Strategic plans are a management tool used to define and implement the company's visions and goals. Each strategic plan can contain:

  • Descriptions of the current reality and expected end result

  • A SWOT analysis

  • A description of the strategy, including goals, milestones, and risks

  • Actions needed to implement the strategy (This requires that a reference type is created. For more information about reference types, see About reference types.)

  • Developments that might affect the current reality or end result

Note Note

You do not have to complete every part of the plan. Some parts, such as , are optional.

Use strategic plan templates

You can create templates for frequently-used strategic plans, or plans that are always structured in the same way or contain many common features. The plan's setup is then automatic, which enables you to create the plan faster and benefit from the knowledge that is represented in the template's structure. You can edit and adapt the plan afterward if needed.

A template consists of:

  • Identification of the template, including the plan type and mask

  • Any number of plans on one of more levels in a plan tree structure

  • The actions needed to execute the plan.

Example

Product development plans are typically divided into plans for feasibility studies, design, development, and testing. The main activities are often the same in each phase, regardless of which product the company is developing. If the company frequently plans new products, these main activities and other identical parameters can be used in a template for each phase.

Create strategic plans manually, or by using a wizard

On the form, you can set up strategic plans in two ways:

  • By creating a new line and manually entering all required information.

  • By using a wizard for guidance. To start the wizard, the check box must be selected. Press CTRL+N to open the dialog box, and then choose .

Create actions for a plan by using a reference type

To help increase the effectiveness of a plan, it is useful to define and manage the actions needed to implement the strategy. You can enable this by creating a reference type in the form, and setting up automatic actions on the form. Setting up a reference type and automatic actions will enable an button on the form that you can use to create actions for the plan. You can add actions to a strategic plan at any time, however, you can only start the actions when the plan's status is .

If you selected an when you created the , you can only create actions with the that belong to the selected action group.

When you have created the actions, they can only be seen in the strategic plan. When you start the plan the actions' status automatically changes and they can be accessed by the employees to whom the actions are assigned. Actions added afterwards are started by clicking > .

Update the status of a strategic plans

You can update a plan's status by clicking .

Starting a plan also starts its related actions. However, secondary plans are not also started. Secondary plans must be started manually.

You can end the plan after you have given all secondary plans and related actions the status . As with starting a plan, secondary plans must also be ended manually.

Setup prerequisites

Setup folder

Includes...

,

See Also