessing their potential impact on the organization.

What is an IT strategic planning process?

IT strategic planning process refers to the method that organizations use to develop plans to achieve overall goals. The project planning process, on the other hand, is used to assign tasks to different projects.

What is a roadmap in IT?

A roadmap in IT is a document or visual representation that outlines the planned initiatives, projects and activities that an organization will undertake to achieve its IT goals and objectives over a specified period of time. A roadmap typically includes a high-level overview of the initiatives and projects that are planned, along with more detailed information such as timelines, milestones, and dependencies.

How does IT strategic planning support digital transformation?

Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new or modify existing business processes, culture, and customer experiences. An IT strategic plan can help an organization identify the key areas that need to be transformed, prioritize digital transformation initiatives, and plan the implementation of the necessary technologies.

logo-footer

Digital Adoption Logo

Thank you for Subscribe us

Thanks for your interest, we will get back to you shortly

Home » Digital Transformation » Top IT Strategic Plan Examples of 2023

Top IT Strategic Plan Examples of 2023

logo DA

  • Updated August 7, 2023

Leading the Way_ Top IT Strategic Plan Examples of 2023

This article will discuss the different phases of strategic IT planning and how software tools can support IT innovation and modernization. The ultimate goal is to decrease costs and achieve strategic outcomes.

If you’re looking for the best examples of IT strategic planning in 2023, you’ve come to the right place.

digital transformation ebook for download

What is an IT Strategic Plan?

An IT strategic plan is a structured and well-defined document outlining an organization’s goals for using technology over 3-5 years . It encapsulates the overall vision, mission, and objectives of the company’s IT department in alignment with the organization’s business objectives. The strategic plan provides a roadmap for achieving those goals by outlining the strategies and tactics required to support them.

What is an IT Strategic Plan_

It includes a detailed analysis of the current technological landscape, existing systems’ strengths and weaknesses, and the market’s opportunities and threats. By creating an IT strategic plan, organizations can ensure that their technology infrastructure is optimized to support their overall business objectives while being prepared for any challenges.

IT Strategic Plan vs. IT Strategy

While the terms “IT strategic plan” and “IT strategy” are often used interchangeably, they differ. An IT strategy refers to the overall approach taken by an organization to manage its technology resources, while an IT strategic plan defines the processes and steps that should be taken to achieve the desired outcome.

The IT strategy outlines the vision, objectives, and goals of the organization’s technology efforts, while the IT strategic plan provides a roadmap for achieving those goals by outlining specific initiatives and activities to be undertaken. An IT strategic plan also focuses on short-term actions leading to long-term success in achieving the organization’s goals.

Why Do We Need IT Strategic Planning?

Why Do We Need IT Strategic Planning_

IT strategic planning is essential for any organization that wants to stay competitive in the digital age. Without a well-structured plan, organizations risk wasting time, money, and resources on ineffective technology solutions that will not contribute to the organization’s growth.

In these uncertain times of COVID-19, the pace of technological disruption has skyrocketed. Remote work and digital selling have become essential, leaving many organizations scrambling to keep up. However, those with a well-crafted IT strategic plan could easily adapt and manage new IT changes efficiently.

Gartner report suggests only 23_ of CIOs rate their organization as effective at business strategy and planning

The need for a solid IT strategic planning process has never been more crucial, as it can be the difference between success and failure in a rapidly changing business landscape. A recent Gartner report suggests only  23% of CIOs rate their organization as effective at business strategy and planning . Fortune 500 companies prioritizing IT strategic planning have reported returns of up to 700%.

When organizations use IT strategic planning as a continuous and iterative process, it can achieve certain benefits_

When organizations use IT strategic planning as a continuous and iterative process, it can achieve certain benefits:

  • Be adaptive to change
  • Emphasize programs of high value.
  • Invest in suitable digital transformation technology to minimize operational costs.
  • Improve communication and work together across different teams and departments.
  • Enhance the protection of data and safeguard privacy.
  • Stay aware of the evolving customer preferences, market trends, and digital advancements.
  • Ensures your technology roadmap supports the goals of your organization.

IT Strategic Plan: Key Components

IT Strategic Plan_ Key Components

For a successful IT strategic plan, it’s important to consider each organization’s unique business needs and requirements. The following core components can serve as the foundation:

Sure, here is an expanded version of the content:

Alignment of IT with business goals: 

IT alignment with overall business goals is essential for effective IT strategic planning. It ensures that every IT initiative supports the company’s vision and mission. IT leaders must know how to prioritize IT infrastructure requests, digital transformation projects, and organizational  change management strategies. This means they must understand how each project aligns with the business goals and decide on investment priorities based on their significance.

Technological roadmap: 

A technological roadmap is critical to IT strategic planning as it outlines the long-term IT initiatives, requirements, and impact of technology implementation. The roadmap also includes a detailed  technology adoption plan that provides clarity and direction to IT teams. For instance, due to their flexibility, scalability, and security, many organizations have migrated to cloud services such as AWS and Microsoft Azure from legacy (and outdated) on-premise data centers. Such transitions require cloud change management for successful implementation. A technological roadmap makes this process more efficient and organized.

Change communication plan: 

Change is inevitable in any organization, but it is often met with resistance from employees. A transparent and detailed change communication plan helps onboard team members and drive the adoption of new IT technologies. The communication plan should include the reason for the change, its benefits, and how it will impact employees. It should also provide clear instructions on how employees can adapt to the change and receive support if needed. Engaging employees in the change process leads to better outcomes and acceptance.

IT services: 

Standardizing the IT services offered within an organization is essential for effective IT strategic planning. It bridges the gap between the existing and required services, leading to efficiency and reducing the risk of downtime. Standardization enables IT teams to deliver services and solutions faster, reduces the cost of maintaining and supporting them, and improves the quality of services provided to end-users. IT leaders must evaluate and prioritize digital initiatives and identify areas of improvement to ensure that they align with business goals and strategies.

IT governance: 

IT governance is a subset of corporate compliance that ensures efficient and effective use of IT within the organization. It includes cybersecurity and data protection policies, critical for hybrid and remote work with employees from various regions. IT governance policies ensure that IT initiatives are aligned with business goals, risks are managed effectively, controls are in place to protect sensitive information, and compliance requirements are met. A robust IT governance strategy enables companies to operate safely and securely while achieving their objectives.

IT best practices: 

Adherence to IT best practices ensures lower risks, reduced costs, and improved SLAs. IT organizations establish best practices over a long period based on industry standards, experience, and organizational needs. Adherence to these practices ensures that IT teams are consistent in their approach, which leads to better outcomes. Deciding on these best practices is continuous and must be updated regularly for relevance and improvement.

IT goals and metrics: 

Clear IT goals and metrics enable IT teams to measure their performance, track progress, and deliver results timely. IT leaders must define the goals and KPIs in their IT strategic plan based on SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). The metrics should align with business goals and provide insights into IT performance. Well-structured IT metrics, KPIs, and goals allow team members to better plan for ad-hoc requests and deliver timely results.

IT leaders must define the goals and KPIs in their IT strategic plan based on SMART criteria

IT Strategy Plan Example

IT Strategy Plan Example

We’ve outlined a sample IT strategic plan for a fictional organization, ABC Technologies.

Objective: To develop an IT infrastructure that can sustain the rapid growth of ABC Technologies and meet the changing needs of its customers.

  • Establish secure cloud services to protect customer data
  • Improve user experience with faster delivery times and more reliable services
  • Implement automated processes to increase operational efficiency
  • Adopt robust change  procedures to ensure a smooth transition of new IT initiatives
  • Create comprehensive governance structures to protect customer data & manage IT resources
  • Number of cloud services deployed within the specified time frame
  • Reduction in time taken for customer service requests
  • Number of automated processes implemented 
  • Success rate of change management initiatives

Timeline_

  • Evaluate existing IT infrastructure: 3 months
  • Develop secure cloud services: 6 months
  • Implement automated processes: 6–9 months
  • Create governance structure: 8–12 months
  • Adopt change management procedures: 12 months
  • Cloud services and infrastructure: $150,000
  • Automated processes and tools: $50,000
  • Governance structure and training: $75,000
  • Change management procedures: $25,000
  • Evaluate existing IT infrastructure and create a roadmap for improvement
  • Develop secure cloud services to protect customer data
  • Implement automated processes to reduce manual effort and increase efficiency
  • Develop a comprehensive governance structure to protect customer data and IT resources
  • Adopt robust change management procedures to ensure a smooth transition of new IT initiatives

The above example is a basic outline of an IT strategic plan. Gartner also has an IT strategy and planning framework that can be used to develop detailed plans. The framework covers all the essential components of an IT strategic plan backed by the industry’s best practices.

Depending on the organization’s needs, the objectives, goals, metrics, and actions can be refined and improved to ensure they align with business goals and strategies. Organizations can plan their IT initiatives more efficiently and effectively by establishing a clear system and using it as a reference.

By creating a comprehensive IT strategy plan and adhering to best practices, organizations can ensure that their IT initiatives are aligned with their business goals and deliver the desired results. The program should be updated regularly based on changes in customer needs, technology advances, or organizational objectives.

The 5 Phases of the IT Strategic Planning Process

The 5 Phases of the IT Strategic Planning Process

The process of IT strategic planning primarily consists of five phases:

  • Discover and Analyze: Analyzing business processes is the first step toward identifying inefficiencies. To do so, use employee surveys, focus groups, and industry best practices to assess challenges and opportunities. Leverage data from external sources such as customers and partner agencies to gain actionable insights into the effectiveness of your current processes.
  • Secure Stakeholder Buy-In: Gaining stakeholder buy-in is crucial for successful change implementation. Involve key stakeholders in the planning process and show them that the project has support from leadership. Consider hiring external consultants to provide objective insights and expertise based on the project’s scope.
  • Assign Roles and Responsibilities: Create a detailed project charter outlining the scope, roles, and responsibilities. Use the RACI matrix to clearly define roles and increase employee accountability. Ensure that every team member understands their responsibilities and how they contribute to the project’s success.
  • Implement Changes: The implementation phase is where the rubber meets the road. Outline the budget, deliverables, and timelines for the project. Prioritize long-term and medium-term IT goals and objectives to create a strategic roadmap that connects strategy with outcomes. Be flexible and adaptable to external factors that may sway timelines.
  • Review and Document Progress: Regularly review the progress of your IT change plan and document it for future reference. Not all changes will be successful in one cycle, and much can change over 3-5 years. Therefore, it’s essential to have a review process in place to ensure continuous improvement and success.

Revamping your business processes and implementing IT changes requires a comprehensive plan and a collaborative approach. These five essential steps can streamline your business processes and enhance workflow, leading to greater efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

According to McKinsey_s research, 87_ of leaders face difficulty implementing next-generation services

According to McKinsey’s research,  87% of leaders face difficulty implementing next-generation services due to the complexity of their existing infrastructure. For this reason, CIOs need IT strategic planning to make their outdated systems more efficient and uncomplicated.

Some more examples of where IT strategic planning can be useful are_

Some more examples of where IT strategic planning can be useful are:

Digital Innovation: Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that prioritize high-value strategies for  digital innovation initiatives, such as switching from offline to digital processes, implementing new software and platforms, developing new technologies, and leveraging automation, IoT connectivity, and big-data analytics.

Managing Existing IT Portfolio: Conducting regular evaluations and redirecting funds to high-priority projects helps control costs while driving innovation forward.

Deloitte’s report on Digital Maturity Index indicates

Digital Transformation: Progressing on the digital maturity index through strategic planning can help businesses adapt to digital transformation and increase revenue and EBIT numbers. Deloitte’s report on Digital Maturity Index indicates a  38.5% increase in revenue and a 16.2 % upliftment in EBIT numbers when organizations become digitally mature and can optimize both the operational and strategic indices through digitalization.

Cloud Migration: Developing a clear plan for identifying suitable cloud solutions and developing a migration roadmap can improve agility and responsiveness to changing business needs while reducing IT infrastructure costs. Additionally, cloud-based services and tools can enhance operations, support growth, and provide a competitive edge in the market.

IT Risk Management: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating IT risks that may threaten operations is essential for enhancing cybersecurity and ensuring business continuity in the face of potential disruptions. Businesses can thrive in the digital age by protecting critical assets, maintaining compliance with industry regulations, and preserving customer trust.

IT strategic planning is crucial for businesses seeking to stay competitive in the digital landscape. By prioritizing innovation, managing existing IT portfolios, embracing digital transformation, migrating to the cloud, and mitigating IT risks, organizations can navigate the challenges of the digital age and thrive in today’s constantly evolving market.

The 7 Best IT Strategic Planning Software Solutions for Businesses in 2023

The 7 Best IT Strategic Planning Software Solutions for Businesses in 2023

As businesses continue to rely on technology for growth, IT strategic planning becomes more crucial than ever.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by managing your IT strategy plans effectively in 2023,  don’t worry; several top-rated software tools are available to make your life easier.

Cascade Strategy

First up is  Cascade Strategy . This all-in-one platform is designed to streamline IT planning, execution, reporting, and people management. With customizable strategic plans, IT goal and KPI management, project performance tracking, and human capital management, Cascade Strategy is the ultimate choice for all your IT planning needs. Whether a small team or a large enterprise, this software can help you achieve your goals efficiently and effectively.

Next on the list is  WorkBoard . This enterprise strategy and result management solution fosters collaboration and accountability through clearly defined objectives, key results (OKRs), and project tracking. This software helps teams prioritize their goals, align their efforts, and track their progress toward success. With WorkBoard, everyone can stay aligned and focused on the most important tasks.

Another option worth considering is  Entomo’s performance management software. This tool helps organizations align goals and manage remote teams with skill gap analysis, task management, learning recommendations, and augmented analytics. Whether you’re working with a distributed team or simply need help managing your organization’s performance, Entomo has you covered.

If you’re looking to lower your IT expenditure and accelerate forecasting cycles,  ApptioOne may be the right choice for you. This software enables the creation of unified models by combining financial and operational data based on industry-standard taxonomy. With ApptioOne, you can gain greater visibility into your IT expenses and make more informed decisions about where to invest your resources.

Jira Align is another software tool to help align IT initiatives with business strategy. This agile planning platform provides teams with agile boards, roadmaps, and dashboards to help them stay on track and deliver results. Whether working with an in-house team or a distributed group of contractors, Jira Align can help you achieve your goals more efficiently.

Planview is another comprehensive project and portfolio management software that can assist IT teams in aligning their activities with business strategy. This tool helps businesses manage timelines, budgets, and resources to prioritize projects and ensure they deliver value to the organization.

Finally, there’s  Hive , a project management tool that streamlines the planning process, monitors progress and ensures everyone is aligned with the strategic goals through centralized workspaces and task management features. This software allows team members to collaborate on projects, track their progress, and communicate more effectively. With Hive, you can take the pain out of project management and stay focused on what matters most – delivering results.

Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive management suite, an agile planning platform, or a simple project management tool, there’s something on this list for everyone. Choose the best tool for your IT strategic planning needs and take your business to new heights in 2023.

Drive IT Modernization and Transformational Change In 2023

Drive IT Modernization and Transformational Change In 2023

To effectively drive digital transformation, organizations should find suitable implementation partners who can aid in IT strategic planning and IT change management. Utilizing a  digital adoption platform can improve the robustness of your IT strategy.

By optimizing user experience and leveraging usage analytics, your organization can quickly assess the effectiveness of new initiatives and ensure that IT projects are geared toward creating value.

Moreover, a digital adoption platform can also speed up modernizing an organization’s IT landscape. Using this tool, companies can easily roll out new applications and systems and identify gaps in existing processes. You can even use automated deployment tools to reduce manual tasks related to implementing these technologies.

A comprehensive solution for IT strategic planning should include measures to continuously monitor performance metrics, measure cost efficiency, and drive innovative solutions through automation. As organizations scale their operations and explore more advanced technology options – such as artificial intelligence (AI) or the Internet of Things (IoT) – they should incorporate  data lifecycle management tools ,  business process automation , and advanced analytics into their IT strategic planning.

Digital Adoption Team

A wonderful team of Digital Adoption, Digital Transformation & Change Management Experts.

RELATED ARTICLES

15 SaaS Tools For Collaboration for Teams

15 SaaS Tools For Collaboration for Teams

Understanding tooltips_ A guide for creating seamless user experiences

Understanding tooltips: A guide for creating seamless user experiences

The Role of AI-driven Digital Transformation in 2024

The Role of AI-driven Digital Transformation in 2024

Most popular.

Artificial Intelligence Models_ A Handy Guide

Artificial Intelligence Models: A Handy Guide

10-step Offboarding Checklist (+ Free template)

10-step Offboarding Checklist (+ Free template)

Digital transformation Ebook square banner

Contact Us: [email protected]

This blog is powered by WalkMe. By subscribing to our newsletter, you agree to the Terms and Conditions . For more information about the processing of your personal data please check our Privacy Policy .

POPULAR POSTS

15 SaaS Tools For Collaboration for Teams

POPULAR CATEGORY

Logo

IT Strategic Plan: A 5-Step Planning Process (With Template)

Download our free IT Strategy Template Download this template

Looking for a way to execute key IT and digital initiatives faster to support business growth? Sounds like you need a strong and well-thought-out IT strategic plan.

On paper, it sounds easy to do, right— “a well-crafted IT strategy should set a clear path on how you’re planning to enhance the business’s performance with technology.”

But developing and executing one isn’t a simple task. According to Gartner’s CIO survey , only 29% of CIOs consider their organization effective at IT strategy and planning. It’s a complex, time-consuming, bang-your-head-against-wall process (if you don’t have the right approach). 

Not to worry—that's why we're here. In this article, we’ll cover the key elements of an IT strategy plan and share a practical step-by-step process with examples to help you create and execute your own. 

Oh, did we mention you get a free IT strategic plan template ?

Ready? Discover how to create an actionable and execution-ready IT strategic plan the Cascade way!

In this article, you’ll discover: 

  • What Is an IT Strategic Plan?
  • The Benefits of IT Strategic Planning
  • Key Components of an Execution-Ready IT Strategic Plan
  • The 5 Steps of a Highly Effective Strategic IT Planning Process
  • IT Strategic Plan Example + Template

Take Control of Your IT Strategic Planning with Cascade 🚀

Free Template Download our free IT Strategy Template Download this template

What Is An IT Strategic Plan?

An IT strategic plan is a roadmap that outlines an organization's goals and objectives for using technology to achieve its business objectives. It provides a framework for making technology-related decisions and investments that align with the organization's overall strategy .

The Benefits Of IT Strategic Planning For CIOs

In today's fast-paced and competitive environment, CIOs use IT strategic planning process to:

  • Set and align IT priorities with business objectives and goals. 
  • Prove the value and impact of IT within the organization to increase credibility and influence.
  • Assess potential risks and vulnerabilities, and develop proactive measures to prevent financial losses and reputational damage.
  • Improve communication and collaboration by breaking down silos, ensuring everyone is on the same page, and rowing in the same direction. 
  • Focus on IT projects with the greatest potential for impact and ROI, maximizing the value of IT investments and ensuring efficient use of resources.
  • Help organizations stay ahead of digital transformation , technology trends and adapt to changing business needs, keeping technology aligned with organizational needs.

Key Components Of An Execution-Ready IT Strategic Plan

An execution-ready IT strategic plan is more than words on paper. It’s an action plan to improve your company’s technological capabilities and deliver business value. 

If you want to inspire alignment and drive ownership for successful strategy execution, your IT strategic plan should include these elements:

🔎 Focus areas : Where should your team focus the attention and efforts? What area of IT will have the most impact on the business strategy?

📌 Goals and objectives: What do you want to achieve exactly? Your goals and objectives are the outcomes you’re aiming for. 

💰 Budget: What resources do you have to achieve your goals and objectives? Are your plans realistic?

😎 Owners: Who is in charge of projects and accountable for their success? Your IT strategic plan needs individuals or teams to ensure it is executed.

📆 Due dates: When do specific actions, initiatives, and projects need to happen? Your IT strategic plan needs timeframes and deadlines to be enforced and acted upon.

📤 Actions: What specific initiatives, deliverables, or projects need to happen within your focus areas? Your IT strategic plan should provide clear and actionable steps for teams to reach goals.

📈 Measures: How will you track progress as your teams execute? Which are the most important IT KPIs your team should track and report upon? A solid IT strategic plan will have an element of progress tracking that promotes consistency and accountability .

👉 Click here to get your free IT strategic plan template (P.S.: The template has all the key elements described above and is pre-filled with examples so you can start working on it right away.)

The 5 Steps Of A Highly Effective Strategic IT Planning Process

So, now that you know which elements you need to include in your IT strategic plan , let's explore how to get there.

Here are five steps to achieve effective IT strategic planning and execution:

1. The alignment phase: IT strategy is part of your business strategy

While IT strategic planning focuses on medium-term goals, CIOs must consider the realm beyond their IT environment (i.e., your company goals).

In the HBR survey , 77% of respondents said the disconnect between IT and business strategies is resulting in significant costs. 

This is a vital consideration for IT leaders. You must be aware of the dangers of misaligned or isolated strategic planning. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your IT planning process is separate from other business processes or goals. 

To top it off, a study from Workday found that one-third (31%) of companies are rarely aligned on their digital finance transformation goals, with CFOs citing this as a top barrier to successful digital transformation initiatives. 

Focus less on technology talk and more on business strategy outcomes. 

Schedule a strategic planning workshop and kick it off with a recap and discussion about goals that the company is pursuing to understand how technology can help achieve those goals. 

👉Here’s how Cascade can help you:  

Use the Alignment View to get a visual overview of strategic alignment between your IT plan and business strategy. You can also use it to check how your existing IT initiatives contribute to the success of the business strategy.

visual overview of strategic alignment between your IT plan and business strategy in cascade

2. The analysis phase: What should your IT strategy focus on

According to Gartner 's 2023 CIO and Technology Executive Survey, 95% of organizations struggle to develop a vision for digital change, often due to competing stakeholder expectations.

Sure, the squeaky wheel usually gets the most grease, but don’t use this as your base to identify strategic priorities. This approach won’t move the needle for the organization. Instead, focus on what will have the highest impact on the organization in the future and prioritize those initiatives .

As a strategic leader and changemaker, you’ve got to ask yourself: 

  • How should the business approach these challenges? 
  • What projects should we prioritize for maximum impact in the future? 
  • If everyone’s investing in automation, cybersecurity/information security, and data centers, should we be doing the same? 
  • Do we have enough resources to support our current strategy, or do we need to develop new resources? 

Researching IT priorities for your organization based on market impact is a good start, and you can do this with reports, industry research, and other data.

But, Gartner also suggests that you should also look to others within your organization to provide insights and different perspectives on priorities and challenges, for example:

  • Leadership signals. 
  • Stakeholders in the business who share your vision (Ideal Partners).

Gartner CIO Agenda Report

💡 Top tip: Your people and teams are valuable assets for identifying areas of IT investment. Bring key stakeholders into your strategic planning process to level up your strategic analysis and research.

3. The goal-setting phase: Who is responsible for what?

Next, decide how your IT strategic plan will filter into actionable projects for different teams to execute.

To drive outcomes, goals need to have owners who will manage their initiatives to completion. These initiatives also need to be aligned with your high-level planning as well as the organization’s broader strategic objectives .

Sound like a difficult balancing act? Not if you take a systematic approach. 

A simple way to get started with goal-setting in a strategy-aligned way is to use a three-column table.  

  • Jot down business objectives and problems in column A.
  • See how your IT strategy can support or improve them in column B.
  • Assign project owners to each initiative in column C.

For example:

Column A: What are our business goals or problems? 

  • Improve customer experience

Column B: How can our IT strategy support it?

  • Optimize our data analytics capabilities and IT infrastructure.
  • Implement new CRM software.
  • Develop and deploy new digital solutions to improve customer experience.

Column C: Who is responsible for achieving this?

  • Optimize our data analytics capabilities and IT infrastructure → Data Analytics Manager & Data Team.
  • Implement new CRM software → Customer Support Team & IT Team.
  • Develop and deploy new digital solutions to improve customer experience → Customer Experience Manager & IT Team.

Setting your IT goals this way will ensure that actions consistently align with your company’s strategic objectives. You’ll also be able to see if your strategic goals are realistic and within your budget. Plus, you'll ensure each goal has an owner rather than lacking clarity over accountability and realizing this in your next review. 

Once you’re done, go through your table and look for overlapping imperatives, opportunities to streamline execution, and how to prioritize goals. 

Additionally, share them with other key internal and external stakeholders, get feedback, and make changes based on their perspectives. 

👉Here’s how Cascade can help you:

With Cascade's Strategy Planner, you can easily set IT goals and align them with business objectives in a centralized platform. During setup, you'll be able to add a goal's owner, collaborators, due dates, and measure of success. Doing so can keep everyone on the same page and accountable for progress. 

Here’s an example of IT objectives and goals in Cascade:

IT planner objectives and goals in cascade

4. The execution phase: How to get it right

The way you approach strategy execution can make or break the work you’ve put into your strategic planning. 

A successful and fast execution phase has two equally important parts:

  • Building a clear and actionable execution plan with key elements developed in the previous steps. 
  • Communicating this plan to your stakeholders. Not just to your IT department, but to everyone who will be involved or affected by the execution of your plan. 

To execute your IT strategic plan successfully, ensure that your stakeholders understand the IT strategy's goals, importance, and potential impact. Clarify IT governance, functions, and responsibilities, and establish communication channels to support transparency and cross-collaboration. 

Clarity and strong execution are critical to achieving your IT goals and delivering real value.

Here are two things you can do to get it right:

  • Use visual tools: Create strategic roadmaps to communicate plans and timelines.
  • Get the wheel spinning early in the process: Hold a workshop or meeting to officially kick off your execution phase. Use this opportunity to explain the strategic direction, who will be involved in the execution, and why you are doing it. 

👉Here’s how Cascade can help you: 

Simplify how you view your planning and execution: Cascade’s Timeline (Roadmap) view lets you visualize IT goals, plans, and progress in an easy-to-read Gantt-chart-style interface. Use it to plan and monitor your IT strategic plan in one place.

IT plan timeline roadmap in cascade

5. The monitoring and adaption phase: Stay on your toes

According to Gartner’s survey of 2,387 CIOs and technology executives, more than half of digital transformation initiatives take too long to execute and more than 50% take too long to realize value.  

Strategy execution isn’t a matter of set-and-forget or one-then-done. 

Plans must be acted on, projects must move forward, and expectations must be met. If you're not actively monitoring strategic initiatives, how do you know if you’ll be able to deliver the promised business value of IT? 

Progress reporting and monitoring should be a top priority for CIOs after a strategy kickoff, especially since only 18% of team members review progress on weekly basis. This means enforcing KPIs (key performance indicators), using the right tools to monitor performance, and regular check-ins with IT project owners. 

Sure,  it’s easier said than done at scale, but here are some tips to get it right:

  • Use a performance management system: Use it to get an accurate picture of milestones, top performers, and address execution issues proactively.
  • Be ready to adapt and optimize:  Any solid strategic plan will include long-term initiatives that can take three or five years to implement. A great one will be ready to pivot and change in the face of new technology, information, and approaches. Being flexible and open to new opportunities is essential to stay ahead in today's constantly evolving landscape.
  • Stop wasting time with manual reporting: The old way of PPT presentations, Word docs, and PDF reports won’t cut it in today’s pace of business. Think about it—every second used to type, send, and read those reports could be channeled into achieving better business outcomes. 

👉Here’s how Cascade can help you: Leverage data sources from anywhere: Cascade's thousands of integrations allow you to consolidate disconnected business tools in one place, reducing context switching and helping to create a single source of truth.

Monitor progress with live dashboards: Use a powerful Dashboards feature to streamline insights into performance, monitor critical metrics, and promote data-driven decision-making.

Keep everyone in the loop: With Cascade’s Strategy Reports , you can instantly visualize data, contextualize any breakthrough or setback, and share updates with your teams in engaging ways.

Example of a report in Cascade.

📌Remember that successful IT strategies depend on:

  • Proper research and planning.
  • Involving different stakeholders in the strategic planning process.
  • Setting realistic goals.
  • Communicating the strategic plan effectively to a wider audience.
  • Monitoring progress and adjusting as teams execute.

IT Strategic Plan Example + Template 

Get a headstart on your IT strategic planning with our IT Strategic Plan Template . 

it strategy plan template

What do I get?  This information technology strategic plan comes prefilled with IT KPIs, Projects, Goals, and Focus Areas to help you hit the ground running. 

What if I want to customize it? While it’s pre-filled with examples, you can easily adjust, modify, and customize input to meet your needs. 

Is it right for me? It’s perfect for CIOs, IT departments, and digital transformation leaders who need to create a strategic plan for their departments and show the ROI of IT initiatives to the leadership team. 

👉What are you waiting for? Start developing your IT Strategic Plan today. Click the link here and get your free template. 

✨ This template doesn’t match your needs? You can explore our strategy template library with over 1000 templates, including: 

  • Digital Transformation Plan Template
  • Technology Roadmap Plan Template 
  • Digital Adoption Strategy Template

A well-thought-out IT strategic plan is critical for IT leaders who want their organization to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.

But it’s not enough to maintain a competitive edge and grow your business. Companies with growth-focused mindsets need a platform that makes strategic execution central to how they do business.

With Cascade, you can turn your IT vision into a future-proof strategic plan your teams can work towards and deliver business results. 

Start today with a free forever plan or book a 1:1 product tour with Cascade's in-house strategy expert.

Popular articles

it strategic planning examples

How To Implement The Balanced Scorecard Framework (With Examples)

it strategic planning examples

The Best Management Reporting Software For Strategy Officers (2024 Guide)

it strategic planning examples

How To Set And Execute Strategic Priorities

it strategic planning examples

How To Implement Effective Strategic Planning In Healthcare

Your toolkit for strategy success.

it strategic planning examples

The Change Management Blog

Thank you! We will contact you in the near future.

Thanks for your interest, we will get back to you shortly

  • Change Management Tools
  • Organizational Development
  • Organizational Change

walkme

Home » Change Management » Creating an IT Strategic Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for CIOs and IT Leaders

Creating an IT Strategic Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for CIOs and IT Leaders

Creating an IT Strategic Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for CIOs and IT Leaders

According to a McKinsey survey, the proliferation of disruptive technologies emerging as a response to the pandemic “ speeded the adoption of digital technologies by several years—and many of these changes could be here for the long haul .” 

From shifting to remote work to implementing safety protocols, the pandemic has disrupted how businesses operate and interact with their customers at every level. The rise of virtual events, contactless payments, and online shopping has challenged traditional business models and forced companies to innovate.

Despite being a few years removed from the unprecedented events of COVID-19, major industries worldwide are still figuring out how to adapt and transform to the new normal. 

Change managment ebook guide for donwload

63% of firms are still experiencing revenue levels below what they were before the pandemic, while 76% of firms have either reduced their workforce or put a hold on hiring, according to the Federal Reserves SCBS 2022 survey.

63% of firms are still experiencing revenue levels below what they were before the pandemic

As such, enterprises must rapidly accelerate digital transformation efforts to become future-ready and remain viable in their respective markets. CIOs must avoid deploying short-sighted IT strategies and solutions that only remedy immediate needs and instead align with those that facilitate overall organizational development .

Siloed tech investments that barely scratch the surface of true transformation are no longer enough.

CIOs and IT leaders need to deploy an IT strategic plan that provides a holistic view of the entire IT ecosystem, and that aligns with the ITIL framework – along with the provision of change management efforts that expedite this process.

This article discusses creating an IT strategic plan and provides a step-by-step guide for CIOs and IT leaders. We define an IT strategic plan, who’s responsible for developing it, and the benefits of having one. We cover the essential pillars of a successful IT strategic plan and provide practical examples from various industries. By the end of this guide, we’ll have equipped readers with the tools and knowledge necessary to help create a comprehensive IT strategic plan.

What is an IT Strategic Plan?

An IT strategic plan (Information Technology strategic plan) is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines an organization’s approach to using technology to achieve long-term goals and objectives. It provides a framework for aligning technology investments with business goals and helps guide decision-making around IT initiatives and projects.

SWZD states that “ adoption plans have grown significantly YoY for newer technologies such as 5G, edge computing, serverless computing, 3D printing, VR, and blockchain .” 

A well-crafted plan considers an organization’s current and future technology needs, as well as its budget, resources, and constraints. It identifies critical systems and applications that support business operations and outlines strategies for managing those systems over time, including upgrades, maintenance, and security measures.

An effective IT strategic plan also includes a clear vision for how technology can drive innovation and growth for the organization.

It explores emerging technologies and trends and assesses their potential impact on the business. It also includes a plan for training and developing IT staff and ensuring they have the skills and knowledge to effectively manage and support technology systems.

Companies that invest in Information Technology (IT) tend to experience higher productivity levels than those that don’t.

Overall, an IT Strategic Plan is a crucial tool for organizations that wish to leverage technology to stay competitive and achieve their goals. It provides a roadmap for aligning technology investments with business objectives and helps ensure that technology initiatives are properly managed and executed to achieve optimal results.

Who’s Responsible for Developing an IT Strategic Plan?

Developing an IT strategic plan is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. 

As such, organizations must assign responsibility to a capable team or individual who can deliver a comprehensive plan that aligns with the company’s goals.

Generally speaking, the responsibility of developing an IT strategic plan falls on senior management or IT leaders, such as a Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This is because creating an IT strategic plan involves technical expertise and a keen understanding of business objectives and budget constraints.

A new study from CIO found that IT leaders spent most of their time on practical and transformational work this year, similar to the previous year of 2022.

The IT strategic planning process also requires input from different departments of an organization, including finance, marketing, and operations. IT leaders can collaborate with these teams to gather relevant information, identify gaps and opportunities, and create a prioritized roadmap.

It’s also important for IT leaders to engage with the broader organization and stakeholders to ensure that the strategic plan aligns with the company’s overall mission and vision. This helps to ensure that the IT strategic plan is not isolated and contributes to the organization’s success.

The Benefits of an IT Strategic Plan

The Benefits of an IT Strategic Plan

An IT strategic plan offers a multitude of benefits to an organization. At its core, such a plan provides a roadmap for successful and sustainable IT operations; it aligns IT initiatives and resources with business strategy, identifying opportunities for innovation, growth, and improvement across the enterprise.

Consequently, a sound strategic plan can enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve IT performance, thereby improving overall business performance. 

By laying out clear goals, timelines, budgets, and performance metrics, an IT strategic plan can help a company prioritize and allocate resources more effectively; this leads to greater operational agility and responsiveness, increased innovation, and a more competitive market position in the long run.

Moreover, an IT strategic plan supports organizational decision-making and governance while enhancing risk management and security practices. By identifying potential risks and establishing mitigation strategies, a strategic plan anticipates and addresses potential cybersecurity threats, disaster recovery, competitive pressures, and changing market conditions.

Ultimately, implementing and executing a well-designed IT strategic plan can lead to long-term benefits such as increased growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction, while also enhancing organizational agility and competitiveness. 

According to Gartner’s forecast, IT spending is expected to increase in all regions worldwide despite global economic turbulence. The report estimates that by 2023, worldwide IT spending will reach $4.6 trillion in total value, representing a 5.5% increase from the previous year.

5 Vital Steps of the IT Strategic Planning Process

5 Vital Steps of the IT Strategic Planning Process

Developing a strategic IT plan is fundamental to the success of any modern business. Effective planning and execution require a methodical, well-structured approach. 

By following these five key steps, CIOs and IT leaders can develop a comprehensive strategy designed to meet your organization’s current and future needs and help achieve your business objectives.

Step 1: Identify Your Strategic Objectives

The first step in developing your IT strategy involves identifying your goals and desired outcomes.  

To accomplish this, you must understand your organization’s current state and what you hope to achieve through your IT strategy. This clarity will help you determine what success looks like, allowing you to measure your progress over time.

Step 2: Craft a Vision Statement

Once you have identified your strategic objectives, the next step is to create a vision statement that reflects your IT strategy’s aspirations. 

This statement should outline the purpose of your IT plan and explain how it will achieve your organization’s goals. By aligning your IT leaders and team members to your cause, your vision statement will inspire them to work towards a common set of objectives.

Step 3: Assess Your Current IT Resources and Capabilities

In order to create an effective IT strategy, you must assess your current IT resources and capabilities. This includes evaluating your existing technology to identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement. 

By understanding your IT department’s strengths and weaknesses, you can identify specific areas for improvement and ensure that your IT strategy is designed to address your organization’s unique needs.

Step 4: Create an Actionable Plan

In this penultimate step, you must create an actionable plan to achieve your IT strategy’s goals. This involves creating an IT roadmap that outlines the tasks, resources, and timelines required to achieve your desired outcomes. 

By focusing on specific initiatives and tracking progress over time, you can adjust your IT strategy as necessary to ensure it remains aligned with your organization’s evolving needs.

Step 5: Implement the Strategy and Measure Results

Implementing your IT strategy involves setting up the necessary systems and processes to execute your plan effectively. 

You’ll need to allocate resources, manage projects, and maintain governance. After implementation, regularly monitor progress, measure results against KPIs, and adjust your approach accordingly. Change management tools can help you gain insights into the effectiveness of your IT strategy and identify opportunities for further technology investment.

IT Strategic Plan Examples

Strategic IT planning is a critical activity that ensures the effective use of technology to achieve a company’s goals and objectives. However, given that companies have varying objectives, strategic IT plans can take on many forms. 

Depending on an organization’s nature, scope, and size, the format of strategic IT plans can differ significantly. For instance, a small business might have a basic plan that outlines its technology requirements. At the same time, a larger conglomerate may require a more comprehensive plan that covers various departments and business units.

To provide a clearer picture of the variations that exist among strategic IT plans, here are four examples for your consideration:

Harvard University IT Strategic Plan Template:

Harvard University IT Strategic Plan Template

IMAGE – Can the graphic design team please save and input the image from PAGE 6 from this link?

Resolute Technology Solutions IT Strategic Plan Template:

Resolute Technology Solutions IT Strategic Plan Template

Gartner’s IT Strategic Plan Example Template:

Gartner's IT Strategic Plan Example Template

Cascade’s IT Strategic Plan Template:

City of cambridge’s 180-day it strategic plan:.

City of CambridgeΓÇÖs 180-day IT Strategic Plan

IMAGE – Can the GD team please download and insert the image on “PAGE 116” here please?

The Best Piece of Strategic Planning Advice We Can Offer

Kirk Reickhoff , Senior Partner at McKinsey, states that a great leader provides a rough outline for the team to figure out the rest. An IT strategic plan is the foundation of your IT transformation journey, guiding your progress and ensuring continuity. It is an iterative process that requires regular updates to stay up-to-date.

However, your employees are the driving force behind your success. They are the meat and muscle of your IT organization, pushing you forward and keeping you going. An IT strategic plan can guide you, but it’s ultimately up to your team to execute it successfully.

For an IT strategic plan to be effective, it must align with and reinforce the overall business vision. It is critical to avoid siloed thinking and ensure that all technology-related investments and initiatives are fully integrated and help advance the organization’s broader mission and objectives. 

Every dollar spent on IT must be fully accounted for and justified based on its contribution to achieving the company’s overall goals. 

McKinsey reports that as CIOs face budgets of

McKinsey reports that as CIOs face budgets of $500 million or more, they’re increasingly seeking IT providers to help support and strengthen their internal talent’s ability to innovate and drive the company’s digital strategy. This is partly due to a desire to sustain innovation in critical business areas and those that interact directly with customers. 

As a CIO or IT leader, it is imperative to clearly understand the business goals and how IT can aid in achieving them. By following the steps in this article, CIOs and IT leaders can begin to create a strategic plan that cultivates a collaborative process between IT and business leaders, focusing on aligning IT initiatives with the company’s overall objectives.

If you liked this article, you may also like:

Inboarding in HR: All you need to know

Inboarding in HR: All you need to know

What is Gleicher’s formula, and why does it matter?

What is Gleicher’s formula, and why does it...

it strategic planning examples

WalkMe Team

WalkMe spearheaded the Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) for associations to use the maximum capacity of their advanced resources. Utilizing man-made consciousness, AI, and context-oriented direction, WalkMe adds a powerful UI layer to raise the computerized proficiency, everything being equal.

Join the industry leaders in digital adoption

By clicking the button, you agree to the Terms and Conditions. Click Here to Read WalkMe's Privacy Policy

  • Business strategy |
  • 7 strategic planning models, plus 8 fra ...

7 strategic planning models, plus 8 frameworks to help you get started

Team Asana contributor image

Strategic planning is vital in defining where your business is going in the next three to five years. With the right strategic planning models and frameworks, you can uncover opportunities, identify risks, and create a strategic plan to fuel your organization’s success. We list the most popular models and frameworks and explain how you can combine them to create a strategic plan that fits your business.

A strategic plan is a great tool to help you hit your business goals . But sometimes, this tool needs to be updated to reflect new business priorities or changing market conditions. If you decide to use a model that already exists, you can benefit from a roadmap that’s already created. The model you choose can improve your knowledge of what works best in your organization, uncover unknown strengths and weaknesses, or help you find out how you can outpace your competitors.

In this article, we cover the most common strategic planning models and frameworks and explain when to use which one. Plus, get tips on how to apply them and which models and frameworks work well together. 

Strategic planning models vs. frameworks

First off: This is not a one-or-nothing scenario. You can use as many or as few strategic planning models and frameworks as you like. 

When your organization undergoes a strategic planning phase, you should first pick a model or two that you want to apply. This will provide you with a basic outline of the steps to take during the strategic planning process.

[Inline illustration] Strategic planning models vs. frameworks (Infographic)

During that process, think of strategic planning frameworks as the tools in your toolbox. Many models suggest starting with a SWOT analysis or defining your vision and mission statements first. Depending on your goals, though, you may want to apply several different frameworks throughout the strategic planning process.

For example, if you’re applying a scenario-based strategic plan, you could start with a SWOT and PEST(LE) analysis to get a better overview of your current standing. If one of the weaknesses you identify has to do with your manufacturing process, you could apply the theory of constraints to improve bottlenecks and mitigate risks. 

Now that you know the difference between the two, learn more about the seven strategic planning models, as well as the eight most commonly used frameworks that go along with them.

[Inline illustration] The seven strategic planning models (Infographic)

1. Basic model

The basic strategic planning model is ideal for establishing your company’s vision, mission, business objectives, and values. This model helps you outline the specific steps you need to take to reach your goals, monitor progress to keep everyone on target, and address issues as they arise.

If it’s your first strategic planning session, the basic model is the way to go. Later on, you can embellish it with other models to adjust or rewrite your business strategy as needed. Let’s take a look at what kinds of businesses can benefit from this strategic planning model and how to apply it.

Small businesses or organizations

Companies with little to no strategic planning experience

Organizations with few resources 

Write your mission statement. Gather your planning team and have a brainstorming session. The more ideas you can collect early in this step, the more fun and rewarding the analysis phase will feel.

Identify your organization’s goals . Setting clear business goals will increase your team’s performance and positively impact their motivation.

Outline strategies that will help you reach your goals. Ask yourself what steps you have to take in order to reach these goals and break them down into long-term, mid-term, and short-term goals .

Create action plans to implement each of the strategies above. Action plans will keep teams motivated and your organization on target.

Monitor and revise the plan as you go . As with any strategic plan, it’s important to closely monitor if your company is implementing it successfully and how you can adjust it for a better outcome.

2. Issue-based model

Also called goal-based planning model, this is essentially an extension of the basic strategic planning model. It’s a bit more dynamic and very popular for companies that want to create a more comprehensive plan.

Organizations with basic strategic planning experience

Businesses that are looking for a more comprehensive plan

Conduct a SWOT analysis . Assess your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with a SWOT analysis to get a better overview of what your strategic plan should focus on. We’ll give into how to conduct a SWOT analysis when we get into the strategic planning frameworks below.

Identify and prioritize major issues and/or goals. Based on your SWOT analysis, identify and prioritize what your strategic plan should focus on this time around.

Develop your main strategies that address these issues and/or goals. Aim to develop one overarching strategy that addresses your highest-priority goal and/or issue to keep this process as simple as possible.

Update or create a mission and vision statement . Make sure that your business’s statements align with your new or updated strategy. If you haven’t already, this is also a chance for you to define your organization’s values.

Create action plans. These will help you address your organization’s goals, resource needs, roles, and responsibilities. 

Develop a yearly operational plan document. This model works best if your business repeats the strategic plan implementation process on an annual basis, so use a yearly operational plan to capture your goals, progress, and opportunities for next time.

Allocate resources for your year-one operational plan. Whether you need funding or dedicated team members to implement your first strategic plan, now is the time to allocate all the resources you’ll need.

Monitor and revise the strategic plan. Record your lessons learned in the operational plan so you can revisit and improve it for the next strategic planning phase.

The issue-based plan can repeat on an annual basis (or less often once you resolve the issues). It’s important to update the plan every time it’s in action to ensure it’s still doing the best it can for your organization.

You don’t have to repeat the full process every year—rather, focus on what’s a priority during this run.

3. Alignment model

This model is also called strategic alignment model (SAM) and is one of the most popular strategic planning models. It helps you align your business and IT strategies with your organization’s strategic goals. 

You’ll have to consider four equally important, yet different perspectives when applying the alignment strategic planning model:

Strategy execution: The business strategy driving the model

Technology potential: The IT strategy supporting the business strategy

Competitive potential: Emerging IT capabilities that can create new products and services

Service level: Team members dedicated to creating the best IT system in the organization

Ideally, your strategy will check off all the criteria above—however, it’s more likely you’ll have to find a compromise. 

Here’s how to create a strategic plan using the alignment model and what kinds of companies can benefit from it.

Organizations that need to fine-tune their strategies

Businesses that want to uncover issues that prevent them from aligning with their mission

Companies that want to reassess objectives or correct problem areas that prevent them from growing

Outline your organization’s mission, programs, resources, and where support is needed. Before you can improve your statements and approaches, you need to define what exactly they are.

Identify what internal processes are working and which ones aren’t. Pinpoint which processes are causing problems, creating bottlenecks , or could otherwise use improving. Then prioritize which internal processes will have the biggest positive impact on your business.

Identify solutions. Work with the respective teams when you’re creating a new strategy to benefit from their experience and perspective on the current situation.

Update your strategic plan with the solutions. Update your strategic plan and monitor if implementing it is setting your business up for improvement or growth. If not, you may have to return to the drawing board and update your strategic plan with new solutions.

4. Scenario model

The scenario model works great if you combine it with other models like the basic or issue-based model. This model is particularly helpful if you need to consider external factors as well. These can be government regulations, technical, or demographic changes that may impact your business.

Organizations trying to identify strategic issues and goals caused by external factors

Identify external factors that influence your organization. For example, you should consider demographic, regulation, or environmental factors.

Review the worst case scenario the above factors could have on your organization. If you know what the worst case scenario for your business looks like, it’ll be much easier to prepare for it. Besides, it’ll take some of the pressure and surprise out of the mix, should a scenario similar to the one you create actually occur.

Identify and discuss two additional hypothetical organizational scenarios. On top of your worst case scenario, you’ll also want to define the best case and average case scenarios. Keep in mind that the worst case scenario from the previous step can often provoke strong motivation to change your organization for the better. However, discussing the other two will allow you to focus on the positive—the opportunities your business may have ahead.

Identify and suggest potential strategies or solutions. Everyone on the team should now brainstorm different ways your business could potentially respond to each of the three scenarios. Discuss the proposed strategies as a team afterward.

Uncover common considerations or strategies for your organization. There’s a good chance that your teammates come up with similar solutions. Decide which ones you like best as a team or create a new one together.

Identify the most likely scenario and the most reasonable strategy. Finally, examine which of the three scenarios is most likely to occur in the next three to five years and how your business should respond to potential changes.

5. Self-organizing model

Also called the organic planning model, the self-organizing model is a bit different from the linear approaches of the other models. You’ll have to be very patient with this method. 

This strategic planning model is all about focusing on the learning and growing process rather than achieving a specific goal. Since the organic model concentrates on continuous improvement , the process is never really over.

Large organizations that can afford to take their time

Businesses that prefer a more naturalistic, organic planning approach that revolves around common values, communication, and shared reflection

Companies that have a clear understanding of their vision

Define and communicate your organization’s cultural values . Your team can only think clearly and with solutions in mind when they have a clear understanding of your organization's values.

Communicate the planning group’s vision for the organization. Define and communicate the vision with everyone involved in the strategic planning process. This will align everyone’s ideas with your company’s vision.

Discuss what processes will help realize the organization’s vision on a regular basis. Meet every quarter to discuss strategies or tactics that will move your organization closer to realizing your vision.

6. Real-time model

This fluid model can help organizations that deal with rapid changes to their work environment. There are three levels of success in the real-time model: 

Organizational: At the organizational level, you’re forming strategies in response to opportunities or trends.

Programmatic: At the programmatic level, you have to decide how to respond to specific outcomes or environmental changes.

Operational: On the operational level, you will study internal systems, policies, and people to develop a strategy for your company.

Figuring out your competitive advantage can be difficult, but this is absolutely crucial to ensure success. Whether it’s a unique asset or strength your organization has or an outstanding execution of services or programs—it’s important that you can set yourself apart from others in the industry to succeed.

Companies that need to react quickly to changing environments

Businesses that are seeking new tools to help them align with their organizational strategy

Define your mission and vision statement. If you ever feel stuck formulating your company’s mission or vision statement, take a look at those of others. Maybe Asana’s vision statement sparks some inspiration.

Research, understand, and learn from competitor strategy and market trends. Pick a handful of competitors in your industry and find out how they’ve created success for themselves. How did they handle setbacks or challenges? What kinds of challenges did they even encounter? Are these common scenarios in the market? Learn from your competitors by finding out as much as you can about them.

Study external environments. At this point, you can combine the real-time model with the scenario model to find solutions to threats and opportunities outside of your control.

Conduct a SWOT analysis of your internal processes, systems, and resources. Besides the external factors your team has to consider, it’s also important to look at your company’s internal environment and how well you’re prepared for different scenarios.

Develop a strategy. Discuss the results of your SWOT analysis to develop a business strategy that builds toward organizational, programmatic, and operational success.

Rinse and repeat. Monitor how well the new strategy is working for your organization and repeat the planning process as needed to ensure you’re on top or, perhaps, ahead of the game. 

7. Inspirational model

This last strategic planning model is perfect to inspire and energize your team as they work toward your organization’s goals. It’s also a great way to introduce or reconnect your employees to your business strategy after a merger or acquisition.

Businesses with a dynamic and inspired start-up culture

Organizations looking for inspiration to reinvigorate the creative process

Companies looking for quick solutions and strategy shifts

Gather your team to discuss an inspirational vision for your organization. The more people you can gather for this process, the more input you will receive.

Brainstorm big, hairy audacious goals and ideas. Encouraging your team not to hold back with ideas that may seem ridiculous will do two things: for one, it will mitigate the fear of contributing bad ideas. But more importantly, it may lead to a genius idea or suggestion that your team wouldn’t have thought of if they felt like they had to think inside of the box.

Assess your organization’s resources. Find out if your company has the resources to implement your new ideas. If they don’t, you’ll have to either adjust your strategy or allocate more resources.

Develop a strategy balancing your resources and brainstorming ideas. Far-fetched ideas can grow into amazing opportunities but they can also bear great risk. Make sure to balance ideas with your strategic direction. 

Now, let’s dive into the most commonly used strategic frameworks.

8. SWOT analysis framework

One of the most popular strategic planning frameworks is the SWOT analysis . A SWOT analysis is a great first step in identifying areas of opportunity and risk—which can help you create a strategic plan that accounts for growth and prepares for threats.

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Here’s an example:

[Inline illustration] SWOT analysis (Example)

9. OKRs framework

A big part of strategic planning is setting goals for your company. That’s where OKRs come into play. 

OKRs stand for objective and key results—this goal-setting framework helps your organization set and achieve goals. It provides a somewhat holistic approach that you can use to connect your team’s work to your organization’s big-picture goals.  When team members understand how their individual work contributes to the organization’s success, they tend to be more motivated and produce better results

10. Balanced scorecard (BSC) framework

The balanced scorecard is a popular strategic framework for businesses that want to take a more holistic approach rather than just focus on their financial performance. It was designed by David Norton and Robert Kaplan in the 1990s, it’s used by companies around the globe to: 

Communicate goals

Align their team’s daily work with their company’s strategy

Prioritize products, services, and projects

Monitor their progress toward their strategic goals

Your balanced scorecard will outline four main business perspectives:

Customers or clients , meaning their value, satisfaction, and/or retention

Financial , meaning your effectiveness in using resources and your financial performance

Internal process , meaning your business’s quality and efficiency

Organizational capacity , meaning your organizational culture, infrastructure and technology, and human resources

With the help of a strategy map, you can visualize and communicate how your company is creating value. A strategy map is a simple graphic that shows cause-and-effect connections between strategic objectives. 

The balanced scorecard framework is an amazing tool to use from outlining your mission, vision, and values all the way to implementing your strategic plan .

You can use an integration like Lucidchart to create strategy maps for your business in Asana.

11. Porter’s Five Forces framework

If you’re using the real-time strategic planning model, Porter’s Five Forces are a great framework to apply. You can use it to find out what your product’s or service’s competitive advantage is before entering the market.

Developed by Michael E. Porter , the framework outlines five forces you have to be aware of and monitor:

[Inline illustration] Porter’s Five Forces framework (Infographic)

Threat of new industry entrants: Any new entry into the market results in increased pressure on prices and costs. 

Competition in the industry: The more competitors that exist, the more difficult it will be for you to create value in the market with your product or service.

Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers can wield more power if there are less alternatives for buyers or it’s expensive, time consuming, or difficult to switch to a different supplier.

Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers can wield more power if the same product or service is available elsewhere with little to no difference in quality.

Threat of substitutes: If another company already covers the market’s needs, you’ll have to create a better product or service or make it available for a lower price at the same quality in order to compete.

Remember, industry structures aren’t static. The more dynamic your strategic plan is, the better you’ll be able to compete in a market.

12. VRIO framework

The VRIO framework is another strategic planning tool designed to help you evaluate your competitive advantage. VRIO stands for value, rarity, imitability, and organization.

It’s a resource-based theory developed by Jay Barney. With this framework, you can study your firmed resources and find out whether or not your company can transform them into sustained competitive advantages. 

Firmed resources can be tangible (e.g., cash, tools, inventory, etc.) or intangible (e.g., copyrights, trademarks, organizational culture, etc.). Whether these resources will actually help your business once you enter the market depends on four qualities:

Valuable : Will this resource either increase your revenue or decrease your costs and thereby create value for your business?

Rare : Are the resources you’re using rare or can others use your resources as well and therefore easily provide the same product or service?

Inimitable : Are your resources either inimitable or non-substitutable? In other words, how unique and complex are your resources?

Organizational: Are you organized enough to use your resources in a way that captures their value, rarity, and inimitability?

It’s important that your resources check all the boxes above so you can ensure that you have sustained competitive advantage over others in the industry.

13. Theory of Constraints (TOC) framework

If the reason you’re currently in a strategic planning process is because you’re trying to mitigate risks or uncover issues that could hurt your business—this framework should be in your toolkit.

The theory of constraints (TOC) is a problem-solving framework that can help you identify limiting factors or bottlenecks preventing your organization from hitting OKRs or KPIs . 

Whether it’s a policy, market, or recourse constraint—you can apply the theory of constraints to solve potential problems, respond to issues, and empower your team to improve their work with the resources they have.

14. PEST/PESTLE analysis framework

The idea of the PEST analysis is similar to that of the SWOT analysis except that you’re focusing on external factors and solutions. It’s a great framework to combine with the scenario-based strategic planning model as it helps you define external factors connected to your business’s success.

PEST stands for political, economic, sociological, and technological factors. Depending on your business model, you may want to expand this framework to include legal and environmental factors as well (PESTLE). These are the most common factors you can include in a PESTLE analysis:

Political: Taxes, trade tariffs, conflicts

Economic: Interest and inflation rate, economic growth patterns, unemployment rate

Social: Demographics, education, media, health

Technological: Communication, information technology, research and development, patents

Legal: Regulatory bodies, environmental regulations, consumer protection

Environmental: Climate, geographical location, environmental offsets

15. Hoshin Kanri framework

Hoshin Kanri is a great tool to communicate and implement strategic goals. It’s a planning system that involves the entire organization in the strategic planning process. The term is Japanese and stands for “compass management” and is also known as policy management. 

This strategic planning framework is a top-down approach that starts with your leadership team defining long-term goals which are then aligned and communicated with every team member in the company. 

You should hold regular meetings to monitor progress and update the timeline to ensure that every teammate’s contributions are aligned with the overarching company goals.

Stick to your strategic goals

Whether you’re a small business just starting out or a nonprofit organization with decades of experience, strategic planning is a crucial step in your journey to success. 

If you’re looking for a tool that can help you and your team define, organize, and implement your strategic goals, Asana is here to help. Our goal-setting software allows you to connect all of your team members in one place, visualize progress, and stay on target.

Related resources

it strategic planning examples

Business impact analysis: 4 steps to prepare for anything

it strategic planning examples

The beginner’s guide to business process management (BPM)

it strategic planning examples

Project portfolio management 101

it strategic planning examples

Marketing campaign management: 7 steps for success

it strategic planning examples

See NinjaOne in action!

Understanding IT Strategic Planning: Overview with Examples

Makenzie Buenning

  • by Makenzie Buenning   |  reviewed by Matt Law
  • Last updated September 5, 2023

Understanding IT Strategic Planning blog banner

Just as proactivity is a necessary virtue for a great IT team, the capacity for IT strategic planning is also essential. A good strategic plan will be an IT roadmap that clearly directs your organization’s IT goals and strategies for the next few years. Strategic planning should also align your service goals with the organization’s broader goals to ensure business continuity and effective disaster prevention and recovery.  

Predicting how things will change can be difficult as the workplace increasingly relies on remote connectivity and cloud-based applications. Companies used to be able to rely on most employees working within the confines of the organization’s network on devices strictly used for work activities. However, this is no longer the case with the increase in hybrid and remote work . IT service providers have more challenges ahead than ever; you must engage in strategic planning to adequately address them. 

What is IT strategic planning?

Your IT strategic planning should result in guidelines or overall goals for your organization, specifically for your technological infrastructure. These plans are the broad strokes that correspond with your organization’s overall goals, which are somewhat different from the day-to-day IT strategies that you employ for solving problems, addressing vulnerabilities, and managing assets. Strategic planning takes the long view, giving you goals to work toward while implementing your IT strategies.

There is a connection between IT strategic planning and organizational strategic planning. In IT strategic planning, you set goals that typically extend up to five years in the future, and these goals involve your infrastructure management but correspond to the organization’s general strategic plans. Your IT goals should complement and support your organization’s goals, and generally, what happens in the IT department tends to affect the rest of the organization, whether that’s successful implementation of remote connectivity or failure to contain malware. 

The importance of IT strategic planning

Enhance decision-making.

With a well-considered framework that outlines your goals, you can simplify and enhance your decision-making processes and improve resource allocation. Rather than making one-off decisions based only on the information you have at the moment, you can factor in your organization’s goals and make more well-informed decisions. Clearly-outlined objectives allow you to evaluate options more quickly while retaining a clear sense of purpose. 

You can also delegate tasks to your team, knowing they can compare their action plans against the preset guidelines. A clear plan also helps your team mitigate risks and address challenges without losing sight of the big picture. 

Improve IT purchases

When you consider software or hardware purchases, IT strategic planning provides guidance to help you determine whether a purchase will ultimately benefit your long-term goals. If you’re trying to prioritize projects, it helps to know where you want to be in three years so that you can first complete those projects that most contribute to those goals.

Anticipate organizational needs

Another advantage of strategic planning and IT forecasting is an early assessment of your organization’s needs over time. By anticipating how your infrastructure may need to change and stretch to reach the goals you set in your plan, you drive innovation and technological advancements within the organization. 

IT agility and adaptability

Finally, strategic planning enables agility and adaptability in a dynamic IT landscape. It helps you adjust efficiently to any changes in your environment and respond appropriately to unexpected problems. Rather than getting bogged down in decision paralysis, you and your team can focus on solutions that work with the strategic plan, and you can implement solutions that have been developed proactively.

5 key components of an IT strategic plan

An effective IT strategic plan includes several key components that ensure the plan is relevant, useful, and comprehensive. When you create your plan, be sure to:

  • Align IT projects with business objectives: When you create your IT strategic plan, it should be influenced by your company’s overall strategic planning. Whether certain financial goals or growth targets are in mind, your plan should reflect and support those efforts. When you’re scheduling projects, prioritize the projects that most support company goals first.
  • Create an IT roadmap for future technology adoption and upgrades: As with projects, any upgrades or purchases should be organized so that the first priority is whatever best supports the long-term goals. For example, if your organization wants to double its revenue over five years, making the aging website more user-friendly will come before company-wide workstation upgrades.
  • Create IT policies and procedures for cybersecurity and data protection: Part of strategic planning means being proactive about disaster prevention. A malware attack can set your organization’s goals back through lost money and uptime, and a data leak can quickly damage your business’s reputation. The effects from disasters such as these can be mitigated (or potentially avoided) through effective and proactive preparation. When it comes to your security, you don’t want to be caught off guard. Create policies and access controls that limit access to data and infrastructure.
  • Standardize IT services: Establishing a standard way of providing services keeps technicians focused and reduces the time they spend working on a problem. This also makes it easier for technicians to step in and out of projects or support tasks; the person who takes over is better equipped to get to work if they don’t have to be debriefed on the exact process for a particular task. You should also establish new required services and best practices to keep things moving smoothly in the future.
  • Establish goals, performance metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs): Essential guidelines are good, but assessing your own performance without measurements is difficult. When you create your goals, they should be both conceptual and quantitative. To return to the earlier example, if your company wants to double revenue in five years, it should have annual benchmarks, and your plan should provide goals for performance that contribute to those benchmarks. It’s also essential to assess whether your technology still effectively supports those goals or upgrades are needed to improve performance. 

IT strategic planning process

Now that you know what your IT strategic planning should involve, the next step is understanding the key components for creating that strategic plan. 

Gathering and analyzing data on current IT infrastructure and capabilities is needed to create a baseline. For a firm grasp on what you can reasonably achieve, it’s also important to inventory your resources. Do IT capacity planning to ensure that your current hardware, data storage solutions, and resources are enough to scale as your organization grows.

You should also consider IT asset lifecycle management for efficient asset utilization and retirement. Many organizations find that multiple departments track assets (sometimes redundantly and sometimes not at all), making device inventory inefficient and often inaccurate. To get an accurate idea of your available resources, centralize your IT asset management. Once you know where you stand, you can identify where you want to go. 

Long-term goals

Look at emerging technologies and industry trends, and evaluate how they might help you achieve your organization’s goals. For example, remote work has become increasingly common, and staying ahead of the curve for securing remote devices and improving connectivity and communication may be a desirable area of focus in your planning.

Create an IT mission that aligns with your organization’s overall mission so that your efforts benefit the entire company over several years. Your plan should be forward-thinking and allow you to look beyond immediate crises, and it needs to be flexible enough to allow for revision over time.

Also, consider the financial angle. IT can only take up a little of the budget as it is only one part of a larger organization. Ensure that you’re considering your organization’s financial forecasts and potential IT infrastructure spending over the next three to five years, and ensure that the two projections are compatible. If they are not, you should consider how to cut costs, better allocate resources, and increase efficiency to align with your company’s budget.   

Short-term actions

Developing specific strategies and action plans for the short-term is necessary as well, however. When making your plan, create an IT roadmap with tasks or action items that you can act upon in the near future. 

For example, suppose your organization’s goal is to increase efficiency. In that case, one of your action items could be implementing a remote maintenance and monitoring solution to decrease the time IT technicians spend traveling and completing basic tasks. Also, you could consider IT asset management (ITAM) software to track and optimize IT resources. 

Evaluations

Finally, you should implement, monitor, and evaluate the IT strategic plan. It may take a few weeks or months to work out all the bugs in your plan, so be sure to regularly ensure that your IT roadmap has been effective guidance for your tasks and that current projects are fully aligned with your goals. 

Remember, a strategic plan is not necessarily finished once every five years. You should periodically review your goals and priorities to adjust for any changes in resource availability, financial forecasts, or organizational realignments. 

Planning for IT and organizational success

The challenges IT professionals face are unprecedented, but by strategically planning your IT approach, you can become adaptable without losing sight of your organization’s goals. By implementing a plan that accounts for the organization’s mission and business success, your team can improve its project prioritization, independent decision-making, and financial salience.

An effective IT strategy involves long-term and short-term goals, accurate assessments of current and future resources, and periodic reevaluations. This process will take time and resources, but once the plan is in place, your team will be more effective and efficient, leading to greater IT team success and total organizational success.

Building an efficient and effective IT team requires a centralized solution that acts as your core service deliver tool. NinjaOne enables IT teams to monitor, manage, secure, and support all their devices, wherever they are, without the need for complex on-premises infrastructure.

Learn more about  Ninja Endpoint Management , check out a  live tour , or  start your free trial of the NinjaOne platform .

  • Category: IT Ops

You might also like

Cost of Virtualization featured image

What is the Cost of Virtualization? Virtualize IT Systems

How to Implement Zero Trust for Enhanced Cybersecurity A Practical Guide blog banner image

How to Implement Zero Trust for Enhanced Cybersecurity: A Practical Guide

What Is AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations) blog banner image

What Is AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations)?

GitLab vs GitHub Which is the Better Version Control System blog banner image

GitLab vs GitHub: Which is the Better Version Control System?

Mastering Git Stash: A Novice's Guide blog banner image

What Is Git Stash? Definition & How-To Guide

How to Use DISM Command for Windows Image Deployment and Servicing blog banner image

How to Use the DISM Command for Windows Image Deployment and Servicing

Ready to become an it ninja.

Learn how NinjaOne can help you simplify IT operations.

By clicking the “I Accept” button below, you indicate your acceptance of the following legal terms as well as our Terms of Use :

  • Ownership Rights : NinjaOne owns and will continue to own all right, title, and interest in and to the script (including the copyright). NinjaOne is giving you a limited license to use the script in accordance with these legal terms.
  • Use Limitation : You may only use the script for your legitimate personal or internal business purposes, and you may not share the script with another party.
  • Republication Prohibition : Under no circumstances are you permitted to re-publish the script in any script library belonging to or under the control of any other software provider.
  • Warranty Disclaimer : The script is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranty of any kind. NinjaOne makes no promise or guarantee that the script will be free from defects or that it will meet your specific needs or expectations.
  • Assumption of Risk : Your use of the script is at your own risk. You acknowledge that there are certain inherent risks in using the script, and you understand and assume each of those risks.
  • Waiver and Release : You will not hold NinjaOne responsible for any adverse or unintended consequences resulting from your use of the script, and you waive any legal or equitable rights or remedies you may have against NinjaOne relating to your use of the script.
  • EULA : If you are a NinjaOne customer, your use of the script is subject to the End User License Agreement applicable to you (EULA).

Examples of Strategic Plan

Examples of a Strategic Plan to Achieve Long-Term Growth

Team Ninety, Author at Work From Anywhere

This is a comprehensive guide on strategic planning for small to midsize companies.

If you want to:

  • Move your organization in the direction you intend for long-term success,
  • Implement your plan smoothly for greater growth,
  • Use a better platform for developing a truly effective strategic plan,

… then you’ll love this guide. Let’s get started.

What’s Covered in This Guide

Click on each to jump to that section.

What is Strategic Planning?

What does strategic planning mean, what is the goal of strategic planning.

  • What is Strategic Leadership?

4 Strategic Planning Strategies

The strategic planning process [11 steps], what does strategic planning involve.

  • How to Implement Your Strategic Plan

Examples of Strategic Plans

Get your strategic planning done on ninety.

Strategic planning is the process you use to:

  • Establish and document a clear direction for your organization.
  • Identify business goals and set priorities that create growth for your company.
  • Formulate a long-term plan of action designed to achieve these objectives.
  • Determine an internal system tracking and evaluating performance.

When organizations want to, they use a strategic plan to:

  • Strengthen their operation.
  • Focus on collective energy and resources.
  • Enable leaders, teams, and other stakeholders to work toward common goals.
  • Make agreements around desired results.
  • Refresh direction and prevail over a changing or challenging environment.

Thinking strategically helps companies take the right action for more success and better outcomes. Some even call it an art.

Strategic planning is one of three essential ways to pursue important objectives for your company. When tackling challenges and determining action plans, you can think strategically, tactically, or operationally. These three thought processes often work in concert to help you create a framework that achieves your desired objectives.

  • Strategic plans are designed for multilevel involvement throughout the entire organization. Leaders will look ahead to where they want to be in three, five, and ten years and develop a mission.
  • Tactical plans support strategic plans. They outline the specific responsibilities and functionalities at the department level so employees know how to do their part to make the strategic plan successful.
  • Operational plans focus on the highly detailed procedures, processes, and routine tasks that frontline employees must accomplish to achieve desired outcomes.

The goal of your strategic plan is to determine:

  • Where your company stands in relation to the current business environment. Understand how your business operates, how you create value, and how you differentiate from your competitors.
  • Where you want to take the business based on long-term objectives such as your company’s vision, mission, culture, values, and goals. Envision how you see the company five or ten years from now.
  • What you need to do to get there. You come away from your planning sessions with a roadmap that helps deliver on your strategic objectives. Determine better ways to enable and implement change, schedule deadlines, and structure goals, so they’re achievable.

The main purpose of your strategic plan is to create clearly defined goals for achieving the growth and success of your organization. These goals are connected to your organization’s mission and long-term vision.

What is Strategic Leadership? 

Strategic leadership is how you create, implement, and sustain your strategic plan, so your organization moves in the direction you intend for long-term success. This usually involves establishing ongoing practices and benchmarks, allocating resources, and providing leadership that supports your strategic mission and vision statement.

Strategic leadership, also known as strategy execution, can employ two different approaches:

  • A prescriptive approach is analytical and focuses on how strategies are created to account for risks and opportunities.
  • A descriptive approach is principle-driven and focuses on how strategies are implemented to account for risks and opportunities.

Most people agree that a strategic plan is only as good as the company’s ability to research, create, implement, evaluate, and adjust when needed. The benefits can be great when:

  • Your entire organization supports the plan.
  • Your business is set up to succeed.
  • Your employees are more likely to stay on track without being distracted or derailed.
  • You make better decisions based on metrics that facilitate course correction.
  • Everyone in your company is involved and invested in better outcomes.
  • Departments and teams are aligned across your company.
  • People are committed to learning and training.
  • Productivity increases, and performance improves.
  • Creativity is encouraged and rewarded.

What are the four main points of strategic planning? You engage in strategic thinking so you can create effective company goals that are:

Purpose-driven

Align your strategic plan with the company’s purpose and values as you understand them.

Actionable strategic goals are worth spending your time and resources on to reach organizational objectives.

It’s critical for you to track your strategy's progress and success, enabling your teams to take action and meet the goals more effectively.

Focused Long-term

A long-term focus distinguishes a strategic plan from operational goals, which involve daily activities and milestones required for success. When planning strategically, you’re looking ahead to the company’s future.

A strategic plan isn’t written in a day. Critical thinking evolves over several months. Those involved in the strategic planning are usually a team of leaders and employees from your company and possibly other stakeholders.

When should strategic planning be done?

You should plan strategically for start-ups and newer organizations from the start. But even if your company is more established, it’s not too late to start working on strategy.

Flexible timing that’s tailored to the needs of your organization is smart. Although the frequency of strategy sessions is up to you, many leaders use these milestones as a guide:

  • When the economy, your market, and industry trends change, or a global event occurs (like the onset of a pandemic).
  • Following a change in senior leadership.
  • Before a product launch or when a new division is added to your business.
  • After your company merges with another organization.
  • During a convenient time frame such as a quarterly and annual review.

Many organizations opt to schedule regular strategic reviews such as quarterly or annually. Especially when crafting a plan, your strategic planning team should meet regularly. They will often follow predetermined steps in the development of your long-term plan.

What are the 11 steps of strategic planning?

Identify your company’s strategic position in the marketplace. .

Gather market data and research information from both internal and external sources. You may want to conduct a comprehensive SWOT analysis to determine your company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats against success. Your strengths and weaknesses are directly related to your current competitive advantage within your industry. They are what you use to balance challenges to your success. They also influence the likelihood of increased market share in the future.

Define your unique vision and mission. 

What would success look like for you in three years? Five years? Ten years? Articulate that in a vision statement. How do you intend to realize your vision? That’s articulated in your mission statement. Formulating purpose-driven strategic goals articulates why your company does what it does. Your organizational values inform your mission and vision and connect them to specific objectives.

Determine your company’s value.

Many companies use financial forecasting for this purpose. A forecast can assign anticipated measurable results, return on investment (ROI), or profits and cost of investment.

Set your organizational direction.

Defining the impact you want to have and the time frame for achieving helps focus a too-broad or over-ambitious first draft. This way, your plan will have objectives that will have the most impact. 

Create specific strategic objectives.

Your strategic objectives identify the conditions for your success. For instance, they may cover:

  • Value: Increasing revenue and shareholder value, budgeting cost, allocating resources aligned with the strategic plan, forecasting profitability, and ensuring financial stability. 
  • Customer Experience: Identifying target audiences, solution-based products and services, value for the cost, better service, and increased market share.
  • Operational Efficiency: Streamlining internal processes, investing in research and development, total quality and performance priorities, reducing cost, and improving workplace safety.
  • Learning and Growth: Training leaders and teams to address change and sustain growth, improving employee productivity and retention, and building high-performing teams.

Set specific strategic initiatives.

Strategic initiatives are your company's actions to reach your strategic objectives, such as raising brand awareness, a commitment to product development, purpose-driven employee training, and more.

Develop cascading goals.

Cascading goals are like cascading messages : They filter your strategy throughout the company from top to bottom. The highest-level goals align with mid-level goals to individual goals employees must accomplish to achieve overall outcomes. This helps everyone see how their performance will influence overall success, which improves engagement and productivity.

Create alignment across the entire company.

The success of your strategy is directly impacted by your commitment to inform and engage your entire workforce in strategy implementation. This involves ensuring everyone is connected and working together to achieve your goals. Overall decision-making becomes easier and more aligned.

Consider strategy mapping.

A strategy map is an easy-to-understand diagram, graphic, or illustration that shows the logical, cause-and-effect relationship among various strategic objectives. They are used to quickly communicate how your organization creates value. It will help you communicate the details of your strategic plan better to people by tapping into their visual learning abilities.

Use metrics to measure performance.

When your strategy informs the creation of SMART organizational goals , benchmarks can be established and metrics can be assigned to evaluate performance within time frames. Key performance indicators (KPIs) align performance and productivity with long-term strategic objectives. 

Evaluate the performance of your plan regularly.

You write a strategic plan to improve your company’s overall performance. Evaluating your progress at regular intervals will tell you whether you’re on your way to achieving your objectives or whether your plan needs an adjustment.

Effective strategic planning involves creating a company culture of good communication and accountability. It involves creating and embracing the opportunity for positive change.

Consider these statistics:

  • In many companies, only 42% of leaders and 27% of employees have access to a strategic plan.
  • Even if they have access, 95% of employees do not understand their organization's strategy.
  • 5.2% of a strategy’s potential is lost to poor communication.
  • What leaders care about makes up at least 80% of the content of their communications. But those messages do not tap into around 80% of their employees’ primary motivators for putting extra energy into a change program.
  • 28% of leaders say one of the main reasons strategic initiatives succeed is the ability to attract skilled personnel; 25% say it’s good communication; 25% say it’s the ability to manage organizational change.

Here’s what you can do to embrace a culture of good communication and accountability:

Make your strategic plan visible. Talk about what's working and what isn't. People want to know where and how they fit into the organization and why their contribution is valuable. Even if they don't understand every element of the plan.

Build accountability. If you've agreed on a plan with clear objectives and priorities, your leaders have to take responsibility for what's in it. They must own the objectives and activities in your plan.

Create an environment for change. It’s much more difficult to implement a strategy if you think there will be no support or collaboration from your coworkers. Addressing their concerns will help build a culture that understands how to champion change.

Implementing Your Strategic Plan

  • 98% of leaders think strategy implementation takes more time than strategy formulation.
  • 61% of leaders acknowledge that their organizations often struggle to bridge the gap between strategy formulation and its day-to-day implementation.
  • 45% of leaders say ensuring employees take different actions or demonstrate different behaviors is the toughest implementation challenge; 37% of leaders say it’s gaining support across the whole organization.
  • 39% of leaders say one of the main reasons strategic plans succeed is skilled implementation.

The reality for so many is that it’s harder to implement a strategic plan than to craft one. Great strategic ideas and a clear direction are key to success, no matter what. But so is:

  • Turning strategic ideas into an easy-to-implement framework that enables meaningful managing, tracking, and adapting.  
  • Getting everyone in the organization on the same strategic page, from creation to execution.

When your plan is structured to support implementation, you're more likely to get it done.

What are examples of good strategic planning? There are lots of templates out there to help you create a plan document with pen and paper.

But Ninety has a better way.

The Vision planner is essentially a strategic planning template on Ninety’s cloud-based platform that allows you to:

  • Set goals, establish how you will meet them, and share them with those who need to know.
  • Gain visibility around your company values.
  • Create core values, a niche, and long-term goals that are accessible to everyone in your company.
  • Create a vision of the future that lets you know what needs to happen now.
  • Streamline and organize your processes.
  • Easily update and track changes.
  • Bring alignment to your entire organization.

And you can do all this with only two digitized pages.

In your Vision tool inside Ninety, you can easily access all the things that make strategic plans effective:

  • Executive Summary
  • Elevator Pitch
  • Mission Statement
  • Vision Statement
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
  • Industry Analysis
  • Marketing Plan
  • Operations Plan
  • Financial Projections

Vision + Goals is also completely integrated with all other features on Ninety, such as Scorecards, 90-Day Goals, To-Dos, Issues, Roles & Responsibilities Chart, Meetings, One-on-Ones, and more:

  • Create a clear vision for each team.
  • Determine one- and three-year goals.
  • Reference past versions in a Vision archive.
  • Share your Vision with all teams, or keep it private.

Now that you’ve learned how to grow your company using strategic planning, it’s time to put your knowledge into practice:

Build your strategic plan on Ninety now.

Do you want more step-by-step guides on strategy, strategic planning, and creating actionable strategic plans?  Subscribe to our blog!

You might also like:

it strategic planning examples

Is Team Health at the Forefront in Your Annual Planning Meeting?

Leadership • 7 Minute Read

Business Strategy Effective Steps

Explore 7 Business Strategy Types for Sustainable Growth

Productivity • 17 Minute Read

Reach Business Goals

Learn How to Make Rocks SMART to Hit Your Business Goals

Goals • 2 Minute Read

IdeaScale Logo

What is Strategic Planning? Definition, Importance, Model, Process and Examples

By Paul VanZandt

Published on: February 2, 2023

strategic planning

Table of Contents

What is Strategic Planning?

Importance and benefits of strategic planning, strategic planning models, strategic planning process: 6 key steps, what makes an effective strategic plan example, strategic planning example.

Strategic planning is defined as a pivotal organizational endeavor, meticulously charting the mission, goals, and objectives over a strategic timeframe, typically spanning 2-5 years. This comprehensive roadmap takes into meticulous consideration the current organizational landscape, navigating through the intricacies of prevailing legislation, the dynamic business environment, product portfolios, departmental dynamics, and the judicious allocation of budget resources. By weaving together these critical elements, a strategic plan becomes a guiding compass, steering the organization towards its vision with adaptability and foresight.

Strategic planning first entered business environments in the post-war period of the 1950s, and has been so effective that it is still widely used and applied across organizational spectrums, including non-profits.

While a strategic plan is the final outcome of the strategic planning process, here are the key factors and components that feed into creating this plan:

  • Profitability and balance sheet management

For any business, profitability and the adjacent balance sheet management is and always should be a key factor to be taken into consideration during strategic planning, depending on the size of the business. Both these factors are in fact co-dependent. For example, one of the key outcomes of a strategic plan is to set the revenue growth percentage to be achieved each year for, say, 3 years. This in turn will require an evaluation of the balance sheet, including any debt payments, dividend payout, shareholder expectations, etc.

Even if the business is a startup and is rich with investor cash to spend in acquiring customers in the short to medium term, it is still aspiring to be profitable and must lay out a larger strategic path to profitability.

  • SWOT analysis outcomes

Strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats – these are the outcomes and full terms of the abbreviated term, SWOT analysis. Strength refers to the business factors that indicate key factors that are contributing to the achievement of business outcomes. These may be factors related to sales, employee and talent retention, software stack, business efficiency, etc. Similarly, weakness refers to factors that are holding back the growth and achievement of business outcomes, such as poor margins, lack of company data management, employee attrition, etc.

Opportunity refers to areas in the business environment that the business can potentially explore. For example, one of the opportunities identified could be sales in a new market, implementing a better human resources management model, branching into new products and/ or services, etc.

  • Operations management

Operations management pertains to the cohesive movement of all moving and communicating parts to produce the company’s products or services. While creating a strategic business plan, management needs to take into account how each department and team will need to interact with each other to produce the results desired as outcomes in the strategic plan. This includes ensuring the right technology stack needed for each team including communication and collaboration technology needed for remote and on-premise task execution.

  • Human resource management

Strategic planning involves taking into account all aspects of HR and employee-related spending and policies. One of the key aspects of a strategic plan must be to ensure a harmonious work experience for employees such that it increases employee retention and helps build an environment that enhances employee productivity and workplace satisfaction.

A strategic plan is more than just a business tool, it also plays a key role in defining operational, cultural, and workplace ethics. Here are some of the key aspects of the importance of strategic planning:

1. Provides a unified goal

A strategic plan is like a unified action plan for the whole company in order to achieve common outcomes. For example, a strategic plan to achieve a certain revenue growth each year requires sales, account management, product development, and marketing teams to work together to ensure a seamless lead pipeline, customer upsells and account retention, meet customer expectations, etc.

2. Adds to management transparency

Strategic planning is more than just for direct business growth, it also helps shine clarity to employees and shareholders as to what their mid-to-long-term objectives are and how their actions are derived from these larger goals. Such a plan must always be referenced for citation and justification for key business moves and decisions to make it apparently justified and based on logic and reason. This also encourages team leads and employees to in turn be more transparent with their team members and peers with their plans and goals.

One of the issues most dreaded by investors and employees alike is management that seems to make random decisions without any clear guidance on how they help meet requirements for the final business objectives or tackle the challenges of the day. A strategic plan helps build investor and employee confidence in the management and adds to building a culture of transparency in day-to-day business operations.

3. Identifies hidden strengths and weaknesses

Many strengths and weaknesses in a company may be contributing, yet hidden factors in the path to meeting or hindering the meeting of business goals. A strategic plan’s primary input is a SWOT analysis of the company, which is conducted by auditing the firm to recognize and list strengths and weaknesses within the company. These may be a competitive product, a better monetization model, a weak employee incentive policy, etc.

The important step here is the actual deep analysis and listing down of these strengths and weaknesses and how they can be leveraged or minimized.

4. Leads to better financial health

A company with a clear strategic plan is able to better plan expenses and set the right expectations on return on investment (ROI). It takes into account balance sheets, profitability, accounting and expense management, all of which contribute to better bookkeeping and financial health of the company.

5. Improves management-employee relations

Employees and teams work in silos when the management works in silos. But when a company shares a strategic plan with employees and lays out exactly how each team will be working towards contributing to this larger plan, it gives each team and its members a sense of belonging and importance within the larger company, In today’s environment of hybrid or remote work cultures, it is a key step to ensuring that the company remains cohesive and collaborative in getting work done and meeting final objectives.

Learn more: What is Tactical Planning?

Strategic planning inputs may require one of many of the following business analysis models:

  • SWOT analysis

SWOT analysis is the process and visual template for identifying and listing a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. These are cornerstone considerations for any leadership team and play a key role in the strategic planning process.

  • Business model canvas

A business model canvas is a process used to identify and represent existing business models of an enterprise and develop new models to better meet company goals and objectives. Like SWOT analysis, the business model canvas is also a standard business template.

  • PESTEL analysis

PESTEL is an abbreviation for political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal, and PESTEL analysis aims to identify the impact of these external factors on a business.

  • Cost-benefit analysis

A cost-benefit analysis is a method of evaluating an investment in the business based on the benefits it would bring to the table. This is a good method for ensuring a healthy financial balance sheet where spending and budgeting are carefully analyzed to ensure only those investments bring back reasonable ROI.

Most companies have 2 or more product/service streams or even 2 or more businesses. A BCG matrix is a visual process of managing an enterprise’s portfolio by prioritizing profitable companies with good market share and growth.

An effective strategic planning process requires the following key steps:

1. Identify core business objectives

Strategic planning begins with first identifying your business objectives- what does it produce? What does it do better than the competition? What is the quality-profitability balance? These are examples of the questions that need to be asked to identify core business objectives. The strategic planning tools can be applied at any stage of the planning process to help answer these questions.

2. Identify the objectives of each department

Once the core business objective is ready, it needs to trickle down to an execution plan that involves each department. This in turn will result in breaking down of the core objectives into smaller objectives for the teams. This needs to be laid out with clarity and precision since the team leaders will further use this team goal to assign individual targets for members.

3. Identify potential roadblocks

Before formulating the final strategy, it is important to discuss it with relevant leaders in the company to ensure an error-free process that is achievable with minimal roadblocks. Of course, as the execution work begins, the management should be flexible enough to absorb unforeseen and small issues that are inevitable. The goal here is to avoid any big boulders which may cripple the strategy at a later stage, such as data security, pricing estimations, hiring new employees or expansion to new departments/ teams, investment in new product development, mergers and acquisition plans, etc.

4. Formulate the final strategy

Once the objectives and goals have been scanned for potential roadblocks and alterations/ safeguards have been accommodated, this is the first draft of the final strategic plan for the company. This strategy may be applicable for the foreseeable future or have a specific deadline, it should however be pulled up for revision annually. Small companies or startups who have much to learn on the way, need to keep an active eye on the larger strategy based on changing business realities.

5. Re-evaluate based on feedback

Before you iron out the processes and policies that will enable the execution of the new strategic plan of the company, it is important to hear back from your employees. This doesn’t have to be every single employee, especially if you have a large team, but to the extent possible. You may at first discuss the strategy with team leaders, who if needed, may take it further down the chain to their own team members and absorb their feedback. Complete agreement may not be possible, but it is important that both sides remain flexible while discussions are on but must be prepared to execute once the discussions are over.

6. Set or revise adjacent policies and processes

Now that the strategic plan for the business is complete and sealed, the leadership team needs to start the execution with necessary changes to the processes and policies as the need may be. This may need to include data management process changes, technology stack updates, issue escalation matrix, etc. In some cases, it may not require any change, and the right processes may already be in place with just a new direction based on the strategic plan.

Learn more: What is SWOT Analysis Framework?

Crafting a good example of a strategic plan involves several key elements. Here’s a breakdown of what makes a strategic plan exemplary:

  • Clear Mission Statement: A strong strategic plan starts with a clear and concise mission statement that defines the organization’s purpose and the value it aims to provide.
  • SMART Objectives: The plan should include specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives. This ensures that goals are well-defined and actionable.
  • Environmental Analysis: A good strategic plan conducts a thorough analysis of the internal and external environment, taking into account strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). This provides a foundation for strategic decision-making.
  • Alignment with Vision: The plan should clearly articulate how each objective contributes to the overall vision of the organization. There should be a cohesive alignment between the strategic goals and the long-term vision.
  • Resource Allocation: Effective resource allocation is crucial. The plan should outline how financial, human, and other resources will be distributed to support the strategic goals.
  • Actionable Steps: Each objective should be broken down into actionable steps or initiatives. This helps in practical implementation and provides a roadmap for achieving the goals.
  • Monitoring and Evaluation: A good strategic plan includes mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and evaluation. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be defined, and regular assessments should be conducted to track progress.
  • Flexibility and Adaptability: The plan should acknowledge the dynamic nature of business environments. Flexibility and adaptability are essential to adjust strategies in response to changes in the internal or external landscape.
  • Communication Strategy: A strategic plan should include a communication strategy to ensure that stakeholders are well-informed about the goals, progress, and any adjustments made to the plan.
  • Inclusivity: Involving key stakeholders in the strategic planning process fosters a sense of ownership and commitment. A good plan considers input from various departments, employees, and external partners.
  • Risk Management: Anticipating and addressing potential risks is a vital aspect of a strategic plan. Contingency plans should be in place to mitigate unforeseen challenges.
  • Continuous Improvement: A strategic plan should not be static. There should be a commitment to continuous improvement, with regular reviews and updates to ensure its relevance and effectiveness.

By incorporating these elements into your example of a strategic plan, you can demonstrate a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to organizational planning, which may resonate well with both practitioners and those seeking to understand the principles of strategic planning.

A strategic plan is a detailed document that outlines an organization’s goals, objectives, and the actions required to achieve them. While the specific details of a strategic plan will vary depending on the organization, its industry, and its unique circumstances, here’s an example of a strategic plan for a fictional company:

Company: Visionary Tech Solutions (VTS)

Mission Statement: “To empower businesses through innovative technology solutions, fostering growth and sustainability in an ever-evolving digital landscape.”

Strategic Goals: Presented below are ten strategic goals that serve as excellent examples to enhance the functionality of a company.

1. Market Leadership in Tech Solutions:

Objective: Capture a 20% increase in market share within the next three years.

Action Steps:

  • Launch two new cutting-edge products catering to emerging market demands.
  • Strengthen strategic partnerships with key industry players.
  • Implement aggressive marketing campaigns highlighting VTS’s technological prowess.

2. Operational Efficiency:

Objective: Improve operational efficiency by 15% over the next two years.

  • Streamline internal processes through the implementation of advanced project management tools.
  • Invest in employee training programs to enhance skills and productivity.
  • Conduct regular process audits for continuous improvement.

3. Customer-Centric Innovation:

Objective: Introduce at least three customer-centric innovations annually.

  • Establish a dedicated R&D team focused on anticipating and addressing customer needs.
  • Implement customer feedback loops to gather insights for product enhancements.
  • Launch a customer loyalty program to foster long-term relationships.

4. Global Expansion:

Objective: Expand operations to two new international markets within the next four years.

  • Conduct thorough market research to identify viable expansion opportunities.
  • Establish local partnerships to navigate regulatory and cultural nuances.
  • Develop customized marketing strategies tailored to each target market.

5. Resource Allocation:

Budget allocation:

  • 30% for research and development.
  • 25% for marketing and promotional activities.
  • 20% for employee training and development.
  • 15% for operational improvements.
  • 10% for international expansion initiatives.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation:

  • Quarterly performance reviews with key performance indicators (KPIs) tracked against predefined targets.
  • Annual comprehensive evaluation of the strategic plan’s effectiveness and adjustments as needed.

7. Communication Strategy:

  • Regular updates through internal newsletters, town hall meetings, and an interactive company intranet.
  • External communication through press releases, social media updates, and a dedicated section on the company website.

8. Risk Management:

  • Identification of potential risks such as technological disruptions, market fluctuations, and geopolitical challenges.
  • Development of contingency plans and regular risk assessments.

9. Inclusivity:

  • Cross-functional teams involved in the strategic planning process, ensuring diverse perspectives and expertise.

10. Continuous Improvement:

  • Commitment to regular reviews and updates to the strategic plan based on industry trends, technological advancements, and feedback from stakeholders.

This example of a strategic plan for Visionary Tech Solutions outlines a roadmap that integrates the company’s mission, strategic goals, resource allocation, monitoring mechanisms, and a commitment to adaptability and continuous improvement. Adjustments should be made as needed based on ongoing evaluations and changes in the business environment.

Learn more: What is Enterprise Planning?

IdeaScale Whiteboard

Turn abstract ideas into visual and actionable plans

Enhance Your Ideas Visually With Your IdeaScale Whiteboard!

IdeaScale is an innovation management solution that inspires people to take action on their ideas. Your community’s ideas can change lives, your business and the world. Connect to the ideas that matter and start co-creating the future.

Copyright © 2024 IdeaScale

Privacy Overview

Build Your 2024 AI Transformation Roadmap 🚀

Sample strategic plans, strategy is more than simply achieving business goals. it creates clarity, alignment and organization-wide engagement. we’ve assembled a handful of sample strategic plans. some are from our clients. others are just examples. all of them reflect good general guidelines and structure, which can be incorporated into your own strategy design., for profit sample strategic plans, these sample plans are based on a fictional organization. the information for our business clients is confidential..

it strategic planning examples

One-Page Strategic Plan

An easy-to-read, full-color overview to help everyone visualize the complete strategy.

it strategic planning examples

Company Strategic Plan

A summary of your strategic plan with strategic objectives, goals and action items.

it strategic planning examples

Department Strategic Plan

it strategic planning examples

Company SWOT

An assessment of your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

it strategic planning examples

Department Action Plan

A quick-hit summary of progress against goals and action items. Great for use at strategy reviews.

it strategic planning examples

Individual Action Plan

it strategic planning examples

Team Member Performance Review

Use this action plan as a performance review sheet for periodic staff reviews.

Non-Profit Sample Strategic Plans

These sample plans are deliverables for north slope borough school district. this is public information and is shareable..

it strategic planning examples

School One-Page Strategic Plan

it strategic planning examples

School Full Strategic Plan

it strategic planning examples

School Strategic Plan with Progress

it strategic planning examples

Church Sample Strategic Plans

it strategic planning examples

Church One-Page Strategic Plan

it strategic planning examples

Church Full Strategic Plan

it strategic planning examples

Church One-Click Strategic Plan

A comprehensive report from mission through action items & includes SWOT, scorecard, roadmap & budget.

it strategic planning examples

Church Roadmap

A summary of high-level goals broken out by year according to the dates established during goal.

Keystone

Do you want to 2x your impact?

it strategic planning examples

xSME-Strategy-Logo-600px.png.pagespeed.ic.gDvrGDTiKf

  • Our Approach
  • Strategic Planning Facilitator Services
  • Strategy and Leadership Podcast
  • SME Strategy on Youtube
  • Members Only Resources
  • Strategy and Leadership Community
  • Online Courses

Strategic Plan Examples: Case Studies and Free Strategic Planning Template

By Anthony Taylor - May 29, 2023

it strategic planning examples

As you prepare for your strategic planning process, it's important to explore relevant strategic plan examples for inspiration.

In today's competitive business landscape, a well-defined strategic plan holds immense significance. Whether you're a private company, municipal government, or nonprofit entity, strategic planning is essential for achieving goals and gaining a competitive edge. By understanding the strategic planning process, you can gain valuable insights to develop an effective growth roadmap for your organization.

In this blog, we will delve into real-life examples of strategic plans that have proven successful. These examples encompass a wide range of organizations, from Credit Unions that have implemented SME Strategy's Aligned Strategy process to the Largest Bank in Israel. By examining these cases, we can gain a deeper understanding of strategic planning and extract relevant insights that can be applied to your organization.

  • Strategic Plan Example (Global Financial Services Firm)
  • Strategic Plan Example (Joint Strategic Plan)
  • Strategic Plan Example: (Government Agency)
  • Strategic Plan Example (Multinational Corporation)
  • Strategic Plan Example: (Public Company)
  • Strategic Plan Example (Non Profit)
  • Strategic Plan Example: (Small Nonprofit)
  • Strategic Plan example: (Municipal Government)
  • Strategic Plan Example: (Environmental Start-up)  

When analyzing strategic plan examples, it is crucial to recognize that a strategic plan goes beyond being a mere document. It should encapsulate your organization's mission and vision comprehensively while also being actionable. Your strategic plan needs to be tailored to your organization's specific circumstances, including factors such as size, industry, budget, and personnel. Simply replicating someone else's plan will not suffice.

Have you ever invested significant time and resources into creating a plan, only to witness its failure during execution? We believe that a successful strategic plan extends beyond being a static document. It necessitates meticulous follow-through, execution, documentation, and continuous learning. It serves as the foundation upon which your future plans are built.

It is important to note that a company's success is not solely determined by the plan itself, but rather by how effectively it is executed. Our intention is to highlight the diverse roles that a company's mission, vision, and values play across different organizations, whether they are large corporations or smaller nonprofits.

Strategic plans can vary in terms of their review cycles, which can range from annual evaluations to multi-year periods. There is no one-size-fits-all example of a strategic plan, as each organization possesses unique needs and circumstances that must be taken into account.

Strategic planning is an essential process for organizations of all sizes and types. It assists in setting a clear direction, defining goals, and effectively allocating resources. To gain an understanding of how strategic plans are crafted, we will explore a range of examples, including those from private companies, nonprofit organizations, and government entities.

Throughout this exploration, we will highlight various frameworks and systems employed by profit-driven and nonprofit organizations alike, providing valuable insights to help you determine the most suitable approach for your own organization.

Watch: Examples of Strategic Plans from Real-Life Organizations 

Strategic Plan Example  - The Bank Hapoalim Vision:  To be a leading global financial services firm, with its core in Israel, focused on its clients and working to enhance their financial freedom.

Bank Hapoalim, one of Israel's largest banks with 8,383 branches across 5 different countries as of 2022, has recently provided insights into its latest strategic plan. The plan highlights four distinct strategic priorities:

  • Continued leadership in corporate banking and capital markets
  • Adaptation of the retail banking operating model
  • Resource optimization and greater productivity
  • Differentiating and influential innovation

Check out their strategic plan here: Strategic Plan (2022-2026)

We talked to Tagil Green, the Chief Strategy Officer at Bank Hapoalim, where we delved into various aspects of their strategic planning process. We discussed the bank's strategic planning timeline, the collaborative work they engaged in with McKinsey, and the crucial steps taken to secure buy-in and ensure successful implementation of the strategy throughout the organization. In our conversation, Tagil Green emphasized the understanding that there is no universal template for strategic plans. While many companies typically allocate one, two, or three days for strategic planning meetings during an offsite, Bank Hapoalim recognized the significance of their size and complexity. As a result, their strategic plan took a comprehensive year-long effort to develop. How did a Large Global Organization like Bank Hapoalim decide on what strategic planning timeline to follow?

"How long do you want to plan? Some said, let's think a decade ahead. Some said it's irrelevant. Let's talk about two years ahead. And we kind of negotiated into the like, five years ahead for five years and said, Okay, that's good enough, because some of the complexity and the range depends on the field that you work for. So for banking in Israel, four or five years ahead, is good enough. "  Tagil Green, Chief Strategy Officer, Bank Hapoalim 

Another important aspect you need to consider when doing strategic planning is stakeholder engagement, We asked Tagil her thoughts and how they conducted stakeholder engagement with a large employee base.

Listen to the Full Conversation with Tagil:

Strategic Planning and Execution: Insights from the Chief Strategy Officer of Israel's Leading Bank

Strategic Plan Example: Region 16 and DEED (Joint Strategic Plan)

Mission Statement: We engage state, regional, tribal, school, and community partners to improve the quality and equity of education for each student by providing evidence-based services and supports.

In this strategic plan example, we'll explore how Region 16 and DEED, two government-operated Educational Centers with hundreds of employees, aligned their strategic plans using SME Strategy's approach . Despite facing the challenges brought on by the pandemic, these organizations sought to find common ground and ensure alignment on their mission, vision, and values, regardless of their circumstances.

Both teams adopted the Aligned Strategy method, which involved a three day onsite strategic planning session facilitated by a strategic planning facilitator . Together, they developed a comprehensive 29-page strategic plan outlining three distinct strategic priorities, each with its own objectives and strategic goals. Through critical conversations, they crafted a clear three year vision, defined their core customer group as part of their mission, refined their organizational values and behaviors, and prioritized their areas of focus.

After their offsite facilitation, they aligned around three key areas of focus:

  • Effective Communication, both internally and externally.
  • Streamlining Processes to enhance efficiency.
  • Developing Effective Relationships and Partnerships for mutual success.

By accomplishing their goals within these strategic priorities, the teams from Region 16 and DEED aim to make progress towards their envisioned future.

To read the full review of the aligned strategy process click here

Download Now Starting your strategic planning process soon? Get our free Strategic Planning Template

Strategic Plan Example: (Government Agency) - The City of Duluth Workforce Development Board

What they do:

The Duluth Workforce Development Board identifies and aligns workforce development strategies to meet the needs of Duluth area employers and job seekers through comprehensive and coordinated systems.

An engaged and diverse workforce, where all individuals, regardless of background, have or are on a path to meaningful employment and a family sustaining wage, and all employers are able to fill jobs in demand.

The City of Duluth provides an insightful example of a strategic plan focused on regional coordination to address workforce needs in various industry sectors and occupations. With multiple stakeholders involved, engaging and aligning them becomes crucial. This comprehensive plan, spanning 82 pages, tackles strategic priorities and initiatives at both the state and local levels.

What sets this plan apart is its thorough outline of the implementation process. It covers everything from high-level strategies to specific meetings between different boards and organizations. Emphasizing communication, coordination, and connectivity, the plan ensures the complete execution of its objectives. It promotes regular monthly partner meetings, committee gatherings, and collaboration among diverse groups. The plan also emphasizes the importance of proper documentation and accountability throughout the entire process.

By providing a clear roadmap, the City of Duluth's strategic plan effectively addresses workforce needs while fostering effective stakeholder engagement . It serves as a valuable example of how a comprehensive plan can guide actions, facilitate communication, and ensure accountability for successful implementation.

Read this strategic plan example here: Strategic Plan (2021-2024)

Strategic Plan Example: McDonald's (Multinational Corporation)

McDonald's provides a great strategic plan example specifically designed for private companies. Their "Velocity Growth Plan" covers a span of three years from 2017 to 2020, offering a high-level strategic direction. While the plan doesn't delve into specific implementation details, it focuses on delivering an overview that appeals to investors and aligns the staff. The plan underscores McDonald's commitment to long-term growth and addressing important environmental and societal challenges. It also highlights the CEO's leadership in revitalizing the company and the active oversight provided by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors plays a crucial role in actively overseeing McDonald's strategy. They engage in discussions about the Velocity Growth Plan during board meetings, hold annual strategy sessions, and maintain continuous monitoring of the company's operations in response to the ever-changing business landscape.

The McDonald's strategic plan revolved around three core pillars:

  • Retention: Strengthening and expanding areas of strength, such as breakfast and family occasions.
  • Regain: Focusing on food quality, convenience, and value to win back lost customers.
  • Convert: Emphasizing coffee and other snack offerings to attract casual customers.

These pillars guide McDonald's through three initiatives, driving growth and maximizing benefits for customers in the shortest time possible.

Read the strategic plan example of Mcdonlald's Velocity growth plan (2017-2020)

Strategic Plan Example: Nike (Public Company)

Nike's mission statement is “ to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world .”  

Nike, as a publicly traded company, has developed a robust global growth strategy outlined in its strategic plan. Spanning a five-year period from 2021 to 2025, this plan encompasses 29 strategic targets that reflect Nike's strong commitment to People, Planet, and Pay. Each priority is meticulously defined, accompanied by tangible actions and measurable metrics. This meticulous approach ensures transparency and alignment across the organization.

The strategic plan of Nike establishes clear objectives, including the promotion of pay equity, a focus on education and professional development, and the fostering of business diversity and inclusion. By prioritizing these areas, Nike aims to provide guidance and support to its diverse workforce, fostering an environment that values and empowers its employees.

Read Nike's strategic plan here

Related Content: Strategic Planning Process (What is it?)

The Cost of Developing a Strategic Plan (3 Tiers)

Strategic Plan Example (Non Profit) - Alternatives Federal Credit Union

Mission: To help build and protect wealth for people with diverse identities who have been historically marginalized by the financial industry, especially those with low wealth or identifying as Black, Indigenous, or people of color.

AFCU partnered with SME Strategy in 2021 to develop a three year strategic plan. As a non-profit organization, AFCU recognized the importance of strategic planning to align its team and operational components. The focus was on key elements such as Vision, Mission, Values, Priorities, Goals, and Actions, as well as effective communication, clear responsibilities, and progress tracking.

In line with the Aligned Strategy approach, AFCU developed three strategic priorities to unite its team and drive progress towards their vision for 2024. Alongside strategic planning, AFCU has implemented a comprehensive strategy implementation plan to ensure the effective execution of their strategies.

Here's an overview of AFCU's 2024 Team Vision and strategic priorities: Aligned Team Vision 2024:

To fulfill our mission, enhance efficiency, and establish sustainable community development approaches, our efforts will revolve around the following priorities: Strategic Priorities:

Improving internal communication: Enhancing communication channels and practices within AFCU to foster collaboration and information sharing among team members.

Improving organizational performance: Implementing strategies to enhance AFCU's overall performance, including processes, systems, and resource utilization.

Creating standard operating procedures: Developing standardized procedures and protocols to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and ensure consistency across AFCU's activities.

By focusing on these strategic priorities, AFCU aims to strengthen its capacity to effectively achieve its mission and bring about lasting change in its community. Watch the AFCU case study below:

Watch the Full Strategic Plan Example Case Study with the VP and Chief Strategy Officer of AFCU

Strategic Plan Example: (Small Nonprofit) - The Hunger Project 

Mission: To end hunger and poverty by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centered strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption in countries throughout the world.

The Hunger Project, a small nonprofit organization based in the Netherlands, offers a prime example of a concise and effective three-year strategic plan. This plan encompasses the organization's vision, mission, theory of change, and strategic priorities. Emphasizing simplicity and clarity, The Hunger Project's plan outlines crucial actions and measurements required to achieve its goals. Spanning 16 pages, this comprehensive document enables stakeholders to grasp the organization's direction and intended impact. It centers around three overarching strategic goals, each accompanied by its own set of objectives and indicators: deepening impact, mainstreaming impact, and scaling up operations.

Read their strategic plan here  

Strategic Plan example: (Municipal Government)- New York City Economic Development Plan 

The New York City Economic Development Plan is a comprehensive 5-year strategic plan tailored for a municipal government. Spanning 68 pages, this plan underwent an extensive planning process with input from multiple stakeholders. 

This plan focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities present in the region. Through a SWOT analysis, this plan highlights the organization's problems, the city's strengths, and the opportunities and threats it has identified. These include New York's diverse population, significant wealth disparities, and high demand for public infrastructure and services.

The strategic plan was designed to provide a holistic overview that encompasses the interests of a diverse and large group of business, labor, and community leaders. It aimed to identify the shared values that united its five boroughs and define how local objectives align with the interests of greater New York State. The result was a unified vision for the future of New York City, accompanied by a clear set of actions required to achieve shared goals.

Because of its diverse stakeholder list including; council members, local government officials, and elected representatives, with significant input from the public, their strategic plan took 4 months to develop. 

Read it's 5 year strategic plan example here

Strategic Plan Example: Silicon Valley Clean Energy

Silicon Valley Clean Energy provides a strategic plan that prioritizes visual appeal and simplicity. Despite being in its second year of operation, this strategic plan example effectively conveys the organization's mission and values to its Board of Directors. The company also conducts thorough analyses of the electric utility industry and anticipates major challenges in the coming years. Additionally, it highlights various social initiatives aimed at promoting community, environmental, and economic benefits that align with customer expectations.

"This plan recognizes the goals we intend to accomplish and highlights strategies and tactics we will employ to achieve these goals. The purpose of this plan is to ensure transparency in our operations and to provide a clear direction to staff about which strategies and tactics we will employ to achieve our goals. It is a living document that can guide our work with clarity and yet has the flexibility to respond to changing environments as we embark on this journey." Girish Balachandran CEO, Silicon Valley Clean Energy

This strategic plan example offers flexibility in terms of timeline. It lays out strategic initiatives for both a three-year and five-year period, extending all the way to 2030. The plan places emphasis on specific steps and targets to be accomplished between 2021 and 2025, followed by goals for the subsequent period of 2025 to 2030. While this plan doesn't go into exhaustive detail about implementation steps, meeting schedules, or monitoring mechanisms, it effectively communicates the organization's priorities and desired long term outcomes. Read its strategic plan example here

By studying these strategic plan examples, you can create a strategic plan that aligns with your organization's goals, communicates effectively, and guides decision-making and resource allocation. Strategic planning approaches differ among various types of organizations.

Private Companies: Private companies like McDonald's and Nike approach strategic planning differently from public companies due to competitive market dynamics. McDonald's provides a high-level overview of its strategic plan in its investor overview.

Nonprofit Organizations: Nonprofit organizations, like The Hunger Project, develop strategic plans tailored to their unique missions and stakeholders. The Hunger Project's plan presents a simple yet effective structure with a clear vision, mission, theory of change, strategic priorities, and action items with measurable outcomes.

Government Entities: Government entities, such as the New York City Development Board, often produce longer, comprehensive strategic plans to guide regional or state development. These plans include implementation plans, stakeholder engagement, performance measures, and priority projects.

When creating a strategic plan for your organization, consider the following key points:

Strategic Priorities: Define clear strategic priorities that are easy to communicate and understand.

Stakeholder Engagement: Ensure your plan addresses the needs and interests of your stakeholders.

Measurements: Include relevant measurements and KPIs, primarily for internal use, to track, monitor and report your progress effectively.

Conciseness vs. Thoroughness: Adapt the level of detail in your plan based on the size of your organization and the number of stakeholders involved.

By learning from these examples, you can see that developing a strategic plan should be a process that fits your organization, effectively communicates your goals, and provides guidance for decision-making and resource allocation. Remember that strategic planning is an ongoing process that requires regular review and adjustment to stay relevant and effective.

Need assistance in maximizing the impact of your strategic planning? Learn how our facilitators can lead you through a proven process, ensuring effectiveness, maintaining focus, and fostering team alignment.

View faciliation options and costs

Our readers' favourite posts

Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter: leaders digest, quick links.

  • Podcast (Spotify)
  • Speaker & Media
  • Alignment Book
  • Privacy Policy

Free Resources

  • Strategic planning session agenda (Sample)
  • Strategic plan template
  • How to create a strategic plan (Start here)
  • Weekly Strategy Tips
  • Non profit program

Products and Services

  • Strategic Planning Facilitator
  • Strategy Implementation Consulting
  • Strategic Planning Course
  • 1-855-895-5446

strategic planning_strategy_development_company_2023_award

Copyright © 2011-2023 SME Strategy Consulting | Strategic Planning Facilitator + Strategy Implementation Consulting. All rights reserved.

Status.net

Responsibilities of a Supervisor (7 Key Tasks and Examples)

By Status.net Editorial Team on February 7, 2024 — 10 minutes to read

As a supervisor, your primary responsibilities include overseeing and coordinating the daily operations of your team. You’re the go-to point for guidance, support, and sometimes even conflict resolution. Your role means ensuring that the team works efficiently and meets the set targets and standards.

  • Leadership : You set the tone for your team’s work environment. By giving clear directions and setting an example, you inspire others to follow suit. For instance, if punctuality is a priority, you’re always on time.
  • Communication : Acting as a bridge between upper management and your team, you relay information effectively. You might, for example, convey new company policies and gather feedback from your team to share with higher-ups.
  • Performance Management : You track your team’s productivity and quality of work. Suppose a team member is underperforming; you provide constructive criticism and potentially formulate a performance improvement plan.
  • Training and Development : You identify skill gaps and recommend training programs. You could mentor a junior team member, enhancing their knowledge for better progress.
  • Resource Management : You’re entrusted with managing the tools and materials your team needs. You would allocate these resources wisely to prevent bottlenecks in the workflow.
  • Problem-Solving : When issues arise, it’s your job to identify solutions. If there’s a conflict between team members, you would mediate and help find a middle ground.

In essence, your role as a supervisor entails being an approachable leader, an effective communicator, a sharp evaluator of performance, a guide for growth, a judicious resource allocator, and an adept problem-solver.

Key Responsibilities of a Supervisor

In your role as a supervisor, you’ll handle a range of duties tailored to support your team’s success and the smooth running of daily operations. Here’s what that will look like across various aspects.

Setting Goals and Objectives

You’ll need to set clear, achievable goals and objectives for your team, aligning them with the company’s broader mission. For example, you might establish monthly sales targets or project completion benchmarks that help guide your team’s efforts.

Overseeing Daily Operations

Your day-to-day will revolve around monitoring the workflow and ensuring all tasks are completed efficiently. If you’re running a retail space, this can mean coordinating staff schedules and managing inventory.

Managing Staff Performance

You’re accountable for evaluating how well your team members are doing, offering constructive feedback, and addressing any issues that arise. In a customer service setting, you might review call handling times and customer feedback to assess staff performance.

Ensuring Workplace Safety

Your team’s safety is in your hands, which means upholding health and safety regulations. In a warehouse, for instance, this could entail conducting regular site inspections or safety training sessions.

Providing Training and Development

It’s important that you identify training needs and provide opportunities for growth within the team. Say you’re supervising a marketing team; you might set up a workshop on the latest digital marketing trends to keep your team sharp and up-to-date.

Enhancing Team Productivity

You should implement strategies to boost productivity, like optimizing workflows or introducing time-saving tools. As a call center supervisor, you might introduce a new management software to track calls more effectively.

Fostering a Positive Work Environment

You have the chance to create a work atmosphere that promotes collaboration, respect, and well-being. This could be as simple as recognizing employee achievements or arranging team-building activities to strengthen camaraderie.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

As a supervisor, you play a pivotal role in shaping the dynamics of your team. Your ability to communicate effectively and manage relationships is key to both individual and collective success.

Conducting Effective Meetings

When you organize meetings, ensure they have clear objectives and stick to a pre-defined agenda. Start by stating the purpose and outline the topics to cover. For example, if you’re leading a project kickoff meeting, you might set goals for the project, assign tasks, and discuss timelines.

Resolving Conflicts

Part of your job is to address disputes promptly and fairly. Say two team members have differing views on a project approach, you should listen to both sides, understand their perspectives, and guide them toward a solution that aligns with the team’s goals.

Offering Constructive Feedback

Feedback is an opportunity for growth, so make it specific and actionable. If a team member is struggling with time management, you could suggest they break tasks into smaller, manageable steps and recommend tools to track their progress.

Promoting Team Collaboration

Encourage your team to work together by highlighting individual strengths and creating opportunities for joint problem-solving. If someone excels at data analysis, pair them with someone with strong presentation skills to tackle a project that requires both.

Administrative Duties

Supervisors play a vital role in managing the day-to-day administrative tasks that keep a business running smoothly. Your ability to complete these responsibilities effectively has a direct impact on your team and organization.

Maintaining Employee Records

You are in charge of keeping up-to-date records for each member of your team. This typically includes contact information, employment history, job performance, and any disciplinary actions. For example, you might use a digital system to track an employee’s attendance or update their training certifications.

Budgeting and Resource Allocation

You’ll manage your department’s budget and make decisions on where to allocate resources. This could mean determining how to divide funds across projects or deciding if additional staff can be hired based on financial reports.

Adhering to Company Policies

You’re expected to understand and adhere to all company policies. This includes implementing health and safety protocols and ensuring that team members are aware of and follow these guidelines. When a new policy is introduced, it’s your job to update your team and integrate this policy into daily operations.

Reporting to Management

As a supervisor, you regularly compile reports and updates to keep management informed about your team’s progress. This might involve reporting on sales figures, project status, or employee productivity, giving higher-ups critical insights into department performance.

Strategic Planning and Implementation

When you step into a supervisory role, one of your key duties is to engage in strategic planning and implementation. This process means you’re responsible for setting goals, developing strategies to meet those objectives, and guiding your team to execute these plans effectively.

  • First, you’ll need to identify the long-term goals for your team or department. For example, increasing the team’s sales by 20% within the next fiscal year. Once you have clear objectives, you can start crafting a strategic plan which includes specific, measurable steps.
  • Now, let’s talk about implementation. You take the strategies from your plan and translate them into actionable tasks for your team. You’re the driving force behind turning those abstract strategies into concrete results. For instance, you might roll out a new training program to improve product knowledge among your sales staff, aiming to increase customer satisfaction and sales numbers.
  • You also have to monitor the progress of these strategies. For example, keep track of monthly sales figures to see if your team is on pace to hit the 20% increase mark. If things aren’t going as planned, be ready to make adjustments. This might involve shifting resources, altering tactics, or providing additional support to your team.

Effective strategic planning and implementation are about clear communication, adapting to changes, and leading by example. Your team will look to you for direction and motivation, so keep your plans realistic, stay flexible, and always show your commitment to achieving those goals together.

Performance Evaluation and Improvement

Supervisors have a pivotal role in shaping their team’s productivity and career growth through effective performance evaluation and improvement.

Developing Performance Metrics

First, you need to establish clear performance metrics that align with your company’s goals. These should be quantifiable and easily understandable by your team. For example, if you are supervising a sales team, a performance metric could be the number of successful client acquisitions per quarter.

Implementing Improvement Strategies

Once metrics are set, you should identify and implement strategies to help your team meet or exceed these benchmarks. This might entail providing additional training sessions for customer service representatives to enhance their interaction skills or updating the software tools used by your data analysis team to increase efficiency.

Conducting Regular Performance Reviews

Regular performance reviews allow you to track progress and provide feedback for ongoing improvement. During these sessions, if a team member has excelled in client communication, highlight this success, and discuss how these skills can be shared with the team. Conversely, if an employee’s performance is lagging, work together to establish a clear and actionable plan for development.

Quality Control and Assurance

As a supervisor, you play a pivotal role in maintaining the standards of the products or services your team provides. You ensure that deliverables meet the established quality criteria before they reach the customer. A significant part of your job is to implement and monitor quality control procedures, identifying any issues that could affect the final outcome.

  • For instance, you should regularly review your team’s work through audits or performance reviews. Let’s say you’re overseeing a manufacturing process; you would perform spot checks on the production line, test samples for defects, and then document any issues. You’d need to provide feedback and guidance to your team to prevent future occurrences.
  • Another component of your responsibility is assurance. This typically means setting up training programs to help your team understand quality standards and why they matter. If you’re in a service-oriented industry, you might conduct role-playing exercises to help employees handle different scenarios with clients.
  • Communication is key. Keep your team informed about any updates in quality expectations or new methodologies. For practical application, imagine introducing a new software that tracks quality metrics; you’d explain how the tool improves the team’s ability to maintain high-quality work.
  • Lastly, you address customer complaints related to quality. You need to investigate these issues, find the root causes, and take corrective actions. By doing this, you not only resolve the immediate problem but also demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement.

Crisis Management and Problem Solving

When you’re a supervisor, managing crises and solving problems is part of your job. You must act quickly to identify the issues and implement solutions to minimize the impact. Your role in this includes assessing the situation, making decisions, and guiding your team through the resolution process.

First, assess the situation:

  • Gather information: Quickly collect all relevant details about the crisis.
  • Analyze the impact: Determine how the crisis affects your team and operations.

Next, make decisions:

  • Identify options: List possible actions that could resolve the problem.
  • Evaluate outcomes: Consider the potential consequences of each action.

Lastly, guide your team:

  • Communicate clearly: Keep your team informed about the crisis and your plan.
  • Delegate tasks: Assign roles and responsibilities to team members to tackle the issue.
  • Follow up: Ensure that solutions are implemented effectively and learn from the experience.

Example : Imagine a safety incident occurs on the production floor. You must quickly understand what happened, ensure everyone is safe, and stop the problem from escalating. You might decide to temporarily halt production, which, although impacting schedules, ensures safety. Then, communicate with your team, delegate tasks to address the immediate risks, and plan to resume operations safely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you outline the key duties a supervisor has to perform daily.

Your daily duties as a supervisor include delegating tasks, monitoring staff performance, and providing feedback. You also need to ensure that the day’s objectives are clearly understood by your team.

Could you give an example of the core roles a supervisor plays in a team setting?

As a supervisor, you act not just as a manager but as a leader. For instance, you might mediate conflicts within the team and work to create a collaborative environment where everyone’s ideas are valued and considered.

What are the top priorities a supervisor should focus on to maintain team efficiency?

To keep your team running smoothly, you should prioritize setting clear goals, managing resources effectively, and keeping communication lines open to quickly address any issues that arise.

How does a supervisor effectively support and develop their staff?

You can support and develop your staff by identifying their strengths and weaknesses and providing opportunities for training and professional development. Regular one-on-one meetings can help you guide their growth.

What are the essential supervisory skills necessary for effective leadership?

Important supervisory skills include effective communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and time management. These help you lead your team confidently and handle challenges as they come.

In what ways can a supervisor ensure the successful implementation of company policies?

As a supervisor, you can ensure company policies are followed by clearly explaining their importance to your team and overseeing their application in daily operations. Regular training sessions can also reinforce policy awareness and adherence.

  • Key Leadership Skills You Need (to Lead a Team)
  • 24 Key Qualities of a Good Supervisor (Traits and Skills)
  • Timeboxing: Mastering Productivity (with Examples)
  • Leadership Self Evaluation Comments Examples
  • Qualities of a Good Employee (Key Traits with Examples)
  • Team Building Questions: 150 Purposeful Examples to Boost Group Dynamics

The Strategy Story

Stability Strategy in Business: Meaning | Types | Examples

it strategic planning examples

A stability strategy in business refers to a strategic approach where a company decides to maintain its current position in the market, focusing on sustaining operations, maintaining its current level of performance, and avoiding significant growth or reduction in its scale of operations. 

This strategy is often adopted when the business is performing satisfactorily, the market conditions are stable, or the business environment is more stable and safe, making it less favorable for aggressive expansion or diversification.

Under a stability strategy, a company may improve operational efficiency, enhance product quality, provide consistent customer service, and strengthen relationships with existing customers and suppliers. The aim is to consolidate the company’s position and resources, ensuring steady revenue streams without the risks associated with expansion or diversification.

A stability strategy can be particularly advantageous in mature or highly competitive markets where significant growth opportunities are limited or during economic downturns when preserving resources and ensuring business continuity becomes a priority. However, over-reliance on this strategy may lead to missed opportunities for growth and may not be suitable in rapidly changing industries where innovation and agility are crucial to maintaining competitive advantage.

Types of Stability Strategies

No-change strategy .

The No-Change Strategy within the context of business stability strategies is about maintaining the status quo. Businesses that adopt this approach focus on continuing their current operations, products, and market presence without seeking expansion or significant changes. 

This strategy is particularly appealing in several scenarios, such as when a company operates in a stable industry where demand and competition levels remain relatively constant or when the company has reached a comfortable position in the market and wishes to sustain its current level of success without incurring additional risks or uncertainties.

Here are some critical aspects of the No-Change Strategy:

  • Consistency in Operations:  The company keeps its operations, strategies, and policies consistent over time. This includes maintaining existing product lines, market segments, and operational processes.
  • Risk Aversion:  By avoiding significant changes, the company minimizes the risks associated with new ventures, such as entering new markets or launching new products. This can be particularly advantageous in volatile or uncertain market conditions with a high potential for loss.
  • Resource Preservation:  The No-Change Strategy helps conserve financial and human resources by avoiding the costs associated with expansion or restructuring. This can be crucial for companies with limited resources or those seeking to maximize profitability without additional investment.
  • Stable Customer Base:  This strategy relies on maintaining a loyal customer base by offering familiar products or services. It focuses on customer retention through consistent quality and service rather than seeking new customers through market expansion.
  • Operational Efficiency:  Companies might fine-tune their existing operations to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. This can involve optimizing supply chains, improving production processes, or enhancing service delivery without fundamentally changing the business model.

However, while the No-Change Strategy offers stability and minimizes risk, it also has potential downsides. It may lead to complacency, making the company vulnerable to competitive threats or market changes. Additionally, it might limit the company’s ability to capitalize on new opportunities for growth and innovation. 

Therefore, while this strategy can be effective in specific contexts, it’s essential for businesses to periodically reassess their strategic approach to ensure they remain aligned with their long-term goals and market dynamics.

Profit Strategy

The Profit Strategy, in the context of stability strategies, focuses on maximizing profitability without necessarily expanding the scale of the business. This approach is beneficial when a company seeks to improve its financial performance while maintaining its current market position and operational scale. The company optimizes its operations and resources to enhance profitability rather than pursuing growth through expansion into new markets or product lines.

Critical aspects of the Profit Strategy include:

  • Cost Reduction:  One of the primary methods to increase profitability under this strategy is through cost-cutting measures. This can involve streamlining operations, reducing overhead costs, negotiating better terms with suppliers, or implementing more efficient processes to lower production costs without compromising product quality.
  • Efficiency Improvements:  Companies may focus on improving operational efficiency to reduce waste and increase productivity. This could involve adopting new technologies, improving supply chain management, or optimizing resource allocation to ensure that all aspects of the business are operating as effectively as possible.
  • Price Optimization:  Another aspect of the Profit Strategy is optimizing pricing models to maximize revenue. This might involve adjusting prices based on market demand, competitive pricing analysis, or value-based pricing strategies to ensure the company captures the maximum value from its products or services.
  • Product or Service Enhancement:  Without expanding the product line, a company might focus on enhancing the quality or features of existing products or services to increase customer value. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction, increased brand loyalty, and the ability to command higher prices.
  • Market Penetration:  Instead of entering new markets, the company might focus on increasing its market share within existing markets. This could involve targeted marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, or promotional strategies designed to attract more customers from the existing market base.
  • Revenue Diversification:  While not expanding the overall scale of the business, a company might still seek to diversify its revenue streams within its existing framework. This could involve offering complementary services, exploring alternative distribution channels, or leveraging existing assets in new ways to generate additional income.

The Profit Strategy is particularly beneficial in mature or saturated markets where significant growth opportunities are limited or for companies that wish to solidify their financial foundations before considering expansion. 

However, an overemphasis on cost-cutting or short-term profitability can potentially harm long-term sustainability if it leads to underinvestment in critical areas such as employee development, innovation, or customer satisfaction. Therefore, while focusing on profitability, companies must maintain a balanced approach that ensures long-term business health and competitiveness.

Pause/Proceed with Caution Strategy

The Pause/Proceed with Caution Strategy in the context of business stability strategies involves temporarily holding off on aggressive growth initiatives and adopting a more cautious approach to business decisions. This strategy is particularly relevant in times of uncertainty, such as during economic downturns, significant industry shifts, or when a company faces internal challenges that require attention before pursuing further expansion. The key idea is to give the organization time to carefully assess its situation, environment, and options before making any significant strategic moves.

Key aspects of the Pause/Proceed with Caution Strategy include:

  • Strategic Assessment:  Companies taking this approach often engage in thorough internal and external assessments to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This can involve market research, competitive analysis, and financial audits to gather the necessary information for informed decision-making.
  • Consolidation:  Instead of expanding, the company consolidates its existing operations. This can involve strengthening core competencies, improving product quality, enhancing customer service, or tightening financial controls to ensure the business is on solid ground.
  • Risk Management:  A key element of this strategy is a heightened focus on identifying and managing risks. Companies may adopt more stringent risk assessment procedures and develop contingency plans to address potential challenges that could arise during the pause period.
  • Incremental Improvements:  While significant changes are put on hold, the company may still pursue incremental improvements to processes, products, and services. These small-scale enhancements can lead to efficiency gains, cost savings, and customer satisfaction improvements without the risks associated with more significant initiatives.
  • Flexibility:  Maintaining flexibility is crucial under this strategy, allowing the company to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. This might involve keeping financial resources liquid, avoiding long-term commitments that could limit future options, or fostering a culture that can promptly respond to new opportunities or threats.
  • Re-evaluation and Planning:  Companies often plan strategically during the pause to prepare for future actions. This can involve setting new goals, developing strategic initiatives, and creating timelines for when the company will resume more aggressive growth strategies based on predefined criteria or market conditions.

The Pause/Proceed with Caution Strategy is a deliberate approach that allows a company to stabilize, reflect, and plan its next moves with greater insight and preparedness. It’s a way to ensure that when the company does decide to move forward, it does so with a clear strategy and a better understanding of the risks and opportunities ahead. However, it’s essential for businesses adopting this strategy to remain vigilant and proactive in their market analysis and internal assessments to stay caught up with competitors and take advantage of critical growth opportunities.

Examples of Stability Strategy in Business

Stability strategies in business are often employed by companies seeking to maintain their current market position, focus on operational efficiency, and ensure steady revenue streams without pursuing aggressive growth. Here are some examples from various industries:

  • Utility Companies:  Many utility companies, such as those providing water, electricity, or gas services, often employ stability strategies. Given the regulated nature of their markets and the consistent demand for their services, these companies focus on maintaining efficient, reliable operations and gradually improving their infrastructure while not aggressively expanding their market presence.
  • Consumer Staples Companies:  Companies in the consumer staples sector, such as those producing household goods, personal care products, and food and beverages, might adopt stability strategies. These companies often have established brands and a loyal customer base. They may focus on maintaining their market share and optimizing their operations to ensure consistent profitability in mature markets.
  • Educational Institutions:  Many traditional universities and colleges use stability strategies, particularly those with long histories and established reputations. They might focus on maintaining the quality of their educational offerings, ensuring student satisfaction, and preserving their heritage without necessarily expanding their campus or dramatically increasing their student intake.
  • Mature Tech Companies:  Some technology companies that have reached a certain scale and market saturation might opt for a stability strategy, focusing on their core products and services. For example, a company that has developed a widely used software platform might concentrate on incremental updates and customer support rather than developing entirely new product lines.
  • Family-Owned Businesses:  Many family-owned businesses, especially those around for generations, prefer a stability strategy to preserve the company’s legacy, maintain family control, and ensure a steady income for family members. They may focus on serving a loyal customer base, maintaining quality, and avoiding risky expansion ventures.
  • Professional Services Firms:  Firms offering legal, accounting, or consulting services might adopt stability strategies, especially if they have a solid client base and a well-established reputation in their field. These firms may focus on deepening relationships with existing clients and delivering high-quality service rather than expanding rapidly into new markets or service areas.

These examples illustrate how stability strategies can be applied across different sectors, tailored to each company’s specific circumstances and strategic goals. While the overarching goal is to maintain current operations and ensure steady performance, the particular implementations of this strategy can vary widely depending on the industry, market conditions, and company objectives.

Related Posts

it strategic planning examples

Organizational Culture: Defining | Improving | Examples

it strategic planning examples

Organizational Restructuring: Meaning | Process | Examples

it strategic planning examples

Examples of supply chain strategy

it strategic planning examples

Entire Supply Chain Strategy Explained

it strategic planning examples

Succession Planning Process in Business

it strategic planning examples

Balanced Scorecard | Explained with Examples

it strategic planning examples

Account-Based Marketing Strategy & Approach | Examples

it strategic planning examples

Customer loyalty: Meaning | Programs | Examples

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

IMAGES

  1. IT Strategic Plan PowerPoint Template

    it strategic planning examples

  2. 32 Great Strategic Plan Templates to Grow your Business

    it strategic planning examples

  3. IT Strategic Plan PowerPoint Template

    it strategic planning examples

  4. Government of Canada Information Technology Strategic Plan 2016-2020

    it strategic planning examples

  5. 32 Great Strategic Plan Templates to Grow your Business

    it strategic planning examples

  6. Organizational Strategic Plan- Elements and Examples

    it strategic planning examples

VIDEO

  1. Strategic Planning

  2. Strategic Planning 1

  3. Introduction to Strategic Planning

  4. Blending Business and Family: A Balanced Approach to Success

  5. Sustainability in Action: Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting

  6. Plans

COMMENTS

  1. 8 free IT strategic planning templates and examples for CIOs

    Three IT strategic plan examples. IT strategic plans for higher education institutions and government agencies are readily found on the web. Here are three examples. SOURCE #6: Harvard University EXAMPLE: IT strategic plan . This IT strategic planning document takes pains to align IT initiatives with the broader business and academic priorities ...

  2. IT Strategy Examples & Best Practices

    This IT strategic plan example from the Info-tech research group is a simple yet effective procedure for aligning IT strategy with the organization's initiatives and objectives. The plan is specifically designed for small and medium-sized enterprises.

  3. How To Write A Strategic Plan That Gets Results + Examples

    1. Run a strategic planning workshop. The first step is to run a strategic planning workshop with your team. Get your team in the room, get their data, and gather their insights. By running this workshop, you'll foster collaboration and bring fresh perspectives to the table. And that's not all.

  4. IT Strategic Plans: 5 Great Examples

    The U-M strategic plan is a great example of being very descriptive in a strategic plan without being prescriptive. Each of the goal areas provide a high level of overview of the desired end state. The initiatives also provide tangible outcomes describing "what" must be done while still letting the operational teams decide the "How."

  5. Strategic Planning Tools: What, Why, How, Template

    Strategy and strategic plans: How they are different and why it matters. Strategy creates a common understanding of what an organization wants to achieve and what it needs to do to meet its goals. Strategic plans bridge the gap from overall direction to specific projects and day-to-day actions that ultimately execute the strategy. Job No. 1 is ...

  6. IT Strategic Planning: Examples, Tools, Free Templates (2024)

    Cascade Strategy is a one-stop solution for planning, execution, reporting, and people management to enhance business performance through IT planning. The solution allows you to create customized strategic plans, manage IT goals and KPIs, track project performance with dashboards, and manage human capital.

  7. Leading the Way: Top IT Strategic Plan Examples of 2023

    An IT strategic plan is a structured and well-defined document outlining an organization's goals for using technology over 3-5 years. It encapsulates the overall vision, mission, and objectives of the company's IT department in alignment with the organization's business objectives. The strategic plan provides a roadmap for achieving those ...

  8. IT Strategy Template for a Successful Strategic Plan

    CIOs do this by focusing the IT strategy on three key areas: Context. The internal and external factors that shape the operating environment and the opportunities and threats these factors create for IT. Context includes business and technology factors. Direction. The enterprise's business objectives, goals and strategies, and the strategic ...

  9. IT Strategic Plan: A 5-Step Planning Process (With Template)

    Here are five steps to achieve effective IT strategic planning and execution: 1. The alignment phase: IT strategy is part of your business strategy. While IT strategic planning focuses on medium-term goals, CIOs must consider the realm beyond their IT environment (i.e., your company goals).

  10. Creating an IT Strategic Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide for CIOs and IT Leaders

    IT Strategic Plan Examples. Strategic IT planning is a critical activity that ensures the effective use of technology to achieve a company's goals and objectives. However, given that companies have varying objectives, strategic IT plans can take on many forms.

  11. What is strategic planning? A 5-step guide

    Strategic planning is a process through which business leaders map out their vision for their organization's growth and how they're going to get there. The strategic planning process informs your organization's decisions, growth, and goals. Strategic planning helps you clearly define your company's long-term objectives—and maps how ...

  12. IT Strategy Examples: Creating a Comprehensive IT Plan

    How to Use IT Strategy Plan Examples as Templates. Unfortunately, one cannot take a cookie-cutter approach to IT Strategic planning. Each IT Strategic plan is different and designed to suit a specific situation. Fortunately, these situations can be grouped, and a template created for each that kick starts the strategy development process.

  13. 7 Strategic Planning Models and 8 Frameworks To Start [2023] • Asana

    1. Basic model. The basic strategic planning model is ideal for establishing your company's vision, mission, business objectives, and values. This model helps you outline the specific steps you need to take to reach your goals, monitor progress to keep everyone on target, and address issues as they arise.

  14. IT Strategic Planning: Overview with Examples

    In IT strategic planning, you set goals that typically extend up to five years in the future, and these goals involve your infrastructure management but correspond to the organization's general strategic plans. Your IT goals should complement and support your organization's goals, and generally, what happens in the IT department tends to ...

  15. IT Strategy Template for a Successful Strategic Plan

    Use this Gartner IT Strategic Planning Guide to: Build a clear, measurable strategic plan aligned to your organizational goals. Combat seven costly planning mistakes to develop a robust and agile strategy for your IT department. Capture and communicate your IT strategy to stakeholders with a simple and visually impactful one-page template.

  16. PDF How to write a strategic plan

    Overcoming Challenges and Pitfalls. Challenge of consensus over clarity. Challenge of who provides input versus who decides. Preparing a long, ambitious, 5 year plan that sits on a shelf. Finding a balance between process and a final product. Communicating and executing the plan. Lack of alignment between mission, action, and finances.

  17. A Really Helpful Strategic Planning Example

    Upward Airlines Strategic Plan Example. Let's imagine Upward Airlines has a 2017-2022 strategic plan that's coming to a close. Now's the time to create a new strategy for 2023-2028. The airline's strategic plan needs to include goals and the general plan of action on how to achieve them. Think of a strategic plan like a flight plan.

  18. Examples of a Strategic Plan to Achieve Long-Term Growth

    Identify business goals and set priorities that create growth for your company. Formulate a long-term plan of action designed to achieve these objectives. Determine an internal system tracking and evaluating performance. When organizations want to, they use a strategic plan to: Strengthen their operation.

  19. What is Strategic Planning? Definition, Importance, Model, Process and

    Strategic planning is defined as a pivotal organizational endeavor, meticulously charting the mission, goals, and objectives over a strategic timeframe, typically spanning 2-5 years. Learn more about strategic planning importance, model, process, and examples.

  20. Strategic Planning Samples

    Department Strategic Plan. A summary of your strategic plan with strategic objectives, goals and action items. Company SWOT. An assessment of your organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Department Action Plan. A quick-hit summary of progress against goals and action items. Great for use at strategy reviews.

  21. Strategic Plan Examples: Case Studies and Free Strategic Planning Template

    Strategic Plan example: (Municipal Government)- New York City Economic Development Plan. The New York City Economic Development Plan is a comprehensive 5-year strategic plan tailored for a municipal government. Spanning 68 pages, this plan underwent an extensive planning process with input from multiple stakeholders.

  22. What Is Strategic Planning? Definition, Steps and Examples

    1. Clarify the company's vision. One of the first steps in strategic planning is defining the vision, values and mission for the organization. The vision is the long-term objective of the business, and you should base it on ambitious but realistic goals. Values are beliefs that create the foundation for the company, and affect every part of ...

  23. 4 Examples of a Strategy Plan

    A strategy plan, more commonly known as a strategic plan, is a list of strategic goals together with an action plan to achieve each goal.This is the output of strategy planning and may be developed at the level of an organization, department or team. The following are illustrative examples of a strategy plan.

  24. Responsibilities of a Supervisor (7 Key Tasks and Examples)

    For example, increasing the team's sales by 20% within the next fiscal year. Once you have clear objectives, you can start crafting a strategic plan which includes specific, measurable steps. Now, let's talk about implementation. You take the strategies from your plan and translate them into actionable tasks for your team.

  25. Stability Strategy in Business: Meaning

    Re-evaluation and Planning: Companies often plan strategically during the pause to prepare for future actions. This can involve setting new goals, developing strategic initiatives, and creating timelines for when the company will resume more aggressive growth strategies based on predefined criteria or market conditions.

  26. Gartner Emerging Technologies and Trends Impact Radar for 2024

    Use this year's Gartner Emerging Tech Impact Radar to: ☑️Enhance your competitive edge in the smart world ☑️Prioritize prevalent and impactful GenAI use cases that already deliver real value to users ☑️Balance stimulating growth and mitigating risk ☑️Identify relevant emerging technologies that support your strategic product roadmap Explore all 30 technologies and trends: www ...

  27. Components and examples of strategic communication

    Strategic planning. Communication strategy refers to the plan necessary to achieve communication objectives. There's no strategic communication without a strategic plan. The planning phase is essential to set the aims of each communication activity and make sure it fits the organisation's objectives. At this stage, four issues are paramount.

  28. 20 Expert Strategies For Enhancing Financial Forecasting And ...

    4. Maintain Consistent Communication. Technology and communication are easily overlooked factors when forecasting and budgeting. With refined high-quality data, and some AI programs, it has become ...