Strategic Plan Development and Deployment
What to know
Strategic planning runs a repeatable cycle: environmental and competitive scan (PEST, Porter's five forces), SWOT, mission/vision/values, long-range goals, strategy selection, deployment of goals into measurable objectives, and periodic review.
Distinguish the anchors. A vision is the desired future state; a mission states why the organization exists and whom it serves; values are behavioral commitments. Goals are broad and directional; objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
Deployment is where most exam points hide. Hoshin kanri (policy deployment) cascades a few breakthrough objectives through the organization using catchball - iterative negotiation of targets and means up and down the hierarchy - and pairs each objective with a measure, an owner, and a review cadence. A common format is the X-matrix linking long-term objectives, annual objectives, improvement priorities, and targets. The balanced scorecard translates strategy into four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth.
Know benchmarking types (internal, competitive, functional, generic) and gap analysis (current state versus desired state versus best-in-class). Traps: confusing strategy (where to compete and how to win) with tactics (short-term execution); treating a vision statement as a measure; and assuming deployment ends when the plan is published. Review cadence is part of the answer more often than candidates expect.
Worked example
Objective: 'Improve customer satisfaction next year.' Not SMART. Rewritten: 'Raise overall satisfaction from 82% to 88% by December 31, measured by the quarterly post-transaction survey, owned by the service director, reviewed monthly.'