The need for business strategy has never been greater.   A good strategic plan should create a competitive edge - focusing your resources and improving your results.

Many businesses have great ideas but need help to implement them. We'll be focusing on strategy, but it's important to keep in mind that the execution of the plan is equally important.

Strategic planning is the process of developing, enhancing, and sustaining a competitive advantage. The key to successful strategic planning is the combination of great strategy and excellent execution.

Strategic planning can be broken down into three phases:

		Developing the strategy,
		Planning the implementation, and
		Monitoring the execution.

This final phase is sometimes called Performance Management.