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Strategic planning

A solid strategic planning process delivers valid planning content, applies relevant methodologies, integrates the individual planning steps and tracks implementation. Drawing on our project experience, we have developed a benchmark process for strategic planning that satisfies all these requirements.

In brief

The strategic planning process – a success factor for sustainable corporate development

Strategic decisions prepare the ground for long-term growth that creates value. Top managers accordingly see such decisions as one of their top priorities. Corporate strategy defines the company's vision, sets targets for the long term and outlines the nature and scope of its business. Effective strategies can give a company a decisive competitive edge.

Review your strategic planning process

Existing strategic planning practices often involve inadequate quantitative frameworks; and they fail to state the specific actions that must be taken. Worse still, they frequently do nothing at all to inject innovation into the business system.
There is of course no such thing as the right process for strategic planning. Many existing planning processes do, however, clearly contain avoidable weaknesses. Our crossindustry study of this issue revealed the seven strategic planning pitfalls and a benchmark strategic planning process that are outlined.

Pitfalls in the strategic planning process

How effective is your early warning system?
Do you pay sufficient attention to what your competitors are doing?
Do you underpin your strategic alternatives with quantitative data?
Is value-based management established firmly enough?
Is your strategic planning linked to your medium-term and operational planning?
How effective is your strategy implementation tracking system?
Are your people sufficiently well informed? Have you secured their active commitment?

A solid strategic planning process delivers valid planning content, applies relevant methodologies, integrates the individual planning steps and tracks implementation. Drawing on our project experience, we have developed a benchmark process for strategic planning that satisfies all these requirements.

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Benchmarking process for strategic planning

Our experts

Stéphane Albernhe

Stéphane Albernhe

Partner

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-377
E-mail:

Sebastien Amichi

Sebastien Amichi

Principal

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 70394-282
E-mail:

Georgy Babilashvili

Georgy Babilashvily

Principal

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Andreas Bauer

Partner and Head of Consumer Goods & Retail

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8316
E-mail:

Laurent Benarousse

Principal

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-384
E-mail:

Antonio Benecchi

Antonio Benecchi

Partner

Detroit, USA
Phone: +1 248 729-5000
E-mail:

António Bernardo

António Bernardo

Partner and Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Lisbon, Portugal
Phone: +351 21 3567-601
E-mail:

Razmig Boladian

Razmig Boladian

Principal

Manama, Bahrain
Phone: +973 17 567-952
E-mail:

Principal

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8790
E-mail:

Charles-Edouard Bouée

Charles-Edouard Bouée

Partner

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-965
E-mail:

Johannes Börner

Johannes Börner

Partner

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Sébastien Cailliau

Sébastien Cailliau

Principal

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-323
E-mail:

Maxime Charbonnel

Maxime Charbonnel

Principal

Milan, Italy
Phone: +39 02 29501-227
E-mail:

Roberto Crapelli

Roberto Crapelli

Partner and Managing Director

Milan, Italy
Phone: +39 02 29501-257
E-mail:

Albrecht Crux

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8208
E-mail:

Rodrigo Dantas e Silva

Rodrigo Dantas e Silva

Partner

São Paulo, Brazil
Phone: +55 11 3046-7111
E-mail:

Jie-Jason Ding

Partner

Beijing, China
Phone: +86 10 84400088 - 688
E-mail:

Benno van Dongen

Benno van Dongen

Partner

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 7960-630
E-mail:

Marcin Dumania

Partner

Warsaw, Poland
Phone: +48 22 32374-60
E-mail:

Martin Eisenhut

Martin Eisenhut

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8262
E-mail:

Isao Endo

Partner and member of the Supervisory Board

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 358 76-660
E-mail:

Roland Falb

Managing Partner

Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 1 53602-201
E-mail:

Antonio Farinha

António Farinha

Partner

São Paulo, Brazil
Phone: +55 11 3046-7111
E-mail:

Boris Firsov

Partner

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Mariano Frey

Partner and President

Milan, Italy
Phone: +39 02 295 01-230
E-mail:

Dominique Gautier

Dominique Gautier

Partner

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-341
E-mail:

Nikolay Grachev

Nikolay Grachev

Principal

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Alexei Grigoriev

Alexei Grigoriev

Principal

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-52
E-mail:

Manfred Hader

Partner

Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 40 37631-4327
E-mail:

Hideyuki Hashimoto

Hideyuki Hashimoto

Partner

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 35876-660
E-mail:

Carsten Henkel

Partner

Zurich, Switzerland
Phone: +41 44 38481-70
E-mail:

Jochen Hiemeyer

Jochen Hiemeyer

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8858
E-mail:

Takashi Hirai

Partner

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 35876-660
E-mail:

Marcus Hoffmann

Principal

Shanghai, China
Phone: +86 21 52986677- 809
E-mail:

Fabrice Kahn

Partner

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-324
E-mail:

Masugi Kaminaga

Masugi Kaminaga

Partner

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 35876-660
E-mail:

Principal

Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 39927-3493
E-mail:

Takayuki Kito

Partner

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 358 76-660
E-mail:

Thomas Knecht

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8959
E-mail:

Uwe Kumm

Partner

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Thomas Kunze

Partner

São Paulo, Brazil
Phone: +55 11 3046-7111
E-mail:

Nadezhda Larina

Nadezhda Larina

Principal

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Watson Liu

Partner

Beijing, China
Phone: +86 10 84400088-618
E-mail:

Partner

London, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 20 30751-118
E-mail:

Patrick Mannsperger

Patrick Mannsperger

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8798
E-mail:

Andrea Marinoni

Andrea Marinoni

Principal

Milan, Italy
Phone: +39 02 29501-291
E-mail:

Klaus van Marwyk

Principal

Duesseldorf, Germany
Phone: +49 211 4389-0
E-mail:

Paolo Massardi

Principal

Milan, Italy
Phone: +39 02 29501-230
E-mail:

Björn Maul

Partner

Zurich, Switzerland
Phone: +41 44 38481-68
E-mail:

Vincent Mercier

Vincent Mercier

Partner and Member of the Executive Committee

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-326
E-mail:

Hauke Moje

Partner

Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 40 37631-4310
E-mail:

Beatrix Morath

Partner

Zurich, Switzerland
Phone: +41 44 38481-42
E-mail:

Ken Mori

Partner

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 35876-660
E-mail:

Satoshi Nagashima

Satoshi Nagashima

Partner

Tokyo, Japan
Phone: +81 3 35876-660
E-mail:

Paulo Jorge Amaro Pedro

Principal

Lisbon, Portugal
Phone: +351 21 356 7-606
E-mail:

Victor Perez

Partner

Madrid, Spain
Phone: +34 91 5647361
E-mail:

Principal

Manama, Bahrain
Phone: +973 17 567-976
E-mail:

Philippe Plouvier

Philippe Plouvier

Partner

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-935
E-mail:

Jürgen Reers

Partner

Detroit, USA
Phone: +1 248 729-5000
E-mail:

Dirk Reiter

Partner and Member of the Executive Committee

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8138
E-mail:

Carsten Rossbach

Carsten Rossbach

Partner

Frankfurt, Germany
Phone: +49 69 29924-6318
E-mail:

Olga Sagirova

Partner

Moscow, Russia
Phone: +7 495 72119-51
E-mail:

Regina Schmidt

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8747
E-mail:

Burkhard Schwenker

Burkhard Schwenker

Partner and Chief Executive Officer

Hamburg, Germany
Phone: +49 40 37631-4100
E-mail:

Andreas Schwilling

Andreas Schwilling

Partner

Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 9230-8364
E-mail:

René Seyger

Partner

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 7960-620
E-mail:

Martin Streichfuss

Martin Streichfuss

Partner

Duesseldorf, Germany
Phone: +49 211 4389-2193
E-mail:

Jörg Stäglich

Jörg Stäglich

Partner

Duesseldorf, Germany
Phone: +49 211 4389-2902
E-mail:

Nicolas Teisseyre

Nicolas Teisseyre

Partner

Paris, France
Phone: +33 1 53670-973
E-mail:

Robert Thomson

Partner

London, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 20 30751-120
E-mail:

Frederic Tiberghien

Frédéric Tiberghien

Partner

Brussels, Belgium
Phone: +32 2 66103-43
E-mail:

Erkut Uludag

Partner

Istanbul, Turkey
Phone: +90 212 3700066-0
E-mail:

Ricardo Wehrhahn

Ricardo Wehrhahn

Partner

Madrid, Spain
Phone: +34 91 5647361
E-mail:

Christian Wessels

Christian Wessels

Partner

Frankfurt, Germany
Phone: +49 69 29924-6390
E-mail:

Michael Wette

Partner

Manama, Bahrain
Phone: +973 17 5679-51
E-mail:

Qi Wu

Partner

Beijing, China
Phone: +86 10 84400088-608
E-mail:

Further reading

Management between Strategy and Finance

Management between Strategy and Finance

Book (in German) by Burkhard Schwenker and Klaus Spremann, 2008

Companies' decision-making and planning systems find themselves in a constant tug of war between strategic and financial considerations. The authors analyze these two opposing currents in business thinking, dissecting their differences and identifying their best practices. … >>

NEW GAME

NEW GAME - New businesses achieve success against the odds with their own assets

Study, 2007

What do Caterpillar, Apple and the Süddeutsche Zeitung have in common? All three have successfully fought the dominating business trends and used their existing assets to penetrate new business sectors … >>

Our approach strategic planning process

Brochure, 2005

Read more about our approach to a strategic planning process – a success factor for growth strategies … (PDF, 355 KB)