• Essence and content of strategic activity planning.
• Stages of strategic planning for the development of the company.
• Structure and content of strategic plans.

Essence and content of strategic planning

The current pace of change in the economy is so great that strategic planning seems the only way formal forecasting of future problems and opportunities.

Strategic planning provides top management with:

• means of creating a plan for the long term,
• o the basis for making decisions that help reduce risk when decision making,
• o integration of goals and objectives structural divisions enterprises.

Strategic planning- this is the process of developing and implementing an enterprise development strategy in the future based on predicting changes in the parameters of the external environment, determining priority areas for development and methods for the effective use of strategic resources. It focuses on changes and innovations, their stimulation, is based on actions that are ahead of changes in environmental conditions, anticipate risks and capture opportunities to accelerate the development of the enterprise.

Differences between strategic planning and traditional forward planning:

The future is determined not by extrapolation of historical development trends, but by strategic analysis, i.e. identification of possible situations, dangers, chances of the enterprise that can change the current trends;

A much more complex process, but also leads to more significant and predictable results.

The process of strategic planning in enterprises includes the following interrelated functions:

1) determination of a long-term strategy, basic ideals, goals and objectives of the enterprise development;

2) creation of strategic business units at the enterprise;

3) substantiation and clarification of the main objectives of conducting market research;

4) implementation of situational analysis and choice of the direction of economic growth of the company;

5) development of the main marketing strategy and integrated production planning;

6) choice of tactics and refined planning of ways and means to achieve the goals;

7) control and evaluation of the main results, adjustment of the chosen strategy and methods of its implementation.

Strategic planning, along with general ones, has special principles:

Strategic focus of environmental analysis to identify key issues that significantly affect the functioning of the enterprise, analyze development alternatives, identify opportunities for changing existing and emerging trends, etc.;

Orientation to a system of management that easily adapts to changes in the external and internal environment of the enterprise;

Optimization of the time horizon for solving strategic problems;

Orientation to strategic points of growth and priority areas development of the enterprise and its divisions;

Ensuring optimal decentralization in organizing planning;

Relationship between strategic and tactical planning.

The main advantage of strategic planning lies in the greater degree of validity of planned indicators, the greater likelihood of the implementation of the planned scenarios for the development of events. Along with the obvious advantages, strategic planning has a number of disadvantages that limit its scope:

1. Strategic planning, by virtue of its nature, does not provide a detailed description of the future. Its result is a qualitative description of the state to which the company should strive in the future, what position it can and should occupy in the market in order to answer the main question of whether the company will survive or not in the competition in the future.

2. Strategic planning does not have a clear algorithm for drawing up and implementing the plan. The goals of strategic planning are ensured by the following factors:

high professionalism and creativity of planners;

 close connection of the company with the external environment;

active innovation policy;

inclusion of all employees of the enterprise in the implementation of the goals and objectives of the strategic plan.

3. The process of strategic planning requires significant resources and time for its implementation in comparison with traditional advanced technical and economic planning.

4. The negative consequences of strategic planning, as a rule, are much more serious than traditional long-term ones.

5. By itself, strategic planning cannot bring results. It should be complemented by mechanisms for the implementation of the strategic plan.

Strategic plans of enterprises are needed not only by him. They should serve as a basis for developing and refining forecasts of the economic and social development country. At the same time, the exchange of reliable information between enterprises and higher authorities and market infrastructure should be voluntary and mutually beneficial.

Stages of strategic planning for the development of a company

Strategic planning has its own technology. The strategic planning process includes the following steps:

Defining the mission of the enterprise (firm);

Formulation of goals and objectives of the functioning of the enterprise;

Analysis and assessment of the external environment;

Analysis and evaluation of the internal structure of the enterprise;

Development and analysis of strategic alternatives;

Choice of strategy.

Strategic planning is the most important function of strategic management. The process of strategic management, in addition to strategic planning, also includes the implementation of the strategy, evaluation and control of the implementation of the strategy.

Consider main components of strategic planning.

1. Defining the mission of the enterprise

This process consists in establishing the meaning of the existence of the enterprise, its purpose, role and place in a market economy.

The strategic mission of the enterprise is important for both internal and external areas of the enterprise. Within the enterprise, its clearly articulated strategic mission provides employees with an understanding of the enterprise's goals and helps to develop a unified position that contributes to the strengthening of the enterprise's business culture. Outside the enterprise, its well-defined strategic mission contributes to strengthening the overall image of the enterprise and creating its unique image, explains what economic and social role it seeks to play and what perception from the buyers it achieves.

The definition of the strategic mission of the enterprise is based on four mandatory elements:

history of the enterprise;

 areas of activity;

priority goals and limitations;

 basic strategic aspirations.

2. Formulation of goals and objectives of the functioning of the enterprise

Goals and objectives should reflect the level to which customer service activities need to be brought. They should create motivation for people working in the firm.

The requirements for goals are:

 functionality - goals must be functional so that managers at various levels can transform the goals that are set at a higher level of management into tasks for lower levels;

 selectivity - goals should provide the necessary concentration of resources and efforts. In conditions of limited resources, the main production tasks should be allocated, on which it is necessary to concentrate human, financial and material resources. Therefore, goals should be selective, not all-encompassing;

 plurality - it is necessary to set goals in all areas on which the viability of the enterprise depends;

 achievability, reality - an unrealistic goal leads to demotivation of employees, to the loss of their orientation, which negatively affects the activities of the enterprise. Therefore, goals should be tense enough so as not to discourage employees. At the same time, they must be achievable, that is, not go beyond the capabilities of the performers;

flexibility - the ability to adjust goals in accordance with changes in the external and internal environment of the company in the process of their implementation;

 measurability - the possibility of quantitative and qualitative assessment of goals both in the process of setting them and in the process of implementation;

Compatibility - all targets in the system must be compatible. Long-term goals should correspond to the mission of the enterprise, and short-term - long-term;

 acceptability - this quality means the compatibility of the company's goals with the own interests of its owners and employees, as well as taking into account the interests of partners, customers, suppliers and society as a whole;

 specificity - this characteristic of the goals helps to unambiguously determine in which direction the company should operate, what needs to be obtained as a result of achieving the goal, in what time frame it should be implemented, who should implement it.

There are two approaches to the process of structuring goals in planning: centralized and decentralized;

1. The centralized approach assumes that the system of goals at all levels of the firm's hierarchy is determined by top management.

2. With a decentralized method, all lower levels participate in the process of structuring along with top management.

From the point of view of goal justification technology, the algorithm for their structuring includes four successive stages:

Identification and analysis of trends in the external environment;

 Establishing the final goals of the company;

 building a hierarchy of goals;

 setting individual (local) goals.

3. Analysis and assessment of the external environment

The analysis of the external environment involves the study of its two components: macroenvironment and microenvironment (environment of the immediate environment).

Analysis of the macro environment includes the study of the impact on the firm of such components of the environment as:

The state of the economy

Legal regulation,

political processes, natural environment and resources

The social and cultural components of society,

Scientific and technological level,

Infrastructure, etc.

The environment of the immediate environment of the enterprise, i.e. The microenvironment of an enterprise consists of those market participants with which the enterprise has direct relations:

Suppliers of resources and consumers of its products,

Intermediaries - financial, trade, marketing, state economic structures (tax, insurance, etc.);

competing companies,

Mass media, consumer societies, etc., which have a certain influence on the formation of the image of the enterprise.

4. Analysis and evaluation of the internal structure of the enterprise

An analysis of the internal environment allows you to determine the internal capabilities and potential that a company can count on in the competition in the process of achieving its goals.

The internal environment is investigated in the following areas:

Research and development,

Production,

Marketing,

Resources,

Product promotion.

The analysis carried out in strategic planning is aimed at identifying threats and opportunities that may arise in the external environment in relation to the firm, strengths and weaknesses owned by the firm. To analyze the external and internal environment in strategic planning, methods such as:

SWOT analysis method,

Thompson and Stickland matrix,

Matrix of the Boston Advisory Group, etc.

The most common method for studying the internal environment of an enterprise is the SWOT analysis method. It can be carried out from 1-2 hours to several days. In the first case, conclusions are drawn on the basis of an express survey, in the second case, on the basis of studying documents, developing a model of the situation, and discussing problems in detail with stakeholders. At the same time, a quantitative assessment of strengths and weaknesses makes it possible to set priorities and, on their basis, allocate resources between different areas of economic growth. Next, they formulate the problems that can arise with each combination of strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise. So get the problem field of the enterprise.

Along with the methods of studying the threats, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses of the company, the method of compiling its profile can be applied. With its help, it is possible to assess the relative importance for the company of individual environmental factors.

5. Development and analysis of strategic alternatives

At this stage of strategic planning, decisions are made about how the firm will achieve its goals and realize the corporate mission. The content of the strategy depends on the situation in which the company is located. When developing a strategy, a firm usually faces three questions:

1. what activities to stop,

2.what to continue,

3.Which business to go to?

In a market economy, there are three directions for the formation of a strategy:

Achieving leadership in minimizing production costs;

Specialization in the production of a certain type of product (service);

Fixing a certain market segment and concentrating the firm's efforts on this segment.

6. Choosing a strategy

To make effective strategic choices, top-level executives must have a clear, shared vision for the firm. Therefore, the strategic choice must be definite and unambiguous. At this stage, from all the strategies considered, one should be chosen that best meets the needs of the company.

The considered stages of developing a strategic plan and the form of its presentation are of a general nature and can be modified in accordance with the specifics of a particular enterprise.

Lecture, abstract. The essence and content of strategic planning - the concept and types. Classification, essence and features.

Structure and content of strategic plans

The concept and content of the strategic plan of the organization

The main document of strategic planning in the enterprise - strategic plan. His structure could be the following:

Foreword (summary);

1.Goals of the enterprise

2. Current activities and long-term goals

3.Marketing strategy

4. Strategy for using the competitive advantages of the enterprise

5. Production strategy

6.Social strategy

7.Strategy of resource support for production

8.Strategic financial plan enterprises

9.R&D strategy

10.Strategy of foreign economic relations of the enterprise

11. Management strategy

Appendix.

The preface characterizes the general state of the enterprise:

 types of manufactured products, their significance in terms of competitiveness, quality and safety of use,

main technical and economic performance indicators for the last 5 years and for the planned period,

 Brief description of the resource potential,

Key indicators of technology, organization, management.

The preface should be short, businesslike, specific. It is developed last, after substantiation of all sections of the strategic plan.

1. In the section "Goals and objectives of the enterprise" they formulate the goals of the enterprise, determine its organizational and legal form, charter and features.

The most significant in market conditions are financial goals:

Volume of sales;

The amount of profit;

Sales and profit growth rate;

The rate of return on all capital (or all assets);

The ratio of profit to sales volume.

2. In the section "Current activities and long-term tasks":

disclose the organizational enterprise structure,

 characterize the manufactured goods, their competitiveness in specific markets,

 show the company's connections with the external environment, verified partners,

consider the technical and economic indicators of entrepreneurial activity over the past 5 years and for the future.

3. Section "Marketing strategy" includes the development of the following components.

 Product strategy - develop standard solutions(approaches) on modification, creation of a new product and withdrawal of products from the market.

targeted programs - in the practice of Russian enterprises, such targeted programs as "Health", "Housing", etc. are developed;

social protection of employees - it is advisable at the enterprise to establish additional compensations for employees, pensioners, mothers at the expense of profits, to provide employees with products and essential goods and high demand.

7. In the section "Strategy of resource support for production" highlight:

resource provision of production and bottlenecks in the organization of the use of production potential;

development of a new strategy for providing production with all types of resources;

feasibility study and coordination of measures to implement a new strategy for ensuring production.

8. In the section "Strategic financial plan of the enterprise" form and determine the use of financial resources to implement the strategy of the enterprise. This allows you to create and change financial resources, determine their rational use to achieve the goals of the enterprise in changing conditions. The development of a financial strategy should be preceded by a deep economic analysis of the enterprise, including an analysis of economic activity and the determination of its financial capabilities.

9. In the section "R & D strategy" consider the activities of the enterprise aimed at creating new technologies and types of products. This section highlights the following components:

1. Technological forecasting and planning.

2. R&D structure.

3. R&D management.

The specifics of the work requires an adequate management system, flexible, capable of the best way use the qualification potential, with an informal organizational structure, readiness for rapid restructuring, strict control over the timing and efficiency of work.

When developing a strategy, capturing changes in the internal and external environment in a timely manner allows you to reduce losses or gain benefits based on response actions. A special role in the trapping mechanism is occupied by Information system, which should be the same for the entire control system.

Reformulation is the process of revising the goals and developing an adjusted strategy for the development of the enterprise. However, reformulation is not a strategy-making process, because it does not affect all elements of the strategy, but only corrects it.

One of the most complex processes in management strategy is putting the strategy into action. New goals are not always correctly perceived by the employees of the enterprise, since they do not affect their interests. In addition, people get used to working in conditions of stability, so the introduction of a new strategy meets resistance on their part. There is a need to control resistance.

Applications usually contain the following materials:

Characteristics of competitors;

Instructions, methods, standards, descriptions of technologies, programs and other supporting materials;

Initial data for calculations;

Explanatory notes, etc.

The given composition and content of sections strategic plan exemplary. At a particular enterprise, managers, taking into account the recommendations of the planning guidelines, independently build a strategic plan.

Strategic planning is the most important type of managerial activity in an enterprise. Development big business requires building well-designed plans, effective implementation of the decisions that they provide, as well as an adequate assessment of the results of work. What are the main stages of strategic planning? What factors can influence their content?

What is strategic planning?

Before exploring the stages of strategic planning as the most important element of enterprise management, let's consider the approaches of researchers to understanding the essence of the corresponding term.

There is a widespread point of view according to which strategic planning can be understood as the process of developing and maintaining mechanisms to ensure a balance between long-term business goals and the possibilities of achieving them in the current market conditions. The main task of strategic planning is the identification by management of fundamental resources, due to which the prospective development of the enterprise is possible.

Key planning steps

The main stages of strategic planning, according to researchers, can be recorded in the following list:

• definition of key business objectives;
• analysis of the social environment in which the enterprise operates (in market, legal, political aspects);
• choosing an effective strategy;
• implementation of the provisions of the strategy;
• evaluating the results of solving the tasks set.

Let us now consider the specifics of the marked points in more detail.

Planning Stages: Setting Goals

So, the first stage of strategic planning is the formation of key goals. If we are talking about a company that is considered commercial and operates on a free market, then the corresponding item in the plan may be related to the process of market expansion. Thus, key business development goals can be related to:

• with a specific market share,
• with an increase in revenue to specific indicators,
• with the provision of brand representation in such and such a geography of the market.

Goal setting will largely depend on the current stage of business development. So, for a start-up enterprise, perhaps, the priority will be just the same capitalization, accompanied by an increase in revenue or the value of fixed assets. For larger businesses, the emphasis in development will probably be formed based on the need to expand the geography of its presence in the market.

The first stage of strategic planning may include an activity that involves some philosophical aspects of the company's development. That is, a company can set itself a goal that consists not only in achieving any economic indicators, but also, for example, designed to solve a significant social, ideological problem. As, for example, the stimulation of science in the region or the growth in the popularity of any educational specializations through the creation of jobs that require appropriate qualifications from employees. It can be noted that some businesses generally do not consider aspects related to profitability when setting an appropriate goal. The philosophical, ideological component of business development becomes a priority for them.

However, no matter what the methodology for setting goals, they must meet a number of criteria. Namely: orientation to a specific period of time, measurability (in units of currency, in the number of specialists in a particular specialization), consistency with other goals, company resources, controllability (there are ways to monitor the processes that accompany the achievement of the goal, as well as intervene in them if necessary) .

Once the objectives are set, the firm can begin to implement the next steps in the strategic planning process. In particular, the analysis of the social environment. Let's take a look at its key features.

Planning stages: analysis of the social environment

The stages of strategic planning include those that are associated, as we noted above, with the analysis of the social environment in which the company operates. The components of this can be: market, legal, socio-economic, as well as political sphere.

What are the most important characteristics of the first section of the social environment? Among these:

• the level of competition (which can be assessed, for example, based on the number of players operating in a given segment);
• current and potential intensity of demand;
• infrastructure characteristics (the quality of transport communications used by businesses in the course of interaction with suppliers, as well as in the delivery of goods to the end consumer).

If we talk about the legal component of the social infrastructure, then its key characteristics can be called:

• the intensity of taxation, determined by the relevant legal acts - for example, the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, federal laws, regional and municipal sources of law, which fix the criteria for collecting taxes at one level or another;
• the presence of legal barriers to starting a business (this may be expressed in the need to obtain licenses, certificates, other permits);
• predetermined by the provisions of various sources of law, the intensity of inspections and supervisory procedures, reporting obligations to the Federal Tax Service and other authorities.

Regarding the socio-economic sphere, as one of the components of the social environment, it is worth saying that its key characteristics can be as follows:

• the level of purchasing power of the population (if the target audience is individuals);
• solvency of the target category of clients in the status of legal entities;
• current unemployment rates;
• socio-cultural characteristics of the target client group;
• solvency and reliability of suppliers.

Another important component of the social environment in which the company will operate and in relation to which it is necessary to conduct analysis is the political sphere. In some cases, it is advisable for companies that make up the stages of strategic planning to analyze the marked area as a priority. It happens that the state of affairs in politics affects business to a much greater extent than certain economic calculations. The main characteristics of the political sphere as an element of the social environment in which the company will develop are considered to be:

• the level of openness of borders, the availability of certain foreign markets;
• the level of development of democratic procedures in the country;
• political stability in general (predetermined, for example, by the level of public confidence in the authorities).

Some analysts believe that this list should include one more item - the level of political competition, that is, the presence in the system of political institutions of channels through which any person can participate in elections and other political communications. The electoral qualification on any grounds must therefore be reduced to a minimum. However, this point of view has a counterargument, which lies in the fact that the effective development of the economy and business can be carried out even with minimal political competition - as, for example, in China or Singapore.

Methods for analyzing the social environment

The most important nuance that characterizes the stages of strategic planning we are considering is the methods that company managers can use in the course of solving certain problems. The correct management tools are especially significant in the analysis of the social environment in which the enterprise operates. Let's study the corresponding methods in more detail.

Modern researchers consider one of the most effective SWOT analysis. SWOT is an abbreviation of the English words strenghts - “strengths”, weaknesses - “weaknesses”, opportunities - “opportunities”, and also threats - “threats”. Thus, each of the above components of the social environment - the market, the legal, socio-economic and political sphere - can be studied for the strengths, weaknesses of the company, opportunities and threats that characterize business communication in interaction: with competitors, if we talk about market analysis , with the state in terms of law enforcement practice, if we talk about the legal sphere, with consumers and suppliers, if we talk about the socio-economic sphere, with political structures.

Another notable method that enterprise managers can use when developing the steps in the strategic planning process is portfolio analysis. It is especially effective in the study of the market component of the social environment in which the company will develop. With the help of portfolio analysis, the company's management can analyze its business model and identify the most and least promising areas of communication with external players, the most effective options investment, the most attractive ideas and concepts for the development of the company.

So, after the problem under consideration, which includes the stages of strategic planning - analysis of the social environment, has been solved, the company's managers can move on to the next one - choosing an effective business development strategy. Let's consider it in more detail.

Stages of planning: choosing a strategy

What can be the strategic plans considered by the managers of the enterprise? The stages of strategic planning considered by us can, as we noted above, line up on different stages company development.

Thus, the specifics of planning for a company that has just entered the market, and the priorities determined by the managers of a company that has already become a major player, can differ significantly. Therefore, the choice of a company's development strategy can be largely determined by the stage at which the company is building a business. Of course, the results of analytical studies conducted using the SWOT method, portfolio approach or other tools will also be a significant factor.

Modern experts distinguish the following main business development strategies: stability, growth, reduction. It is also possible to combine them - in this case, a combined strategy is built. Let's study their specifics.

Stability strategy

One of the factors determining the choice of priorities in the development of the company may be, as we noted above, the analysis of the social environment of the enterprise included in the stages of development of strategic planning. In the event that he shows that the current conditions in which the company has to work do not contribute to its active growth, then the management may decide to choose a stability strategy. A similar scenario is possible if, for example, analytical work reveals that the market segment in which the company develops is sufficiently saturated, the level of purchasing power of target customers is average, and the political situation does not allow us to count on expanding the brand's presence in foreign markets. The characteristics of a stability strategy, if we talk about a modern commercial enterprise, can be:

• priority of using the company's own funds;
• limited intensity of attraction of credit funds and portfolio investments;
• focus on reducing costs and increasing, as a result, the profitability of the enterprise;
• Ensuring revenue growth - if possible, optimizing current production operations.

In general, the characteristics of the stages of strategic planning associated with the determination of development priorities will reflect the company's desire to develop at an average pace, use predominantly conservative approaches to business management, and refuse to invest in concepts that are highly likely to be ineffective for all their external attractiveness.

Growth strategy

An analysis of the social environment in which the company will operate can show, for example, that the level of competition in the current market segment is low, the political environment favors interaction with foreign suppliers, and the purchasing power of target customers is high.

In this case, the approaches by which management builds the stages of the organization's strategic planning can be characterized by the desire of the company's leaders to ensure:

• more intensive revenue, possibly accompanied by an increase in costs and a decrease in profitability, but in absolute terms capable of generating more profit;
• active lending, attraction of investors;
• investments in promising innovative concepts.

Reduction strategy

Another possible scenario is that the results of the analytical work indicate that the social working conditions of the company are far from optimal. This can be expressed, for example, in an increase in unemployment and, as a result, a decrease in the purchasing power of the company's target customers.

In this case, the current scale of the business may be unprofitable. As a result, management, building the stages of development of strategic planning, may decide to choose a strategy for reducing the business. Its main characteristics:

• refusal to invest in any major projects;
• reduction of the geographical presence of the brand in regions where the profitability of the business is low;
• cost reduction in order to increase the company's profitability at current turnover;
• early repayment of loans.

What can be a combined business development strategy? As a rule, its application means that the use of certain approaches is predetermined by the state of affairs in a particular business area or in a separate region where the brand is present.

It may well turn out that in one state where the company operates there is an economic crisis, while in another there is a steady growth of the national economy. As a result, the management that builds the stages of developing strategic planning may decide to apply a growth strategy in the first country, stability or reduction in the second. The same decision-making principle can apply to different areas of production. For example, it may turn out that the production of televisions is less profitable than the supply of irons to the market. As a result, the management, determining the stages of strategic planning at the enterprise, may decide to make the production of TV sets less intensive, reducing, accordingly, investments in this part of the business, and as for the supply of irons, it will send additional funding to this segment.

The next stage of strategic planning is the actual implementation of those scenarios that are conceived by the company's management. The main task in this case is to determine the responsible persons and structures of the company who will be directly involved in the practical implementation of the methods and approaches adopted at the level of top managers. Let's study it in more detail.

Planning Stages: Strategy Implementation

The sequence of stages of strategic planning includes, therefore, not only the theoretical part, but also the practice of implementing those decisions that have been developed by the management of the enterprise. As we noted above, the key task in this case is the appointment of responsible persons who will be directly involved in the activities under consideration. The company's management will, first of all, competently delegate the necessary powers to the level of subordinate structures. In addressing this challenge, managers will need to pay attention to:

• determining the mechanisms for financing the necessary activities;
• building internal control and reporting procedures;
• determining the criteria for the quality of work of responsible persons and structures of the organization that are involved in the implementation of the chosen strategy.

After the decisions made by managers are put into practice, it is necessary to trace their effectiveness, evaluate the results of the managers' work.

Planning stages: evaluation of results

The considered stage has a very simple content. In fact, all that needs to be done by managers or those structures that are responsible for evaluating the results of the practical implementation of approaches to business development is to compare the results with the goals that were set at the first stage. In some cases, it may also be necessary to correctly interpret the results - when it comes to reporting to the owners or investors of the company.

So, strategic planning includes stages arranged in a certain logical sequence. The most important thing for managers is to follow the order in working on each of them. This criterion is one of the key ones in terms of achieving the desired results in business development.

Strategic planning defines the main goals and directions of the organization's actions, ensures the achievement of the chosen goals by using existing advantages and creating new ones. A strategic plan is a program of integrated actions to achieve the set goals.

Strategic planning is the process of defining the goals of an organization and the lines of action to achieve them. The decisive planning decision for the organization is the formulation of the mission and the definition of specific goals that ensure its implementation. On the basis of the adopted goals and taking into account the results of the strategic analysis, decisions are made on the main directions of action and the corresponding management procedures.

Figure 17 shows the sequence of actions that make up strategic planning in the form of a cycle. This cycle begins with the development of a mission and goals. The formulated mission allows you to define measurable goals, expressed in the relevant indicators. In practice, after clarifying the goals, the mission is often re-specified, and the cycle begins anew.

The next step in strategic planning is to determine the parameters of the external environment that affect the activities of the organization. This strategic planning step is exploratory in nature and is often carried out by third parties. The results of the study of the external environment often force the mission and goals to be clarified again, so the strategic planning procedure returns to the initial stage again.

At the next stage of strategic planning, a SWOT analysis is carried out, which reveals positive and negative external and internal factors of the organization or project.

The results of the SWOT analysis often force us to return to the formulation of the mission and goals and supplement the study of the external environment. It is this step in Scheme 17 that is represented by dotted lines.

The formulation of the mission, goals, SWOT analysis - all these elements of strategic planning have been successfully used and are being used in the practice of not only commercial, but also government organizations, and they were used several centuries ago.

An example of a strategic approach to public administration is the work of Jean Baptiste Colbert, Minister of the Court Louis XIV, who served as head of government for the "Sun King" for 23 years. In many of his endeavors, he proceeded from the principles of strategic planning. One of the episodes of his activity is very typical. According to his instructions, oaks were planted in large areas in France. On the territory of modern France, you can still find the remains of oak groves created by order of J.B. Colbert. These landings at the end of the 17th century. were made for the sole purpose: that by the middle of the XIX century. (!) France became the owner of the best mast timber in Europe and thus would provide itself with the best material for shipbuilding.

Colbert was interested in creating new competitive advantages for the state as a whole, since the development of the fleet in the 17th century. was of decisive importance for the country. All the elements of strategic planning are visible in Colbert's actions: defining the mission and goals, SWOT analysis, strategy development and its implementation.

Strategic planning and long-term planning are not the same thing, although strategic plans tend to be long-term in nature. Long-term plans can be both strategic and operational. The former include the justification of goals, their hierarchy, assessment of external conditions, internal pros and cons, and main directions of action. The latter relate to simpler management tools and include a list of necessary actions, quantitative characteristics of these actions, deadlines, responsible for actions and control procedures. operating plans, being detailed plans actions, usually complement the strategic ones, being a tool for the implementation of strategic plans. At the same time, they cannot be successful without preliminary analytical study at the strategic planning stage.

Strategic planning can be carried out at different levels of the management hierarchy. For example, in a large commercial organization you can develop a strategy at the level of the corporation as a whole, determining which types of business are best to go into. In this case, the issues of diversification of activities, integration with other similar organizations, absorption of competitors, etc. will be mainly resolved. kind. Its niche in the market, pricing strategy, business geography, innovation and investment strategy are determined. At the same time, within the framework of each business, its own functional strategies are identified: financial, production, marketing strategy, R & D strategy, information strategy, etc. These strategies determine what and how to do in the implementation of the relevant functions.

In the same way, we can consider different levels of state strategic management: federal, regional, municipal. For example, a country's development strategy is reflected in the program of economic and political reforms; each region forms its own strategy in accordance with federal programs and plans, taking into account its own specifics of socio-economic development and using its own advantages. The same can be said about the city strategy in relation to the regional strategy.

Every organization needs a strategic information system to conduct strategic analysis. Most large organizations have special information and analytical units. V small organizations where it is not possible to have their own information and analytical unit, their own specific sources of strategic information are used, such as personal experience, reports, books, magazines, newspapers, conferences, professional meetings, subordinates, external contractors, etc.

In the process of developing a strategy, it is useful to use forecasting, building scenarios and models, and creating a development concept.

There is no need to dwell here in detail on forecasting methods. Suffice it to say that an organic part of the development of a strategy is the forecast of the development of the control object under various basic assumptions. For example, based on a variant forecast, it is possible to consider various development scenarios: what will happen if nothing is changed and continue to act in accordance with the old, well-established approaches and management methods, and also what will happen if different strategy options are implemented.

It is advisable to analyze various development options not only for the organization as a whole, but also for its individual divisions, as well as individual aspects or types of activities.

Of the special models used in strategy development, strategy models built on the basis of various analytical matrices, including the Boston Consulting Group matrix (BCG matrix), which are successfully used for strategy development and their analysis in many commercial organizations, are widely used. .

To develop a strategic development plan, both large and small organizations often resort to the help of professional consultants.

Strategic planning has firmly entered the life of almost all commercial organizations. Traditional strategic planning technologies are business plans and commercial projects. Practice has proven high efficiency, and in some cases the urgent need for the use of strategic planning not only in commercial activities, but also in other types of human activity. Recently, strategic planning has been increasingly used in the practice of non-profit organizations (foundations, churches, universities) and in public administration, including regional administration.

It is legitimate to raise the question of the strategy of the country as a whole, region or city, ministry, department. All these management objects are very different from a commercial firm, and therefore their development strategy has its own characteristics. At the same time, the main elements of the strategy of the country, region, city, ministry, department and commercial organization are the same.

Strategic planning is successfully used in the work of universities, hospitals, non-profit organizations. Especially fruitful is the use of strategic planning in the management of the development of the region.

All strategic planning procedures, with appropriate adaptation, are applicable to regional and city development planning. Strategic planning can be successfully used not only in the preparation of comprehensive plans for socio-economic development, but also in the implementation of anti-crisis measures in regions and cities, in the management of large-scale infrastructure projects, and in the implementation of investments.

Some strategic planning techniques formalized in business planning are already widely used in the practice of regional governments. However, all constructive elements of strategic planning and strategic management have yet to be fully implemented in the practice of city and regional administrations.

The implementation of business development projects in itself does not yet indicate a deployed and developed strategic management at the enterprise. However, in a systematically surviving and prospering company, project portfolios are implemented in accordance with strategic action plans that are the result of higher-level processes. Strategic planning occupies a central place in the processes of strategic management and implements, perhaps, the most difficult part of the work of planning the activities of a modern enterprise.

Essential aspects of strategic planning

Ancient Greek philosophers considered strategy to be "the art of generals." Metaphorically, the strategy of modern business can be seen as "a magnificent path to wealth." As an applied phenomenon, the company's strategy should be considered in a broad and narrow sense. In a broad sense, it refers to the special skill of the general manager in the long term to anticipate and accept external and internal challenges.

In a narrow sense, strategy is a plan for the long-term development of a company with an established planning horizon that can lead the business to significant success. By such success, we mean a qualitatively new state of business in relation to its role and place in the alignment of industry forces. Narrowing the concept of strategy even more, we state that this is a document, and this form of displaying a long-term plan is becoming increasingly important in the modern world. Here are a few criteria for a good strategy that emerge from a review of the document:

• gives rise to a sense of pride of the owner for the future materialized image of his business;
• paints a picture of the growing wealth of the owners;
• creates an image of ensuring the company's competitiveness in the short and long term;
• forms the satisfaction of the key personnel of the company.

Strategic planning, as a concept much more specific than the organization's strategy itself, is perceived more clearly and simply. First, the level of planning formalization is much higher. Secondly, the composition of the documents resulting from the process is obvious. Under this type of planning, we mean a systematic procedure for developing a set of long-term measures for the conduct and development of business. This complex should guarantee the creation of profit by obtaining and maintaining competitive advantages in the long term.

The essence of strategic planning lies in several key aspects of the business strategy itself.

1. First, the unfolding planning process is designed to eliminate the root cause of the business problem. Problems are almost always present within the company's management system and do not allow to properly accept and reflect external market challenges and internal threats.
2. Secondly, strategic planning in an enterprise is an important procedure for creating a correspondence between its long-term goals, chances and opportunities for minimizing risk situations in the future.
3. Thirdly, the essence and functions of strategic planning reproduce the modeling of the company's future based on the developed goals and the concept of long-term development.
4. Finally, fourthly, strategic planning is a procedure for regularly adapting and adjusting the plans themselves as the situation changes, while maintaining the same vision, mission, values ​​and long-term goals.

Relationship between strategic planning and management

The concept of a functional layout of management procedures is widespread, in which one of the functions is planning. The process of strategic planning is part of strategic management as the supreme element of the control system. But the breadth of this planning is specific.

The peculiarities of strategic planning make it difficult to draw a dividing line between proper planning, analysis, and organization. This system regularly reproduces a set of formalized results from the concept of the company's strategic development to a plan of strategic initiatives, further converted into projects. The process of creating system results includes the following basic steps.

1. Formation of the AS-IS model. Situational analysis of the external environment and resource potential of the company.
2. Start of work on the AS-TO-BE model. Clarification of vision, mission. Finding the root problem. Development of long-term goals of the company and conceptual decoding of the plan for their implementation. Transformation of qualitative goals into quantitative ones. profit models.
3. Development of a basic strategy based on the selected alternatives and adopted development and growth strategies. Building a top level company.
4. Development of business strategy, functional, product and regional strategies.
5. Development of a plan for strategic initiatives and an enlarged model of the stages of strategy implementation.

The purpose of planning is to make fundamental and optimal long-term decisions, while strategic management is focused on achieving the results laid down in the strategy. Results can mean: market share, new products, markets, technologies, etc. Speaking of strategic management, we mean, first of all, organizational actions based on the results of planning. In turn, strategic planning is an analytical and planning process.

Model for incorporating strategic planning into strategic management

Above is a model of the strategic management process. On it we see the planning block highlighted in blue, which captures the stage of implementation and implementation of the strategy through the development of a plan for strategic initiatives. Further, the process seems to bifurcate (this is not shown in the diagram). On the one hand, it descends to the level of tactics, where a corporate portfolio of development projects is formed from the position of an investment strategy. On the other hand, taking into account the main goal of strategic management, thanks to the activities of strategic controlling, the focus of the company's management is maintained on object-time results.

Goals and objectives of strategy planning

Strategic planning of the enterprise's activity is developed at the initiative of its owners. Sooner or later, depending on the stage of the life cycle of a commercial organization, its organizational and legal form (PJSC, NAO, LLC), shareholders, owners of the enterprise withdraw themselves from the operational management of the business or are removed by law. A contract is concluded with the CEO of the company, the key points of which must be built in accordance with the strategy, which serves as the basis for transferring responsibility for the result to him.

Essentially, a “documented boundary” is drawn between the business owners and the CEO in the form of a strategy. It ends the competences and powers of the owners, represented by the board of directors, and begins the rights and responsibilities of the State Duma. The role of strategic planning is to act as an instrument for such a transfer of responsibility, which at the same time opens up carte blanche for management actions over a long contract period. Taking into account the remarks presented above, let us designate the main goals of planning at the strategic level.

1. To form an image of the prospective state of the organization, corresponding to the vision, mission and challenges of the environment of its activities.
2. Formulate the composition of tasks for the general manager for the period of his management of the company under the contract.

Model of target orientation of strategic planning of the company

We can expand the indicated goals into strategic planning tasks using the model presented above. At the same time, it should be remembered that in the implementation of past, modern and future strategies there are internal blocking points that are in the nature of problems that must be diagnosed with the search for a way to eliminate them. Among the tasks of planning in strategic management are the following:

• perform a dynamic analysis of the development of the company and the implementation of the current strategy;
• to analyze the external environment and the internal state of the company at the current moment (AS-IS);
• identify the root problem of business management and approve a way to eliminate it;
• clarify the vision and mission of the company;
• formulate business development goals;
• develop a strategic concept for the development of the company;
• make fundamental and optimal decisions on the ways, methods and means of the company's transition to the TO-BE state;
• develop a plan for strategic initiatives;
• clarify the policies arising from the main functional strategies: financial, marketing, personnel, investment, etc.

Types and functions of strategy planning

In the modern world, event flows are accelerating. Is there a limit to this? What to rely on and in what time frame? It seems to me that the acceleration is artificial. In a company whose management respects the regular management paradigm, there must be four unshakable things even in conditions of instability. According to the degree of immutability, they are located from top to bottom, moreover, the third and fourth positions can change places according to the situation.

1. Vision.
2. Mission.
3. Politicians.
4. strategic goals.

The goals predetermine the action programs for the implementation of the strategy, which, depending on the dynamics of the situation, may undergo changes. This circumstance is due to the variability of the composition of focuses that management should pay attention to when moving towards business goals. The external environment is constantly being transformed, the resource composition possessed by the company is changing, and irreversible force majeure acts arise. This, one way or another, forms the species differences and the specific content of the planning activities of the highest level of the hierarchy.

The following types of strategic planning are distinguished in the literature:

• long-term;
• mid-term;
• short term;
• operational planning.

On the one hand, we can agree that, based on the principles of planning, a hierarchical approach can take place. But this seems to me a bit of a stretch, because if long-term planning intersects somewhere with strategic planning, then other types, even in organizational nature, differ greatly from activities related to strategy. Another issue is that the dichotomous process of strategic planning of an organization can be implemented with the allocation of a managerial-strategic function or without creating a separate unit.

In addition, strategic planning in the enterprise in the policy of business management is subject to initiation with a given frequency or must begin when significant changes occur in the external environment. Based on these suggested remarks, I would highlight the appropriate types of planning. However, the lack of a deep methodological study of the classes of this type of activity only indicates that the development of strategic management in Russia has not yet passed the stage of "youth". The specific differentiation of activities is also determined by the branch of the economy in which the business operates, and the functional content of the planning process. Traditionally, strategic planning performs the following four functions.

1. The function of mobilization and internal coordination of the company's management.
2. An adaptive function that ensures the company's adaptation to changing business conditions.
3. The distribution function of existing and prospective business resources.
4. The function of development of system managerial thinking.

Basic Strategy Planning Methodologies

The methodology of strategic planning in the history of world management thought originates at Harvard. A business school known for its ideas in the field of the SWOT analysis method, it was a scientific center in which the theory of the strategic planning model was developed, which later became a classic. The scheme of this model is presented to your attention below.

Harvard Business School Strategic Planning Chart

Based on the opportunities of the market environment and using its strengths, the company proceeds to formulate a strategy. The strategic planning process uses, on the one hand, the success factors found at the intersection of opportunities and threats posed by the environment. On the other hand, a company's willingness to address its weaknesses and capitalize on its strengths helps create and retain unique competitive advantages strategic level. The methodology developed at the Harvard School prescribes the use of special principles of strategic planning, among which the following are the main ones.

1. The principle of assigning responsibility for developing a strategy to a hired head of the company. The one who will execute it should develop the strategic plan, and the board of directors authorized by the owners should accept it.
2. The principle of systematized and logically built thinking of a strategy, excluding the suddenness and spontaneous nature of its formulation.
3. The principle of information. The content of strategic planning procedures should be accessible, simple and at the same time concentrated and informative.
4. The principle of uniqueness and creativity of the project development of the strategy.
5. The principle of product completeness of the strategic planning process implies the finiteness of the optimal choice of strategy among possible alternatives.
6. The principle of conciseness and simplicity of perception of the text of the strategy.
7. The principle of realizability of the formulated strategy.

The principles of strategic planning formulated for the Harvard methodology are fully suitable for all subsequent models, which in fact are its schematic interpretation. Another traditional development is the model of Igor Ansoff. The features of strategic planning according to Ansoff consist in the use of the most formalized procedures for formulating a strategy at the level of a fairly detailed and rigid flowchart, in replacing the value plan of business management with a clear setting of goals. Among other things, the American scientist introduced numerous feedbacks into the model, which made it possible to significantly develop the principle of interactivity and continuity of the planning process. A simplified model by I. Ansoff is presented below.

Simplified scheme of strategic planning by I. Ansoff

Instrumental content of the methodology

The essence of strategic planning is manifested through the contour of its phased implementation. The quantitative composition of these stages and their content varies widely, depending on factors such as:

• form of ownership of the enterprise;
• branch of activity;
• stage of the company's life cycle;
• scale of activity;
• level of activity differentiation;
• type of business management system.

Generalized scheme of strategic planning technology in the company

On the whole, modern technology strategy planning is built into a certain technological chain, which is summarized in the diagram above. We will not touch on the issue of mission development in our article, we will immediately move on to a general strategy, which includes the following elements of strategic planning:

• development strategies;
• growth strategies;
• corporate strategy;
• competitive strategy.

These are the four main strategies. And if the first three relate to the long term, then, starting with a competitive strategy, plans are built for the medium term closer to the present moment in time. Regarding corporate strategy, it should be noted that this is not a company strategy as such, and not every company has it, since only diversified, diversified businesses need it. In other words, corporate strategy is portfolio in nature and is not required if the business is mono-in nature.

The development of a competitive strategy is based on a deep analytical study of the operating environment and the state of the company. Numerous strategic planning tools are used for analysis. Among them, the types of analyzes and models known in theory and practice are noted, which are presented for each meaningful element of the strategic analysis system in the diagram below. All the presented methods of strategic planning, of course, are not mandatory for use in a specific plan development, but serve as powerful auxiliary resources, the choice of which depends on managerial experience and skill.

Correspondence scheme of the tools used at the stage of developing a competitive strategy

After the procedure for selecting strategic alternatives, the development of functional strategies follows: development of sales, production, R&D, finance, personnel, marketing, etc. Strategic planning at each iteration ends with the adoption and approval of a document called the "strategic plan of the company", which serves as a target for at least several years in making tactical decisions and for operational management. A summary of this document is presented below.

Problems of strategic planning

Unfortunately, we have to admit that modern system strategic planning, which has developed in many companies, causes a certain nihilism among top management. A natural question arises: did the peak of popularity pass to strategic management and did it really exist? It seems that the hopes for the "golden formula" of the strategy did not materialize to a large extent, and there are several reasons for this. In this regard, we will consider some of the problems that have led many business leaders to understand the current situation with the development of this management component.

1. The most main reason, in my opinion, lies in the fact that the procedures for linking well-formulated strategies with grassroots projects and processes through the same BSC turned out to be extremely cumbersome. At the same time, the dynamics of real events requires regular adjustment of the same corporate cards, for which there are simply no resources, and this is simply unprofitable.
2. Modern models of long-term planning suffer from excessive mechanicalness, lack of flexibility, which is important today. Almost always, at intermediate moments, these models turn out to be irrelevant to a certain extent. The way out can be achieved by scenario modeling with the study of various options for business development. However, this is also a rather expensive exercise, which requires the allocation of the strategy planning function with the advent of a separate structural unit.
3. The third problem has a purely Russian specific coloring and is related to the strategy's aiming at the growth of business capitalization. At first glance, there is nothing wrong with this position. This is a very worthy goal for any owner. However, in domestic practice, the share of speculative investors often exceeds the number of "strategic" shareholders by several times. The positions of the two types of shareholders regarding strategy are often opposite. The first ones are always aimed at the growth of capitalization, because they are focused on the sale of their stake in the end. Strategies developed with such an unspoken message from the owners, to a certain extent, devalue the very idea of ​​\u200b\u200bplanning ahead.

Does everything described above mean that there are no prospects for strategic planning in domestic business? Not at all. I would even say that, on the contrary, there are prospects, and they lie in the plane of our own scientific research and the development of alternative models, and not in blind translation of the methodology of the best examples of the Western school. As the supreme component of management, strategy gravitates toward the ideological aspect of doing business. In other words, the ideology of the main business owners is important for her, but not only.

Modern companies are in open system global, but Russian business is very specific, and it seems to me that in the coming decades its national features will only become stronger. And this means that a new productive concept of strategic planning can be built based on the state ideology and business development strategy. Some progress in this direction is being made, but not enough. I believe that if the state, taking into account world experience, found an opportunity to order a new paradigm of strategic management for applied science, the breakthrough of Russian companies into international markets would eventually become more likely and successful.

Strategic planning- a set of actions and decisions taken by management that lead to the development of specific strategies designed to help the organization achieve its goals.

According to Peter Lorange, the strategic planning process is a tool that helps in making managerial decisions.
His task is provide innovation and change in the organization sufficiently.
There are 4 main types of management activities:

• resource allocation- is the distribution of limited organizational resources, such as funds, scarce managerial talent and technological expertise;
• adaptation to the external environment- covers all actions of a strategic nature that improve the relationship of the company with its environment. Companies need to adapt to both external opportunities and hazards, identify appropriate options, and ensure that strategy is effectively adapted to the environment.
• internal coordination - involves coordinating strategic activities to map the firm's strengths and weaknesses in order to achieve effective integration of internal operations.
• awareness of organizational strategies - it is the systematic development of the thinking of managers by forming an organization that can learn from past strategic decisions.

Strategy is a detailed comprehensive comprehensive plan designed to ensure the implementation of the mission of the organization and the achievement of its goals.

The main theses of the strategy:
a) the strategy is mostly formulated and developed by top management, but its implementation involves the participation of all levels of management;
b) the strategic plan should be developed from the point of view of the entire corporation rather than a specific individual;
c) the plan must be supported by extensive research and evidence;
d) strategic plans should be designed not only to remain consistent over long periods of time, but also to be flexible enough to be modified and refocused as needed.
Organizational planning and success.

The current pace of change and increase in knowledge is so great that strategic planning seems to be the only way to formally predict future problems and opportunities. It provides senior management with the means to create a long-term plan. Strategic planning also provides a basis for decision making. Formal planning reduces risk in decision making. Planning, in so far as it serves to formulate established goals, helps to create a unity of common purpose within the organization.
Formulating a strategic plan is a thorough preparation for the future. If all managers should engage in formal strategic planning to some extent, then the preparation of strategic plans for the entire organization is primarily the responsibility of top management. Middle and lower managers participate in this work by providing relevant information and providing feedback.

Stages of the strategic planning process

1. Mission of the organization.
2. Goals and values ​​of the organization.
3. Assessment and analysis of the external environment.
4. Management survey of strengths and weaknesses.
5. Analysis of strategic alternatives.
6. Choice of strategy.
7. Implementation of the strategy.
8. Strategy evaluation.

rice. 2 Strategic planning process

1. Mission of the organization

The first and most important decision in planning will be the choice goals organizations - its mission and specific goals.
The main overall goal of the organization, i.e. a clearly expressed reason for its existence - denoted as its mission. Goals are developed to carry out this mission.

The goals developed on its basis serve as criteria for the entire subsequent process of making managerial decisions. If leaders do not know what the main purpose of their organization is, then they will not have a logical starting point for choosing the best alternative.
The mission details the status of the firm and provides direction and benchmarks for setting goals and strategies at various organizational levels. The organization's mission statement should include the following:

• The task of the firm in terms of its main services or products, its main markets and main technologies, i.e. What kind of business activities does the company do?
• The external environment in relation to the firm, which determines the operating principles of the firm.
• Organization culture. What type of working climate exists within the firm? What type of people are attracted to this climate?

Viewing the mission in terms of identifying the basic needs of customers and effectively satisfying them, management actually creates customers to support the organization in the future.

The mission serves as a guideline on which leaders base their decisions. Choosing a target that is too narrow can limit management's ability to find alternatives in decision making. Choosing a mission that is too broad can hurt the organization's success.

2. Values ​​and goals of top management

Values ​​are formed by our experience, education and socio-economic background. Values, or the relative importance we place on things, guide and guide leaders when faced with critical decision-making.
Gut and Tagiri established 6 value orientations that influence managerial decision-making:

Value Orientations		Types of Goals Preferred by Organizations
Theoretical	True Knowledge rational thinking	Long-term research and development
Economic	Practicality Utility accumulation of wealth	Growth Profitability results
Political	Power Confession	Total capital, sales, number of employees
Social	Good human relations Attachment No conflict	Social responsibility in relation to profit indirect competition Favorable atmosphere in the organization
aesthetic	Artistic harmony Compound Shape and symmetry	Product design Quality Attractiveness, even at the expense of profit
religious	Consent in the Universe	Ethics moral issues

The relationship between the values ​​held by top management and the company-wide goals is important. Leadership values ​​are manifested in the goals of the organization.

Goals should have a number of characteristics:
1. Must be To specific and measurable
By expressing its goals in concrete, measurable terms, management creates a clear baseline for subsequent decisions and evaluation of progress.
2. Orientation of goals in time.
It should not only determine what the organization wants to achieve, but also when the result should be achieved. Goals are usually set for long or short periods of time.
The long-term goal, according to Steiner, has a planning horizon of approximately 5 years. The short-term goal in most cases represents one of the plans of the organization, which should be completed within a year. Medium-term goals are from one to five years.
3. Achievable goals.
The goal should be achievable - which contributes to the effectiveness of the organization.
4. mutually supportive goals.
Actions and decisions necessary to achieve one goal should not interfere with the achievement of other goals.

The strategic management process will be successful to the extent that senior management is involved in setting goals and to what extent these goals reflect the values ​​of management and the realities of the firm.
3. Assessment and analysis of the external environment
Managers evaluate the external environment according to three parameters:

• Evaluate changes that affect different aspects of the current strategy.
• Determine what factors pose a threat to the current strategy.
• Determine which factors provide more opportunities to achieve the company-wide goal by adjusting the plan.

Analysis of the external environment - the process by which strategic planners monitor factors external to the organization to determine opportunities and threats to the firm.
In terms of assessing these threats and opportunities, the role of environmental analysis in the strategic planning process is to answer three specific questions:

• Where is the organization now?
• Where does senior management think the organization should be in the future?
• What should management do to move the organization from where it is now to where management wants it to be?

The threats and opportunities faced by the firm can be divided into 7 areas:

• economic forces (inflation or deflation rates, employment levels, international balance of payments, US dollar stability abroad and tax rate);
• political factors (management should be aware of local government regulations, politicians' attitudes towards antitrust activities, restrictions on hiring labor and the possibility of obtaining a loan, etc.);
• market factors (demographic conditions, life cycles of various products or services, ease of market penetration, income distribution of the population and the level of competition in the industry);
• technological factors (taking into account changes in production technology, the use of computers in the design and provision of goods and services, or advances in communication technology);
• international factors (ease of access to raw materials, activities of foreign cartels, changes in the exchange rate and political decisions in countries acting as investment objects or markets);
• competitive factors (analysis of the future goals of competitors, assessment of the current strategy of competitors, review of the assumptions regarding competitors and the industry in which these companies operate, in-depth study of the strengths and weaknesses of competitors);
• factors of social behavior (changing expectations, attitudes and mores of society);

4. Management survey of internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization

The next problem an organization faces will be to determine whether the firm has internal forces to take advantage of external opportunities, as well as identifying internal weaknesses that can complicate problems associated with external threats.
The process by which internal problems are diagnosed is called management survey.

Management Survey is a methodical assessment of the functional areas of the organization, designed to identify its strategic strengths and weaknesses.

Marketing

When examining the marketing function, 7 areas deserve attention for analysis and research:

• market share and competitiveness;
• variety and quality of the product range;
• market demographic statistics;
• market research and development;
• pre-sales and after-sales customer service;
• effective sales, advertising and promotion of goods;
• arrived.

Finance and accounting

A detailed analysis of the financial condition can reveal existing and potential internal weaknesses in the organization, as well as the relative position of the organization with its competitors.

Operations(in the narrow sense - production).

Some of the key questions to be answered in the survey are:

1) Can we produce our goods or services at a lower cost than our competitors? If not, why not?

2) Is our equipment modern and well maintained?

3) Are our products subject to seasonal fluctuations in demand, which forces us to resort to temporary dismissal of employees?

4) Can we serve markets that our competitors cannot serve?

5) Do we have an effective and efficient quality control system?

Human resources.

If an organization has qualified employees and leaders with well-motivated goals, it is able to follow various alternative strategies.

Culture and image (image) of the corporation.

culture reflects the prevailing customs, mores and expectations in the organization.
The image of a corporation, both inside and outside the organization, refers to the impression that it creates with the help of employees and public opinion in general.

5. Analysis of strategic alternatives

The organization faces 4 main strategic alternatives:

• limited growth - setting goals from what has been achieved, adjusted for inflation.
• Growth - an annual significant increase in the level of short-term and long-term goals over the level of indicators of the previous year.
• Growth may be internal and external.
• internal growth can happen by expanding the range of goods.
• External growth may be in related industries in the form of vertical or horizontal growth.
• Reduction - the level of goals pursued is set below that achieved in the past. Several reduction options:
• liquidation- complete sale of inventories and assets of the organization;
• cutting off the excess- often firms find it beneficial to separate some divisions or activities from themselves;
• downsizing and reorientation- reducing part of their activities in an attempt to increase profits;
• Combination - combination of any of the 3 mentioned strategies.

6. Choosing a strategy

The Boston Advisory Group matrix can help guide options and management decisions.

Cash generation (market share)

Use of cash
(growth rate) high high low

For example, if your product or service has a large market share and a high growth rate (star), you are more likely to follow a growth strategy. On the other hand, if your product or service has a small share of the market and has a low growth rate (dog), you can choose a strategy of cutting off the excess.

The strategic choices made by managers are influenced by a variety of factors:

• risk;
• knowledge of past strategies;
• response to owners;
• time factor.

Management chooses a strategy after it analyzes external opportunities and dangers, internal strengths and weaknesses, and evaluates all of its alternatives and options.

7. Planning for the implementation of the strategy

Once an underlying overall strategy has been chosen, it must be implemented by integrating it with other organizational functions.
An important mechanism for linking the strategy is the development of plans and guidelines: tactics, policies, procedures and rules.

Tactics

Just as management develops short-term goals that are consistent with long-term goals and make it easier to achieve them, it often must develop short-term plans that are consistent with its overall long-term plans. Such short-term strategies are called tactics.

Some characteristics of tactical plans:

• tactics are developed in the development of the strategy;
• while strategy is almost always developed at the highest levels of management, tactics are often developed at the level of middle management;
• tactics are designed for a shorter period than strategy;
• while the results of the strategy may not be discovered for several years, the tactical results appear very quickly and are easily correlated with specific actions.

Politics

Politics provides a general guide for action and decision-making that facilitates the achievement of goals.

Policy is usually formulated by top managers for a long period of time. Politics directs decision-making, but also leaves freedom of action.

Procedures

Procedures – describe the actions to be taken in a particular situation.

Procedures usually describe the sequence of actions to be taken in a given situation. In general, an individual acting according to a procedure has little freedom and few alternatives.

Rules

When a high degree of subordination is required to achieve goals, leaders use regulations . When management wants to limit the actions of employees in order to ensure that specific actions are performed in specific ways, they make rules.

rule defines exactly what should be done in a particular single situation.

Evaluation of the strategic plan.
The development and subsequent implementation of a strategic plan seems like a simple process. But continuous evaluation of the plan is essential to its long-term success.

8. Strategy evaluation

Strategy evaluation carried out by comparing the results of work with the goals. The evaluation process is used as a feedback mechanism to adjust the strategy. To be effective, evaluation must be conducted systematically and continuously.
When evaluating the strategic planning process, 5 questions should be answered:

• Is the strategy internally compatible with the capabilities of the organization?
• Does the strategy involve an acceptable degree of risk?
• Does the organization have sufficient resources to implement the strategy?
• Does the strategy consider external dangers or opportunities?
• Is this strategy the best way to use the firm's resources?

There are a number of criteria, both quantitative and qualitative, that are used in the evaluation process.
Quantitative evaluation criteria:

• market share
• sales growth
• level of costs and production efficiency
• level of costs and sales efficiency
• staff turnover
• absenteeism
• employee satisfaction
• net profit
• securities payments
• share price
• dividend rate
• earnings per share

Qualitative evaluation criteria:

• ability to attract highly qualified managers
• expansion of services to clients
• in-depth market knowledge
• hazard reduction
• use of opportunities

After choosing a strategy for developing a subsequent plan, management should conduct a thorough review of the structure of the organization to find out if it contributes to the achievement of corporate goals. The strategy defines the structure. Conceptually, structures should always reflect strategy.

The best organizational structure will be one that is appropriate for the size, dynamism, complexity, and composition of the organization. As organizations evolve and their goals evolve, their strategies and plans change. This should happen to their structures as well.