Strategic Planning Frameworks and Business Analysis

Strategic Planning Fundamentals

Strategic planning refers to long-term planning, which usually originates at the managerial levels of a company and considers all internal and external factors that affect the formulation of macro development plans.

Planning Policy Issues

Policies provide guidelines for decision-making and contribute to measures that help meet organizational objectives.

Operational Planning

Operational planning involves formulating specific plans to implement policies that contribute to meeting objectives. These commitments relate to time (programs), money (budgets), and work (procedures and methods).

Adaptive Planning

Plans must be adapted to environmental conditions. If these conditions are relatively stable, it facilitates planning, allowing for detailed plans, even for the medium and long term.

The 8 Steps of Strategic Planning

Strategic planning covers the planning, implementation, and evaluation phases. The steps include:

• Identify the organization's current mission, objectives, and strategies.
• Analyze the environment.
• Identify opportunities and threats.
• Analyze the resources of the organization.
• Identify strengths and weaknesses.
• Develop strategies.

Business Analysis Methodologies

SWOT Analysis

SWOT is a specific methodology that allows for a thorough retrospective of the company in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. It is a diagnostic tool that analyzes the internal and external context.

Barriers to Entry

These are the difficulties presented by a sector to the entry of new competitors. Factors include:

• Experience effects
• Capital requirements
• Technology
• Laws and other regulations
• Resistance to change

Exit Barriers

These are difficulties of various kinds that prevent entrepreneurs from closing a business in a timely manner when the economic situation indicates that they must exit the industry.

Internal Analysis

The objective of internal analysis is to examine all factors that determine the competitive position a business will take to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage.

Operational Logistics and Technology

Inbound Logistics

This refers to the management of raw materials, inventory control, and returns from suppliers, as well as activities associated with receiving, warehousing, and storage.

Production Operations

This refers to the operations involved in the transformation processes and systems that provide goods and services in an enterprise.

Outbound Logistics

This refers to activities associated with the output of products. It is important to consider two perspectives: the customer, who is interested in an adequate and timely supply of products, and the company, which should pay attention to quality and reasonable pricing.

Technology

Technology applies to all processes in which raw material is processed into a product. Factors to consider include:

• Technology in inbound logistics
• Technology in production operations
• Technology in outbound logistics
• Marketing technology
• Technology in services