60 Minute Strategic Plan: 2 Stages, 12 Steps, 300 Words-- Planning and Problem Solving for the Real World

I needed a refresher on strategic planning and found this to be a good resource. There are some great ideas to assist with the process.

Well, I didn't have high hopes...it sounded too good to be true. But I really did end up with a strategic plan in about 50 minutes. And it was an easy read. The authors kept the tone light with nice touches of humor and practical insights. I recommend this book for anyone who has any sort of problem or issue they need to resolve. As the authors say, the 60 Minute process helps you make better decisions faster. This book is a must-have for business owners wanting to take their businesses to the next level. Bravo!

The "60 Minute Strategic Plan" authored by John E. Johnson and Anne Marie Smith could be your guide to spending 60 of the most strategic minutes you ever spent in the life of your business. This book presents one of the most innovative planning and problem solving systems I have seen in my professional career of over 35 years. The genius of the system is its simplicity and its characteristic of being user-friendly. The book presents a "universal system" that can be applicable to any business and any issue. This book is an easy read and is a "must read" for CEOs and management teams. If you want a strategic advantage in developing rapid responses to the rapid changes in the world of business, then this is a book for you. John Johnson And Anne Marie Smith have taken a process that is too often viewed as intimidating and made it into a non-intimidating, straight-forward, and easy to understand process that can pay huge dividends for you and your business. Their process certainly passes the KIS (Keep It Simple) test. They deserve a STANDING OVATION for this book. Reviewed by: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive, J. G. EBERSOLE ASSOCIATES and THE RENAISSANCE GROUP (tm), Lancaster, PA. and Author of "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Coach" newsletter www.businesscoach4u.com

60 Minute Strategic Plan is a great business book! As the back cover states ".... an innovative planning and problem solving system." It is 147 pages that engage both the logical left-brain and the creative right brain to develop and implement a workable strategic plan. I really see it as a complete workbook. The authors have put together a workbook that actually takes the drudgery out of planning. The material is laid out well; it is entertaining, instructional, and informative. The material is presented in a building block method; each chapter builds on the previous, and is filled with samples, examples, and provides a sample company to illustrate actual execution. In the preface the author mention working with entrepreneurs and how a quick planning tool was needed, given the tremendous time commitment required building a business. I can see how this workbook can reduce the time commitment to strategic planning. Please don't think this is a shortcut, it is not. The book will get you focused as you complete the exercises. In summary, while this book was an output from working with entrepreneurs, or what we think of as small business people. I can see the flexibility of using this workbook to tackle most, if not all, business issues in any department of any size company.

Frankly, before I began to read this book, I incorrectly suspected that it would be no more than a variation on strategy for "dummies, " "idiots" etc. For many busy executives in need of a solid introduction to the basics of formulating and then implementing an effective strategy, I soon concluded that this book will be of substantial value, especially to decision-makers in smaller organizations that have limited resources. I also highly recommend it to those preparing for or are only recently embarked on a business career. John E. Johnson and Anne Marie Smith offer a one-page template for a 12-step process that begins with a focus on a core issue (i.e. an obstacle to or opportunity for growth) and concludes with a focus on a "title" (i.e. a vision which can be expressed in only 3-5 words). The first six steps are strategic; steps 7-12 are tactical. Long ago, I realized that strategies are analogous to "hammers" and tactics are analogous to "nails." The former "drive" the latter. Obviously, it is imperative to formulate the appropriate strategy first, then select those tactics that are most appropriate to successful implementation of it. Johnson and Smith carefully organize and then present their material with 16 chapters, with a separate chapter devoted to each of the 12 steps. I especially appreciate the fact that, after briefly explaining the "what" of strategic planning and implementation, they devote most of their attention to the "why" and "how" of that critically important process. There are no head-snapping revelations in their narrative, nor do Johnson and Smith claim to offer any. Rather, their purpose is to concentrate on basics. It remains for each reader to use the template to guide and inform the development of her or his own strategy and tactics. I especially appreciate, also, various reader-friendly that Johnson and Smith use in each chapter that serve two separate but related purposes: they highlight key points within a given context, and, they facilitate, indeed expedite review of those points later. For example, a "Table" in Chapters 4 and 16 that summarizes "Clues to Strategic Issue Selection" (used with Permission of Faust Management Corporation) and "Pucker Reward Factors," respectively. Also a "FastTrack" section at the conclusion of most chapters that offers a Summary, Sample Company, Examples, and On Your Template. When explaining the first six steps, Johnson and Smith help their reader to identify a strategic issue and envision the best imaginational outcomes for this issue, outcomes that motivate those in the given enterprise as well as their co-workers and the customers entrusted to their care. Only then can the selected strategy achieve sufficient buy-in. With regard to the last six steps, Johnson and Smith help their reader to "confront reality in terms of obstacles to overcome, ways to measure progress, performance gaps to close, and actions to take to achieve the vision." They conclude by citing Winston Ch