Strategic Planning for Dummies

by Erica Olsen

If you’re starting a new business or planning your business’s future, there are plenty of things you should take into account. Strategic Planning For Dummies covers everything you need to know to develop a plan for building and maintaining a competitive advantage — no matter what business you’re in. Written by Erica Olsen, founder and President of a business development firm that helps entrepreneurial-minded businesses plan for a successful future, this handy guide covers all the basics, If you’re in business, you have to plan for everything — especially if you intend your business to grow. Whether you’re planning for a small business, large conglomerate, nonprofit, or even a government agency, this book has the planning specifics you need for your organization. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to lay the foundations for a plan, understand how your plan will affect your business, form planning teams, discover what your strengths are, see where you are, and, finally, plan where you’re going. And there’s much This friendly, simple guide puts the power of strategic planning in the palm of your hand. For small businesses that can’t afford to hire strategic planning consultants, it’s even more imperative. Careful, constant planning is the only way to handle an uncertain business future. With this book, you’ll have all the step-by-step guidance you need to ensure you’re ready for anything that comes.

Genres: Business, Management

360 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2006

Reviews

[Jessyca505 · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ““Success isn’t a matter of chance but rather a matter of choice.”

Excerpt From
Strategic Planning Kit For Dummies
Erica Olsen

Just a quick refresh on strategic planning as I assume my new role, one of being the strategic manager. A quick read for the purpose of review or just getting a basis for strategic planning. Concise.

A good place for me to go back and review our Strategic Plan and use the checklists to mark off things that have been missing or perhaps invisible).

Definitely not in as much depth as the HBR and such, but Olsen does pull from those resources and you have access to them. She also links to “OnStrategy” a good company with videos for support.

[Anjar Priandoyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book of strategic planning. Strategic planning is a tool, just the same as the simple BCG matrix or the complex BSC. This book teaches the basic foundation - backward - capacity. This is another new model, which put the assessment at the back of the project. Interesting book.

[MK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the most helpful chapter.
Chapter 8 Seeing Your Business Through Your Customer’s Eye

There are many decisions you have to make when starting a business.
It was easy to understand because the list was written.

[Martin Hrabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, structured and concise. Good overview for students or novices.

[肥啾 H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dummy book on project leadership

[Tore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read any other books on Strategic Planning, so I cannot judge the content quality.

The writing, however, was wooden and lacking in any kind of wit, humor, or pedagogy. It boggles my mind that this was seen as a fit ...for dummies book.

On top of that, the book is marred by numerous proofreading errors - typos and grammar errors aplenty.

I gave up with only a chapter left - at that point it had been sitting at my bedside table for a good three months.

[Marilyn Mandala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, well laid out, easy steps, simple but very helpful exercises, useful to me in ways that are elementary, my dear Watson...

[Vegetarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good sections on the balanced business scorecard and deeloping report cards for projects (and social changes involing policy inplementation).

[Giang Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very organized lay-out. Easy to read. The author is very understanding of planning reality. A good piece of materials for those who are starting a new working term and got no ideas of what to do!

[Chris Armer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great layout to teach the basics of Strategic Planning. This book is a great reference tool for anyone involved in the strategic planning process of an organization.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this one is for work...

[Martin Linkov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight to the point and clear