Strategic Planning Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Do I Need An Expert Consultant To Help Us With Strategic Planning?

Since the strategic planning process is rather complex, it's not a bad idea for companies to look to an external consultant to help lead them through the process. Why?

Most managers and executives in organizations don't spend time, or have a lot of experience doing strategic planning. Consultants, particularly those that specialize in the area are going to be much more familiar with the planning model used, and perhaps more important, will have had experience facilitating the process, anticipating where the pitfalls may come from, and avoiding them. The main strength of the consultant is that he or she will have more experience.

If, however, an organization has a person who has that experience -- let's say a facilitator -- on staff, then an external consultant may not be necessary.

The important question any organization has to ask is this: Do we have the expertise to create and lead the strategic planning process by ourselves?