Leading the Strategic Planning Process - Club Managers ...

Leading the Strategic Planning Process 1272. Mid-term operational goal: An operational goal that can be accomplished withinsix to 12 months is a mid-term goal. For example, a club’s golf course maintenancedepartment might decide in January to rebuild the bunker drainagesystem before the end of June.3. Long-term operational goal: A goal that requires 12 months or more to be accomplishedis a long-term goal. The aquatic department may be rebuilding theclub’s swim team and, in late July, might set a goal of winning the club noviceleague championships held in August of the following summer.Unlike operational goals, strategic goals are usually bigger in scope and typicallyhave more uncertain or open-ended timeframes:1. Short-term strategic goal: In January a club sets a goal to admit a net total of tennew members before the end of December.2. Mid-term strategic goal: A club decides in January of 20X1 that it wants to admita net total of 30 new members before the end of December 20X4.3. Long-term strategic goal: A club decides that in the next five years it would liketo admit a net total of 50 new members. Whenever the club achieves this goal,it will become a replacement club instead of a growth club.ObjectivesObjectives are often described as the specific “whats” of a club. Objectives includeshort-term, departmental aspirations and aims. Objectives should be quantifiable—measurableby counting and timing—and should serve as steps towardgoal-achievement.As with operational and strategic goals, the distinction between operationaland strategic objectives is sometimes a fine one. For example, one could argue thatthe short- and mid-term strategic goals used in the examples above are actuallyinterim objectives of the long-term goal to increase the club’s net total membershipby 50 members within five years.As you proceed through these initial stages of strategic planning, do not beoverly concerned about distinguishing an objective from a goal. Instead, concernyourself with aligning everything that the club thinks, says, does, and plans withthe club’s vision and its highest, broadest goals. Spinning your wheels arguingabout whether a given proposal is a “goal” or an “objective” wastes your time onunproductive word games.Organizational Situation Analysis (SWOT)Situation analysis is a concept that has existed for many years. Situation analysishelps a club establish a sense of identity and direction—where it is currently andwhere it might go in the future. Such analysis helps evaluate a club’s strengths,weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). SWOT analysis is a valuable toolfor planning the strategic direction of a club.