Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

How This Book Is Organized

Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is divided into six parts. A quick review of the Table of Contents and the following descriptions of the parts give you a solid overview of the entire book.

Part I: Kicking Off Your Strategic Planning Process

The chapters in this part are packed full of who, what, how, and why you should care. You look at a number of concepts in this part, including the strategic planning process, who should be involved, how long it takes, the right time for lanning, the differences between business plans and stratgic plans, and much more.

If you're looking to convince your boss or team members about the importance of strategic planning, look no further than Chapter 2.

Part II: Determining Your Core DNA and Envisioned Future

Hold on a second. Don't move past this part too quickly; I know you want to. Whether your organization has been around for 2 years or 200 years, you have important knowledge to build your strategic plan on. I like to call that knowledge tribal knowledge. Chapter 4 asks you to identify your strategic issues. Chapter 5 digs in to the hard subject of what you do best and helps you identify, develop, and sustain your organization's competitive advantage. Chapter 6 includes a discussion about mission, vision, and values. Additionally, Part II provides you with advice on making sure that the foundation of your business is solid.

Part III: Sizing Up Your Current Situation

Part III focuses on collecting information ...