Steps/Functions of Strategic Planning & Management (VMOSA)

 Steps/Functions of Strategic Planning & Management (VMOSA):

As discussed earlier that Strategic planning has two main phases.

1. Preliminary Phase------------- This phase is actually a preparatory phase where we get ready for making a Strategic Plan. (This phase has been discussed in the previous phase in detail)

2. Functions or steps of Strategic Planning and Management.------------------ This is a main phase comprised of five steps or functions.

I.Vision and Values

II. Mission

III. Objectives

IV. Strategies

V. Assessment

In this section we will discuss the Vision in detail. Strategic Plan may be for the period of three to five years.

I. Vision:

1.      Vision Statement:

Guidance:  This is the place to really dream big!  Imagine the organization was wildly successful, with unlimited resources, and no barriers whatsoever.  What would be different about the world?  How would the lives of your service users and the community you serve change?

A good vision is inspiring, focuses on serving the world, and is very ambitious.  It is often the ideal result, and is bigger than just what you (or your business) can deliver alone.  It should be developed in consultation with your Board/staff and Executive Management Team.

Try and develop a Vision of the world if your organization could serve every single person who needs your services.  Capture what the world would be like if you could do this in 3-5 sentences.

Vision is actually your destination where you want to go.

Vision Checklist:

•          Does it excite you?

•          Does it tell the world about the good you want to do?

•          Is it bigger than you?  (In other words, is it more than you can do alone?)

•          Is it simple and short? 

·               Is it specific to your business?

·                     Is it align to the values/culture?

·                Is it about what you can give? (Not about what you’ll get)

Steps of Creating Vision Statement: (four steps)

i.          Define what you do as an output.

ii.         Define what unique twist your organization brings to the above outcome.

iii.        Apply some high level quantification.

iv.        Add relatable, human, ‘real world’ aspects.

Formula for writing a great vision statement:

Step 1 – The output

Step 2 – The twist

Step 3 – The quantification

Step 4 – The human connection

“Producing and selling locally sourced cakes and pies that are so delicious and satisfying, that every customer who leaves our store does so with a smile.”

 In the above vision, all the four steps has been included, depicted by different colors.

What a Vision Statement SHOULD be:

There are a few common rules that pretty much all good Vision Statements should follow:

1. They should be short – two sentences at an absolute maximum. It’s fine to expand on your vision statement with more detail, but you need a version that is punchy and easily memorable.

2.  They need to be specific to your business/school and describe a unique outcome that only you can provide. Generic vision statements that could apply to any organization won’t cut it.

3.  Do not   use words that are open to interpretation.  E.g., saying you will ‘maximize shareholder return’ doesn’t mean anything unless you specify what it looks like.

4.  Keep it simple enough for people inside and outside your organization to understand.

 No technical jargon, no metaphors and no business buzz-words if at all possible!

5.  It should be ambitious enough to be exciting but not too ambitious that it seems unachievable.   It’s  not really a matter of  time-framing your vision, because  that will vary by organization, but certainly anything that has a time frame outside of  3 to 10 years should be challenged as to whether it’s appropriate.

6.  It needs to align to the Values/priorities that you want your people to exhibit as they perform their work. Once you’ve created those Values later on, revisit your Vision to see how well they gel.

Some examples of popular vision statements are shown below:

• Amazon (online retail) – "Our vision is to be earth's most customer-centric company where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online… at the lowest possible prices."
• PepsiCo (retail) – "Our vision is put into action through programs and a focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company."
• Amnesty International (nonprofit) – "Our vision is of a world in which every person – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity – enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other internationally recognized human rights standards."
• Ikea (retail) – "To create a better everyday life for the many people."
• The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) (nonprofit) – "The vision of the ASPCA is that the United States is a humane community in which all animals are treated with respect and kindness."
• Nestle: Good food, good life.

The crux of the discussion id that Vision should be SMART.

S:        Specific

M:       Measurable

A:        Achievable

R:        Realistic

T:        Time Bound

When you make your vision, it means that you have decided your destination, where you actually want to go.