Strategic Planning Software

Without a properly calibrated strategy, your business will suffer. However, with proper strategic planning, your business can create a clearly visible roadmap, which increases productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

While it sounds great in theory, strategic planning can be quite challenging in reality. For instance, if you develop a business strategy but some employees don't have a clear picture of it, or you get so consumed by processes that the company's objective is eclipsed. To avoid these pitfalls, there are strategic planning solutions available on the market that can help you sail smoothly.

This Buyers Guide details the considerations you need to take before making a purchase decision.

Here's what we'll cover:

What is strategic planning software?
Common features of strategic planning software
What type of buyer are you?
Benefits of strategic planning software
Key considerations

What is strategic planning software?

Strategic planning software is a tool that helps organizations identify and define short- and long-term goals and priorities. It helps users choose different paths to reach their desired goals and measure their progress. It also helps them gather and track information all in one place, from the formulation to the execution stage.

Overall, the software provides users the ability to create a detailed and transparent action plan for an organization's growth and helps users make more informed decisions.

Common features of strategic planning software

Different vendors offer different features in their strategic planning software solutions. Selecting the right option for your business is easier when you know what common features to look for and what they can help you accomplish.

To further understand these features and learn about strategic planning software vendors, call our advisors at 855-998-8505 for free, no-obligation help. They'll help you narrow down your options by listening to your requirements and recommending the best-suited solutions for your business.

What type of buyer are you?

Before you start evaluating strategic planning software options, you'll want to know what buyer category you belong to. Most buyers will fall into one of the below categories:

• Sole proprietors: These buyers are mostly transitioning from paper records to digital platforms or have just started their business. Though they might not have a team with which to collaborate on strategy planning and execution, having a platform to define business strategy is crucial to growing their organization. They may look for an affordable system with basic features such as strategy maps and strategic frameworks to efficiently manage their planning processes.
  
• Small and midsize businesses: These buyers are often looking to improve their business efficiency and planning coordination. These buyers have teams that need to be on the same page and thus, need products that offer collaborative features. They'll require additional features such as user management and notifications.
  
• Large businesses: These buyers usually have dedicated project management departments, and handle a large volume of projects and business plans at any given time. They can opt for a complete project management suite that offers strategic planning as an integrated module.

Benefits of strategic planning software

While some of the benefits of strategic planning software may be clear from our discussion above, we've called out the most notable ones below:

• Long-term goal planning: Strategic planning software allows businesses to define roadmaps for achieving desired long-term goals. Businesses can breakdown these goals into monthly, quarterly, or yearly milestones to track progress and mediate processes to realign if required.
  
• Increased transparency: Strategic planning software gives all relevant stakeholders visibility into the larger organizational growth vision. This helps them identify their role within the vision and understand how their contributions help achieve the vision.

Key considerations

Here are some important questions to consider before you purchase strategic planning software:

• Mobile app availability: If you and your team are constantly on the move, then mobile apps can be useful for you. Check whether the strategic planning software you're considering offers access on mobile devices such as iOS- and Android-based smartphones or tablets. The mobile app will help you manage your business strategy from any location.
  
• Customer support: Find out if the vendor offers support 24/7, only during business hours, or not at all. Also, ask about available support options, such as email, phone, or live chat.

Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.