Glossary of Planning Terms

Vision
Mission
Values
Constituents
Goals
Assumptions
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Objectives
Critical Issues
Action Plans

 

 

VISION

Your Vision for the organization describes what you would like your organization to be in the future. A vision is not a statement of who we are or what we do, but of what we would like to become. What does the organization aspire to become? The Vision begins to define the direction of the organization.




MISSION

The Mission of an organization is a concise statement defining the overall purpose and scope of responsibility of an organization. It explains the reason the organization exists.




VALUES

Values are commonly-held beliefs to which an organization commits itself. Ultimately and ideally, an organization's Values should guide the behavior of every individual within the organization. Examples of Values include Integrity, Professionalism, and Community Mindedness




CONSTITUENT GROUPS

Constituent Groups are any group that can have a positive or adverse impact on your business. They cannot dictate what you can do. However, they can create problems by disagreeing with what you choose to do. They are sometimes referred to as stakeholders because they have a stake in how you operate your organization.




GOALS

An organization's Goals are the fundamentals that guide and characterize the business, such as continuous growth or market leadership. A Goal is usually enduring and timeless. Goals are developed to recognize important constituent groups.




ASSUMPTIONS

Assumptions are defined as developments over which you may have limited control, and which may have a major impact on your Goals and Objectives. The Assumptions define your environment and should be constantly tested against current experiences.




STRENGTHS

Strengths are significant positive factors or competitive advantages within an organization that may be capitalized on in the future. These are the things that the organization does better than the competition and that have contributed to the organization's success.




WEAKNESSES

Weaknesses are significant negative factors or competitive disadvantages within an organization that may prevent that organization from obtaining its goals and objectives.




OPPORTUNITIES

Opportunities are major external situations or events that may exist now or will occur in the future that, if exploited, could improve organizational performance.




THREATS

Threats are major external obstructions or risks that may exist now or occur in the future which should be avoided, minimized, or managed.




LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES

The Long-Term Objectives define what the organization wants to achieve in the long term. Long term is defined by most organizations as five years, but you may set your own time frame. These objectives should be measurable and attainable by a specific date.




SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES

Short-Term Objectives should also be measurable and attainable by a specific date - usually one year.




CRITICAL ISSUES

Critical Issues are issues that must be addressed in order to achieve the corporate objectives. These are the barriers that stand in the way of the organization's ultimate success.




KEY DECISIONS/ACTION PLANS

Key Decisions are statements of strategy outlining how the company will address specific critical issues. Each Critical Issue should have at least one Key Decision to address it. Some Critical Issues will have several Key Decisions. The Key Decision should include identification of the individual(s) responsible for implementation and the general timeframe.