Strategic planning industry reports can keep your business or institution highly organized and effective. Whether you're developing new goals and initiatives or just trying to stay on track with currents visions and missions, you can benefit from strategic planning. For information resources on strategic planning, you can choose between free information and hiring a consultant.

Strategic planning information resources will teach you how to ensure that effective planning takes place among individual leaders and groups, how to maintain a sense of purpose throughout a prolonged action plan and how to assess the outcome of planning. Strategic planning enables businesses and institutions to run smoothly and meet their goals.

If you're looking for strategic planning information, investigate the following:

1. Get free strategic planning information resources for non-profit and for-profit business

2. Look for institutional effectiveness resources

3. See what strategic planning solutions consultants can offer

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get free strategic planning information resources online

Several online business resource libraries offer strategic planning information. Whether you're looking for published strategic planning research and articles, or just some quick facts or guidelines, these sites can help you get your hands on some valuable (and free) resources.

I recommend: The Free Management Library publishes an in-depth guide for nonprofit and for-profit business adapted from the "Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation". Birnbaum Associates publishes a series of essays offering strategic planning information and an example of strategic plans.

Find strategic planning information at institutions of higher education

Institutions of higher education typically have an office of institutional effectiveness to handle their strategic plan. For information resources, you can access their own missions and goals assessments as well as templates and guidelines you can adapt to your own strategic plan.

I recommend: Eastern Kentucky University Office of Institutional Effectiveness offers a manual of strategic planning information and templates for plans and planning groups. If you need help formulating an institutional strategic plan, SunGard Higher Education designs strategic planning initiatives for higher education institutions, producing written plan for vision, mission, goals and strategies.

Use consulting groups to get strategic planning information

Reference materials for strategic planning are also available as one of the services provided by consulting groups. You can access resources through consultants or hire a consultant to do your strategic planning. For information resources, check consulting websites for recommendations and links.

I recommend: The Center for Simplified Strategic Planning offers in-house workshops and training seminars, as well as tailored consulting for your business or institution. Organized Change Consultancy publishes articles and strategic planning resources like FAQs for initiating a strategic plan and hiring a consultant.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use all of your options when gathering information about strategic planning. Strategic planning industry reports can be useful across industry types, so if you're looking for resources for a small business, you can also benefit from resources published for non-profit and institutional strategic planning.