The Company/Organization profile includes the history and infrastructure of the company (HQ and branch offices); main products and/or services; data on assets and liabilities; human resources; investments and markets as well as innovation and PR strategies. In addition, in this section, groups are required to include research on: a) competitors and partners; b) business or government regulations that may affect the strategic plan; c) an organizational chart of the chosen business/organization. However, the most important parts of this section will be 3-5 clearly identified strategic issues translated into the Strategic Focus Areas (SFAs) of strategic plan.

This will consist of the development of clear, concise and meaningful Vision, Mission and Value statements for your organization’s strategic plan.

Remember that key to the vision statement is a manifestation of the values

the organizational unit represents (therefore, the use of key terms such as integrity, loyalty, leadership is recommended) and what it aspires to become in the future. The mission statement is about the long-term objectives (LTOs), the services/products the organization offers and most importantly the customer base/citizen group/community it serves. These objectives should results from Strategic Focus Areas identified in Section 1.

An important process of any strategic process is the External and Internal Assessment of the company (or the organization). In this section, it is important to provide a thorough analysis of the internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external threats and opportunities that may affect the strategic planning process (this could be demonstrated through the standard SWOT analysis used in developing a business plan but it recommended that this is done through tools learned in the course such as CPM-Competitive Profile Matrix for competitors identified in Section 2 and Industry Analysis (EFE), IEF (Internal Evaluation Factor) Analysis.

This part of the strategic plan consists of the Stakeholder Analysis, where the essay should propose a list of actors involved in the strategic and description of their role in the process. This can be done through a standard or PEST analysis. This section should also include a strategic planning taskforce, which could include a CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), a CEO (or Minister in the case of a government organization), a strategic planning manager (reporting directly to the CSO) as well as other program officers from various departments of a firm or organization (e.g. Public Relations, Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, Legal Affairs, clerical staff etc.).

An essential element of the strategic plans would be developing Action Plans based on concrete objectives, expected deliverable and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). In line with strategic focus areas and long-term objectives, a minimum of three and a maximum of five actions plans are recommended. The APs should be tied to LTOs and prioritized through a strategic analysis and choice process. A total budget allocated for the strategic plan with a breakdown for proposed activities (Action Plans) and/or a fundraising strategy are recommended. This amount should be broken down by AP and optionally, by activity. A visual summary of the strategic plans incorporating all APs is required for the assignment.