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Unit 2: Strategic Planning

devices more and more affordable (in spite of limited investment in network build- Notes
out) while global entrepreneurship — and fierce competition — ensure that the
wide range of needs and demands from across the world are met quickly and from
equally diverse setups and locations.

Scenario 2 Insecure Growth: In this scenario, users — individuals and business alike
— are inhibited from intensive reliance on the Internet. Relentless cyber attacks
driven by wide-ranging motivations defy the preventive capabilities of governments
and international bodies.
Scenario 3 Short of the Promise: This scenario consists of a frugal world in which
prolonged economic stagnation in many countries takes its toll on the spread of the
Internet. Technology offers no compensating breakthroughs, and protectionist policy
responses to economic weakness make matters worse — both in economic terms
and with regard to network technology adoption.

Scenario 4 Bursting at the Seams: In this scenario, the Internet becomes a victim of
its own success. Demand for IP-based services is boundless, but capacity constraints
and occasional bottlenecks create a gap between the expectations and reality of
Internet use. Meanwhile, international technology standards don’t come to pass, in
part because of a global backlash against decades of U.S. technology dominance.

Question
Chalk out various implications and potential strategies from these scenarios.

Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/strategic-planning-case-study-ciscos-internet-
scen.html

2.3 Summary

Strategic planning determines where an organisation is going over the next year or more,
how it’s going to get there and how it’ll know if it got there or not.
Strategic planning is a collaborative process involving organisational stakeholders and
technology professionals in sessions designed to better understand the future direction of
the organisation and how technology can enable the organisation to be successful.

A strategic plan must reflect the thoughts, feelings, ideas, and wants of the developers and
mould them along with the organisation’s purpose, mission, and regulations into an
integrated document.

Strategic planning is extensively needed in the functioning of an IT company or any other
organisation because it helps managers identify desired outcomes and formulate feasible
plans to achieve their objectives by using available resources and capabilities.
The strategic planning process is one that has been used in some form for as long as
companies have been in business.

The strategic planning process starts with the company’s mission to set goals or objectives.
With goals in mind, a situation analysis can then be conducted so a strategy can be
formulated and ultimately implemented.
The steps in strategic planning process include: current situation analysis, segmentation
analysis, strength, weakness, opportunities, and threat analysis, core competencies analysis,
Key Success Factors, business unit strategy/business plan, balanced score card, evaluation.
While the strategic planning process is relied upon by numerous organisations, it is just
one strategic management approach, and it is most successful when used within stable
corporate environments.

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