What is strategy?

A strategy is a set of high level decisions about why your organisation exists, what it hopes to achieve in the next few years, how it wants to achieve it, and how it will deal with the world around it.

Usually, a strategy is developed through a strategic planning process and captured in a strategic plan. Sometimes, strategies - or aspects of them - are left to evolve naturally.

What is a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is a clear and coherent statement from the trustees and senior managers about the organisation's strategy over a particular period, usually three to five years. The purpose of this sort of plan is to clarify the organisation's direction and goals for that timeframe and to help people across the organisation understand, support and contribute to delivering the strategy.

What is strategic planning?

Strategic planning is the process of creating a strategic plan and communicating the plan to the right people in the right way.

As well as spelling out where you want your organisation to go and how to get there, the strategic planning process should also help you think about the resources you have available, and how best to use them over time, to create the right impact.

Once you have your strategic plan in place, it can then be broken down into more detailed operational plans, identifying who will do what and when in the medium to short term.

Being strategic

It’s also possible to be strategic even when you’re not involved in a formal strategic planning process.

Find out why you should bother with strategy?