Strategic Planning

 

One of the most important documents needed by a community is a strategic plan.  Developing a strategic plan gives the community an opportunity to prepare for and direct change by assessing its resources, defining its vision and mission, setting objectives, identifying critical success factors and barriers, and developing strategies and actions. 

The strategic plan is a living document and the importance of community buy-in cannot be over emphasized.  Developing and implementing the plan requires participation from a diverse population to ensure continuation of the plan.  Without diverse community support, the plan would become useless with each new election.

An objective of Alabama Power for facilitating strategic planning is to help communities prepare for unexpected and most often, desired changes.  We attempt to prepare these communities for change by assisting them in identifying and developing the fundamental elements required for success.  Any successful organization must have visionary leadership, strategies, services, marketing, and results in place to be competitive.  Too often these elements are developed during or after a crisis rather than anticipation or preparation.  A successful community understands the benefits of developing and implementing a strategic plan before a crisis occurs.

Once the strategic plan is developed, Alabama Power emphasizes the importance of monitoring the plan to ensure the plan is working and the objectives are being met.