Strategic planning Introduction to strategic planning

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Introduction to strategic planning

In light of the developments and challenges of the contemporary environment, it has become necessary for business enterprises to provide the requirements of strategic planning as a modern method of planning, which enables the organization to look into the future not as an area that imposes threats on it that must be avoided, but rather as a path that generates opportunities that can be invested and developed through, as well as transforming many points Weaknesses into strengths that are employed to deal with the developments and challenges of the contemporary business environment. 

In this research, we will present the general framework of strategic planning, through which it is possible to identify everything related to this planning, by addressing strategic planning in terms of its concept, what it is, its definition, its elements, its importance, its objectives, its characteristics, its advantages, its obstacles, its levels, its stages and its models.  

What is strategic planning

The reality of strategic planning finds that the managerial practice, especially in large institutions, relied heavily on determining how to reach what it seeks.

 Most of the major institutions in the United States of America have become equipped with a strategic plan that deals in particular with the selection of areas of activity, and the identification of what the institution will do to achieve its goals and achieve them. 

This term witnessed a profound development with the beginning of the seventies until it reached the point of trying to develop a comprehensive theory of planning.

 Despite the theoretical enrichment and rapid spread of strategic planning in most institutions, especially in the United States of America, it received many criticisms even from its practitioners. 

At the beginning of the nineties, it became clear that strategic planning became more and more important, due to the presence of many challenges and environmental variables locally, regionally, and globally, and it witnessed a great development in writings, studies and field research, which reflects the great speed with which this dimension has developed in management sciences. . 

The concept of strategic plannin

The interest of institutions in their strategic future calls for them to carry out the process of strategic planning to improve their performance in the long run, so we will try through this research to clarify the concept of strategic planning through the various definitions presented to it, starting with planning, ending with strategy and ending with strategic planning, and then the difference between it and the related terms. with it . 

 Definition of planning

Several definitions of planning have been presented from different points of view and at different times, and the following will be presented to a number of them 

(1) Planning means anticipating what will be the situation in the future with preparation for this future. 
(2) It is the report presented on what should be done, how it can be done, and who is doing the work. It covers the gap between what we are in and what we want to reach. 
(3) It is  the drawing of future activities based on the facts of the situations, and based on the compilation and analysis of thosefacts. 
(4)  A continuous process that involves determining how things are going to answer questions such as what we should do, who is doing it, where, when, and how. 

Through these definitions, we arrive at a comprehensive definition of planning as follows

Planning is the process of making decisions and scientific procedures to determine the direction of the future and achieve its desired goals by defining and setting the policies desired to be achieved in the future. 

 Define the strategy

The roots of the term strategy go back to the Greek origin, which means the science of the general, as well as the leadership of the “art of war” for this general. Therefore, the transfer of the term to the field of management will clearly mean that it is “the art of leadership or management.” Hence, strategy became the focus of many researchers. In the field of management in general, it has become today occupying the first positions of importance since its systematic entry into the framework of business organizations.