For any business—large or small—it is not only important to set overall goals and objectives, but it is equally critical to develop a plan on how the company, as a whole, will meet them. Most of us know that a process such as corporate strategic planning is the cornerstone of success. But do we know how to really set the goals, plan to meet them, and then stick to the plan—or not stick to it when it’s failing?

It’s a process just like anything else in business. If you know the steps, then you can easily implement it. I’ll go over my checklist for this process from start to finish and explain the “whys” along the way.

No Such Thing as an IS/IT Strategic Plan

Another CIO I know told me years ago that there is no such thing as an IS/IT strategic plan. He said, “There is only one plan and that’s the corporate strategic plan. Everything else needs to fall in line with that.” I would have to agree with my friend, and in fact, say that’s the first step in the process. Understand where the organization is today and where it wants to go in the next couple of years. Once you have that understanding, you can begin to work in everything else.