Pitfalls to Strategic Planning

Even with the best of intentions, the strategic planning process can get off track. Here are some pitfalls to watch for, and avoid.

Jumping from mission formulation to strategy development without sufficient time to determine the critical success indicators embodied in the mission statement.
Top management fails to communicate the plan to the other employees, who continue working in the dark.
Management rejecting the formal planning mechanism and making intuitive decisions that may conflict with the formal plan. This also creates confusion for other employees on how the plan is to be employed in their work activities.
Failing to use the plans as a standard for measuring performance.
Top management believing that it can create a plan by delegating the planning function to a "planner." While the planner may facilitate the planning process, management must still take ownership of the plan itself. [see Role of the Planning Consultant]
Failure to involve key employees in all phases of the planning process (preparation, strategy development, evaluation, and implementation).
Failure to create a climate which is collaborative and not resistant to change.
Treating planning as something quite different and not an integral part of the entire management process.
Becoming so engrossed in current problems that insufficient time is spent on long-range planning.
Becoming so formal that the process lacks the flexibility and creativity needed to address the uniqueness of each company.

Did you notice how many of these pitfalls are management related? Time for self-evaluation?

Last modified: August 22, 2005