CADDManager on February 15th, 2011
This entry is part 14 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

Your objectives are the Action Plans you will take to meet your goals. (the How and When)  Now you get down to the actionable definitions of what you are going to be doing.  This is the time to add measurable targets and time frames. Include Specific, Measurable objectives that have a Due Date. Here are […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Five

CADDManager on February 8th, 2011
This entry is part 13 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

Business Alignment is something you may hear about at your firm or in general conversations about planning.  Your main CAD initiatives, in terms of budget and resources, should be directly linked to business goals and objectives. This means that when you articulate your objectives they should reflect the same targets as some of the business […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Business Alignment

CADDManager on February 7th, 2011
This entry is part 12 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

In Step Four, you take your list that was created in Step Three and pick the ones that you want to focus on. In Step Three you made a quick list of at least 20-30, then we started narrowing it down to 5-7 ideas that might be the best. Now is the time to start […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Four

CADDManager on January 26th, 2011
This entry is part 11 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

Don’t worry about “HOW” yet. This step is not where you sift through everything and see what sticks. It is not time to think about how you are going to make things happen. This is just the idea phase. Dream a few big dreams and see what you might do. You can include software and […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Three – More

CADDManager on January 24th, 2011
This entry is part 10 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

The third step in the Strategic Planning process is to look toward the future. Now you can start dreaming a little.   Now you can think outside the box.  By working through steps one and two, you have framed the reality of the what you might dream about. Thinking about the future should be done by […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Three – Look to the Future

CADDManager on January 20th, 2011
This entry is part 9 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

Here is an example SWOT that I put together (very simple) to show you what yours might look like. Each area gets information and there may be complimenting of contradicting statements between the two.  You do not fill each one out looking for corresponding issues in the other areas.  Just fill out each block with […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Two – Example SWOT

CADDManager on January 19th, 2011
This entry is part 8 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

Where are you now?  Maybe a SWOT analysis would help get your thinking organized.I have used this method before and it can be helpful.  While I am not going to try and provide all of the methods of organizing your thoughts,I will provide some that I have used as we move forward. Performing a SWOT […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Two – SWOT

CADDManager on January 17th, 2011
This entry is part 7 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

Step Two involves Looking at Now. What is happening at your firm right now? You need to review the following areas at a minimum. Team and Talent – The makeup of the group you are working with will impact your ability to reach a goal. Do they have the training needed? Teams need to be […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step Two

CADDManager on January 12th, 2011
This entry is part 6 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning

I mentioned that Strategic Planning in its essence is just asking a bunch of questions and seeking to define the answers. Step One is looking at the Past. A quick or long look back will help frame the whole process. By getting a proper perspective on what has happened before we may be able to […]

Continue reading about Strategic Planning – Step One