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Strategic Planning – Step Three – Look to the Future

This entry is part 10 of 14 in the series Strategic Planning [1]

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 keeping in mind what the past has taught you and where you are now.  Don’t let it specifically limit your thinking, just allow it to define the issues related to the dreams you may have.  Drawing on the data and knowledge you have obtained from steps one and two, create a picture of how you want your environment to be.

Some of the questions that may encourage your thinking might include…

What vision do you have for your environment in one year? Five years?

Think now about the long term. Think about what your users might want.  Think about your firm and what they are trying to get done.

Do you want a new processes for some area of CAD production or different software?  Maybe both?

Is there a change in your clients needs in design technology?  Are they moving toward another process or software platform?  Are you hearing from them about other tools that they are discussing?  Are other firms winning work that you might have gotten if you had some additional technology in place?

Where is the industry headed?  Is there a migration in tools or processes going on in your industry?  Are other, more progressive firms, moving faster than you?  Are the positives of this change outweighing the negative and covering the costs?  What are other firms like yours doing?

Talk to others about what they are hearing, where they would like to go and what buzz might be going on in the circles where they run.

The Product of this Step:

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