Strategic planning

BSBLDR802 Lead the strategic planning process for an organization

This unit is about leading the development of high-level strategic plans that serve the vision and mission of an organization. It addresses analyzing the environment, identifying risks and opportunities, planning staffing requirements, succession planning, and monitoring financial and non-financial performance indicators.

Leadership needs to engage people with the organization’s vision and goals and in developing and implementing the plan.

It applies to senior managers and business owners who generate ideas and solve complex problems.

 

How you will be assessed

RE

You will be assessed through:

  1. Assessor observation on the job
  2. Supervisor reference (if the assessor is not the supervisor)
  3. Review of your workplace documents:
    1. Invitations to meetings, minutes of meetings,
    2. Research about industry trends and practices,
    3. An environmental and organizational scan,
    4. Existing organizational strategic planning documents,
    5. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis
    6. A risk assessment related to achieving the organization’s goals
    7. Tactical or operational annual plans.
    8. Progress and financial reports.
  4. Interview/assignment based on the requirements below.

 

Practical

You will be assessed in the workplace. You need to show that you have led the development of an organization-wide strategic plan including:

  1. Consulted decision makers and other stakeholders.
  2. Planned and budgeted for human, financial and capital resources, and implemented staff development and succession planning.
  3. Identified and analyzed information about the organization and its environment.
  4. Aligned the strategic plan to the vision, mission and key goals of the organization.
  5. Identified performance indicators.
  6. Communicated with and engaged stakeholders in developing, signing off and implementating the plan.
  7. Harnessed resources, staff and stakeholder commitment to ensure implementation of the strategic plan by consulting and engaging with them throughout the process.
  8. Implemented and evaluated the strategic plan, including developing tactical or operational annual plans and refining the plan to respond to changed conditions.

 

Assessment Conditions

CA

You will be assessed in the workplace. It must be a a safe environment, and you will need to perform consistently as a manager and leader. You will need access to:

  1. organizational and industry information and data.
  2. workplace documents including strategic planning documentation.
  3. case studies and, where available, real situations.
  4. interaction with others.

Interview/assignment questions

RK

  1. Outline contractual requirements and implications for the business.
  2. Explain the financial management requirements and processes of the business.
  3. Describe industry trends and practices of relevance to the organization’s strategic direction.
  4. Specify organizational resource requirements for projects.
  5. Describe processes and procedures for identifying strategic goals setting and activities.
  6. Describe how to manage risk in a business of this kind.
  7. Outline strategic and operational planning processes.
  8. How did you choose business ratios to monitor finances?

Note: Your assessor may also ask you a variety of what if questions.

 

 

Detailed requirements

1. Initiate the strategic planning. El 1/PC, RS

  1. Consult the organization’s decision makers to determine the planning parameters, including timeframes and budget.
  2. Analyze current strategic planning documents and determine a methodology that fits the organization’s needs and past practice.
  3. Identify stakeholders who will contribute to planning.
  4. Develop and document your planning methodology within a project plan, including resource allocation.

 

2. Conduct an environmental and organizational scan El 2/PC, RS

  1. Research local and international trends and best practice in the organization’s field of operation.
  2. Identify, collect and analyze demographic and trend data to profile the organization’s market.
  3. Collect and analyze industry intelligence on competitors.
  4. Identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) to the organization.
  5. Identify major risk factors that could constrain the achievement of organizational goals in the short, medium and long term.
  6. Consult stakeholders to identify issues and expectations affecting the organization’s operations.

 

3. Lead the establishment of organizational key directions and goals. El 3/PC, RS

  1. Engage staff and relevant stakeholders in establishing the major goals of the organization.
  2. Establish leadership to articulate the vision, mission and key goals of the organization.
  3. Give leadership to establish the organization’s key result areas.

 

4. Lead the development of the plan’s key activities and performance indicators. El 4/PC, RS

  1. Initiate and manage processes and delegations to develop detailed activities to achieve the organization’s goals.
  2. Develop specific performance indicators for measuring success.
  3. Cost and budget for resourcing levels so the plan can be enacted.
  4. Get commitment to the process and the plan.
  5. Engage stakeholders and participants to sign off and commit to the finalized strategic plan.

 

5. Manage implementation. El 5/PC, RS

  1. Develop tactical or operational annual plans to implement the longer-term strategic plan.
  2. Prioritize and resource (human, financial and capital) programs and operational tactics.
  3. Analyze processes or practices and plan changes.
  4. Plan human resource development and succession strategies to ensure the business has long-term viability.
  5. Initiate strategies to skill the workforce in order to implement the plan.
  6. Establish communication processes to inform and support staff and stakeholders during the implementation of the plan.

 

6. Manage the evaluation. El 5/PC, RS

  1. Establish and implement a system to monitor performance against agreed benchmarks.
  2. Monitor outcomes of the strategic and operational plans.
  3. Review or refine activities in light of changing conditions to ensure that you attain the goals of the strategic plan.

 

7. Other.

  1. Manage tasks and contingencies on the job.

 

Code for unit reqts:
CA: Conditions of assessment
El/PC: Element & criteria
RE: Required evidence
RK: Required knowledge
RS: Required skills