Elements and Performance Criteria
- Initiate the strategic planning process.
- Consult extensively with business owners and senior staff to determine the parameters that will be used for the planning process.
- Analyse previous strategic and business plans to identify strengths and weaknesses and inform current processes.
- Develop or select a planning methodology to drive the process.
- Identify and brief stakeholders who will contribute to the plan’s development.
- Negotiate and allocate human and other resources required to support the planning process.
- Negotiate and determine a timeframe for the completion of the strategic plan.
- Conduct an environmental and organisational scan.
- Research best practices and trends within the retail industry.
- Collect and analyse demographic and trend data to provide profiling information about the organisation’s customer base.
- Collect and analyse industry intelligence into the strengths and weaknesses of competitors.
- Analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the organisation and its environment.
- Identify risks that could constrain the achievement of organisational goals in the short, medium and long term.
- Consult with stakeholders to identify issues and expectations affecting the organisation’s operations.
- Establish organisational directions.
- Implement processes to engage staff and relevant stakeholders in the planning process, ensuring ownership of an agreement to the plan’s outcomes.
- Seek staff and stakeholder input into establishing the organisation’s vision, mission, values and major goals.
- Provide leadership to establish the organisation’s key result areas and performance measures.
- Develop the strategic plan.
- Manage the development of the detailed activities that will be required to achieve organisational goals.
- Manage the development of specific performance indicators to enable the measurement of success.
- Identify, cost and budget the resource levels required to implement the plan.
- Consult with experts and staff to review the organisation’s brand management strategy and positioning within the market place.
- Undertake consultation, communication and negotiation to gain commitment to the process and the plan.
- Obtain sign-off and commitment to the finalised strategic plan from relevant stakeholders and participants.
- Manage the implementation process.
- Manage the development of the tactical or operational annual plans required to implement the longer-term strategic plan.
- Plan and prioritise the allocation of human, financial and capital resources to enable implementation.
- Put strategies in place to skill the workforce to ensure effective implementation.
- Communicate with staff and stakeholders during the implementation process to ensure commitment and gain feedback.
- Monitor performance of the implementation process against agreed benchmarks and performance indicators.
- Monitor outcomes of the strategic and operational plans in line with agreed organisational processes.