Course Objectives:

• Differentiate between strategic planning and long range planning
• Differentiate between strategic thinking and strategic management
• Define strategy and develop one
• Apply the basic steps of strategic planning process
• Understand the rule of innovation and creativity in the strategic planning process
• Translate the vision and strategy into operational reality
• Identify improvements that will impact corporate success.

Course Outline:

• Strategic planning - what is it?

• Strategic planning versus long range planning
• Strategic thinking and strategic management
• What is a strategy and how do we develop one?
• How to develop strategies

• Strategic planning process basic steps

• Step one - Getting started
• Step two - Articulating Mission, Vision, and Values
• Step three - Assessing the Situation
• Step four - Developing Strategies, Goals, and Objectives
•  Step five - Completing the Written Plan
• Mission Statements
• The Vision Statement
•  Key Definitions

• Situation assessment and the business process flow analysis

• Gathering perceptions about the organization
• We've Got to Stop Meeting like This"
• Gathering management and staff perceptions of the organization
• Gathering external customer perceptions
• Evaluation of products, services and process
• Cost / benefit analysis of process, products, or services
• Business process flow analysis BPFA - an introduction

• A look at teams, leaders, and communication

• Team member guidelines and contributing roles
• Characteristics of effective and ineffective teams
• Communicating in a team
•  Guidelines to questions which require:
• Constructive Communication
• Leadership: an Overview
•  What is leadership?
• Styles of Leadership
• Four leadership styles
• Defining Behavior

• Key concepts and innovations

• Innovation and creativity in the strategic planning process
• Remaining healthy and profitable
• Creativity and innovation
• Divergent and convergent thinking
• Plus-delta-plus process
• Pitfalls which hinder innovation

• Tools and methods for problem solving and creative thinking

• Assigning an effective facilitator
• Adopting a parallel process
• Defining the right problem
• Pulling out ideas through brainstorming

•  Tools and techniques to go beyond brainstorming
•  Exercise - The Nine Sticks
• Brainstorming a beneficial technique
• Four basic "triggers" to be used
•  When to use which
•  Issues of the working environments
•  The nine dimensions of the working environment
• Building the creative culture