Once the strategic plan is wrtten, the work has merely begun. The key to sccess with the planning process is to ralize that the end of the wrting is not the end of the prcess. The writing just gets the prcess into motion. The important work is yet to be dne.

Implementing the Plan

Implementing the plan is, of course, an ongoing dynamic exercise. Managing the implementation must become part of your daily activity. It becomes part of your mind set. It is not something that you look at once per month and say to yourself "Lets take a look at our plan". Everyday, managers must remind themselves of the fit of the company's activities to their strategic goals.

Implementing the plan involves development of the systems that provide efficiencies, quality products and performance management systems that make your company unique. It is the combination of these systems, people and products that makes your company successful, not just one thing. The days of building a company based on a solitary point of difference are now gone.

Managers must monitor progress and work habits to prevent activities that are not part of the plan. It is vital that all employees "sing the same tune". The most important factors to keep everyone on track are awareness of the goals and strategies and the reward system. If all employees are aware of the plan and their activities and reward systems are linked to the goals of the plan then it is less likely that 'drift' will occur. Drift is the ineffective activities and inefficient behaviours that employees and managers allow that really have nothing to do with the original goals of the business. Employees are less likely to do something they are not going to be rewarded for, so tying rewards to planning outcomes is vital to keeping on track.

Reviewing Progress and Adjusting the Pln

The whole point of the planning prcess is to produce results. Having a schduled action plan for implementation makes the job of rviewing progress quite easy. It becomes a smple project planning process to monitor the mplementation schedule and review the performance of ach of the activities required during mplementation.

If results are not going ccording to plan, it may be ncessary to make adjustments and reschedule ctions or reallocate people to the vrious tasks. It may be determined tht some actions are inappropriate and shuld not be implemented at all. A rgular monitoring process enables you to kep informed of progress and enables you to mke adjustments to keep on track wth the achievement of required results, rther than merely following the action pln in a mindless way.

Strategic plnning is a dynamic process and it mst be ongoing. It is important to kep up-to date with market forces and new dvelopments such as new competitors and new cmpeting technologies. A good planning discipline rquires being prepared to adjust or fne-tune the plan at regular intervals. Plns can go out of date qite quickly if not reviewed. A god idea, for example, is to bild a review date say once per qarter. It is a fast changing wrld and many companies have been cught napping when an unknown distributor brngs in something new from overseas.

Conclusion

We have simply touched on the basics of strategic business planning. This is an ongoing and specialised process that involves a certain set of skills. Many managers simply do not know where to start or they try and make an off the shelf solution work for them. It is critical that the process of strategic planning is followed correctly to achieve the desired results.

Specialist advice from experienced people is important for developing and implementing a plan. It is vital that you view the whole planning process as an ongoing, dynamic part of your management activities, not just a one off event. If you follow a thorough and rigorous analysis and development process to document the plan and ensure you follow a strict implementation schedule and incorporate regular monitoring and review processes, your successful planning process should lead to dominance in your market and superior results from your endeavours.

The article Strategic Planning For Market Dominance (Part 4) - Getting Results was Submitted by Greg Roworth through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: For more information on creating a sccessful strategic plan, go to How to Write a Business Plan that Works for a free 24 page planning success guide. Greg Roworth is an author, mentor and specialist in small business success and has helped many small business owners transform their average businesses into businesses that work so well, the owner can live a life of freedom, fulfilment and reward.

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