OPERATIONS AND STRATEGIC PLANNING ‐
DIFFERENT BUT INTERDEPENDENT

Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next few years,
how it is going to get there, and how it'll know if it got there.

(Adapted from Free Management Library)


OPERATIONS   STRATEGIC PLANNING   COMMENTS

Done by all organizations,
although not necessarily
done well.

 

Done by few organizations.

  Many organizations function in a reactionary manner, although they would suggest otherwise.
Carried out day-by-day. It is
what we routinely do,
and, hopefully, do it in the
 spirit of continuous
improvement .TIONS
 

Conducted every few years.

 
Driven by the
organizational mission,
that is, what the
organization does to
serve its customers.
 

Driven by the
organizational vision,
that is, what the
organization wants to
become.

 

Focuses on a department or
other organizational unit

 

Focuses on the
overall organization

 

Think short term as in
hours, days, and months.

 

Think long term as in several
years or more.

 

Make quick or timely
decisions which, once made,
often cannot be "taken
back."

 

Deliberate long before
making a decision.
Some decisions can be
modified and a few
can be reversed.

 

Requires courage to resolve
difficult personnel, budget,
and other difficult issues.

 

Requires creativity to
imagine future conditions
and conceive new,
appropriate ways
to prepare for them.

 

Leads to strategic planning
ideas if done thoughtfully.

 

Depends on operations
if it is to be
implemented

 

Although very different, as
outlined here, operations
and strategic planning are
interdependent --
one cannot successfully
exist without the other


If you don't know where you are going,
any road will get you there.

Lewis Carroll, author, in Alice in Wonderland

Closing Thoughts: Please contact me if you have questions/suggestions or want to discuss any
aspect of strategic planning, continuous improvement, or other managing‐leading issues.

Stuart G. Walesh, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, F.NSPE
Email: stu-walesh@comcast.net
Cell: 219‐242‐1704

My brief bio may be viewed at:
http://www.HelpingYouEngineerYourFuture.com/learn‐more.htm.

Information about my clients and ways I have helped them is at:
www.HelpingYouEngineerYourFuture.com/clients-served.htm.


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