Here we are: the last blog of the strategic plan series! I want to emphasize that there are other parts of a strategic plan that are important. I did not want to overwhelm you with all the elements. I will, however, pay tribute to some of these other elements in this last blog. So far we have covered the vision, mission, goals and strategies of your strategic plan. In this blog I will discuss what our first step, instead of the last, is often—your tactical plans.
Your tactics are the day-to-day activities that will be carried out in your organization in order to achieve your goals. To ensure those activities are carried out successfully everyone must know:
- What tasks are assigned to them and when those tasks must be completed
- How the tasks they are doing fit into the big picture
- What results are expected
- How they will be measured
In essence, your tactical plans are the detailed plans on what tasks need to be completed. As a startup myself, I recommend you prioritize your goals and activities. You will find your tasks will outnumber your resources. The following is an excerpt of one of jowanna inc’s goals in our strategic plan.
Goal: Publish Four New Blog Series by the End of the Year
The blog series will be utilized to establish branding and subject matter expertise. The blog series will be tied to our marketing campaigns, and all social media marketing initiatives will align with our blog series.
Strategy
Align blog series with marketing campaign and utilize blog series rollout to create documentation samples, presentations for seminars, Facebook photo albums, articles, vlogs and podcasts. This will ensure that we send a consistent message using multiple communication mediums.
Key Success Indicator
We will know that we are successful if we have a blog series published by the end of each quarter.
Tactical Plans
Set up and implement blog campaign plans.
Tactics
| ID | Tactic | Business Result | Define Outcome | Performance Measure | Executive Accountable |
| 1.1 | Second Quarter Blog Series Campaign Blog | Completed Campaign Plan Ready for Implementation | A fully defined plan that includes: - Campaign objectives/goals - Blog series selection - Campaign duration - Competitive analysis - Campaign activities | - Completion Date | - Jowanna Parris-Daley |
| 1.2 | Second Quarter Blog Series Implementation | Branding Service Awareness | - Implementation of Blog Series | - Quality of Blog - Timeliness of Blog | - Jowanna Parris-Daley |
| 1.3 | Third Quarter Blog Series Campaign Blog | Completed Campaign Plan Ready for Implementation | A fully defined plan that includes: - Campaign objectives/goals - Blog series selection - Campaign duration - Competitive analysis - Campaign activities | - Completion Date | - Jowanna Parris-Daley |
| 1.4 | Third Quarter Blog Series Implementation | Branding Service Awareness | - Implementation of Blog Series | - Quality of Blog - Timeliness of Blog | - Jowanna Parris-Daley |
| 1.5 | Fourth Quarter Blog Series Campaign Blog | Completed Campaign Plan Ready for Implementation | A fully defined plan that includes: - Campaign objectives/goals - Blog series selection - Campaign duration - Competitive analysis - Campaign activities | - Completion Date | - Jowanna Parris-Daley |
| 1.6 | Fourth Quarter Blog Series Implementation | Branding Service Awareness | - Implementation of Blog Series | - Quality of Blog - Timeliness of Blog | - Jowanna Parris-Daley |
As I mentioned earlier in the blogs, there are other sections that you should include in your strategic plan. I conduct an environmental analysis before setting my goals. With an environmental analysis you assess your organization’s strengths and weaknesses with consideration to what is going on in the world around you. This will allow you to know your opportunities and risks given the current state of your organization. I also ensure that my value system is supported in all our activities.
Planning strategically means that you make every effort to lay out a plan that maps to the daily actions of everyone in your organization. Strategic planning is something that should be done with input from your management team. To achieve excellence you must plan for it. Strategic planning allows you to take the deliberate actions that are important to helping you mind your business.
Related Links
The Strategic Plan: Your Road Map to Excellence (Part 1- Your Vision)
The Strategic Plan: Your Road Map to Excellence (Part 2 – Your Mission Statement)
The Strategic Plan: Your Road Map to Excellence (Part 3 – Your Goals)
The Strategic Plan: Your Road Map to Excellence (Part 4 – Strategies)
10 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning
Alpha Teach Yourself Business Plans in 24 Hours
About The Author
Jowanna Parris-Daley owns and operates jowanna inc™, a small business consulting company that offers services including business plan writing, e-consulting, website design and technology services for startup businesses.
