The Processes of Strategic Planning (Essay Sample)

Alternative Assignment
Student Name
Institution Name
Date
Paper Outline
Introduction
Techniques Selected
Technique 1
Background
Process
Example
Strengths & Weaknesses
Technique 2
Background
Process
Example
Strengths & Weaknesses
Technique 3
Background
Process
Example
Strengths & Weaknesses
3. Comparison of Techniques
4. Conclusion
Introduction
This project is a review of the processes that operate in Maple Ridge Engineering. From the Business analyst perspective, the management of MRE is in need to implement a change process, which in this case involves the processes of strategic planning. It uses specific tools for implementing the process. MRE focused on the integration of the GEMS system to facilitate the planning and implementation of the strategic plans. Presently, the GEMS system provides a link between the MRE employees, clients and the management.
Using the GEMS, MRE is able to monitor resource allocation and information sharing between the three entities in a way that it promotes the rest of the processes in the entire organization. However, Snowden Evans addressed certain issues that need to undergo process reengineering. According to Wilson (1990), The strategic planning process is about decision-making and therefore needs to identify the tasks, which the GEMS system is managing in MRE Company and the decision-making stages (Seddon, 2008). The objective Business analysis for the GEMS system is for improving the communication between the company and all its stakeholders. The company business analyst has to explore a wide spectrum of techniques in order to develop and implement the decision-based strategic plans.
Techniques Selected
The company identifies several techniques to apply in the business reengineering and strategic planning of MRE. One of the techniques is the six Hats model. This is a model, which uses six different colors to represent different ways of thinking, where many people think of different things at the same time. The technique uses red, black, yellow, green, blue and white hats. Each of the colors represents a unique set of thinking. In the business analyst perspective, the model of six hats represents different decision ideas generated by the members of the executive board in MRE, from which decisions are made. The next technique is the use of Interaction between humans and Computers (Meadows, 2008). This involves the application of interactive systems such as an Intelligent System or an Executive System, Expert System, or Group Decision Support System. Knowledgebase is developed in whichever the system that MRE selects. The system analyses the decision situation and uses the knowledge stored in the knowledgebase to provide supportive information to the management. The third technique is the Business Modeling System (Checkland and Holwell, 1998). This involves system developers as well as designers.
Technique 1: The Six Hat Model
Background
The model uses different colors to demonstrate the thinking of the members of the decision-making committee. It will therefore consider all the ideas from one individual as a single color. The executive board develops strategic plan by combining the colors as shown in the graphical model below:
 SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT 

Figure 1: Six-Hat Model
The letters from M1 to M6 is a typical representation of the Executive Board members. Maple Ridge engineering has different departments as represented by the rich picture in Figure 2:

Figure 2: GEMS Organization Structure
The model can be used to represent the GEMS structure as illustrated below:
M1 - Engineering and Systems Division
M2 - Project Management Department
M3 - Systems and Training Division
M4 - Biomedical Department and Medical Department
M5 - Outsourcing Department
M6 - Web Design Group
Process
The process of developing the model articulates and identifies the available data, which the organization intends to use for implementation of the decision-making channels. According to Checkland and Poulter (2006), it also eliminates any possible gaps in the information and data before using them. The next phase is to associate the colors to various factors that influence the department represented in the model. For example:
Red: Emotions or intuitions
Black: seriousness, carefulness and risk conscious
Yellow: Optimism, constructive Thinking and hopefulness
Green: Innovation, Problem Solving and Creative Thinking
Blue: Having Control over the Processes in the Company
White: Being focused on neutral objectives
The third step of the process is to assign each departmental representative who forms part of the decision-making committee, with the oversight over certain areas of decisions. The fourth step is to use the predefined sequence of timing, discipline and guiding principles.
The fifth step is to develop projected outcomes of the six-hat model of thinking, such as clearer informed decision-making, less time spent on decision making, elimination of personal prejudices in decision making and group involvement in the decisions (Weinberg, 2001). The final stage is the actual construction and development of an automated platform for the implementation of the six-hat model in the executive decision-making.
Example
As illustrated in the GEMS organization structure in figure 3, the rich picture is a good example of the design of the six-hat model. Each department and division is represented by a uniquely identifying color in the design of the model. For example,
Blue represents the Engineering and Systems Division
Black represents the Project Management Department
Yellow represents the Systems and Training Division
White represents the Biomedical Department and Medical Department
Green Represents the Outsourcing Department
Red represents the Web Design Group
The business analysis in this Model is a collection of functions, information and methods of identifying the needs of the business solve the problems of MRE. The model allows the company to link with all sources of solutions and to include the components of system development (Von Bertalanffy, 1969). Apart from the internal interlink between the organization departments, the GEMS system also creates a link between the MRE Company and the external entities like the government and the Federal government in the process of improving the organization through changes.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strength
The model is a good illustration of the business analysis model, which provides a platform for consultation and discussion, so that all issues in various departments are represented in the solution. It is a holistic problem-solving model, in which all factors are put into consideration, and all entities to the core system. The second strength is the ease of understanding of the model. This is because it relates the colors to the departments and the divisions represented. The third strength is the sequential order of processes involved. It is therefore easy to understand and follow. The applications of colors are very symbolic in demonstrating the incorporation of every existing department and division of Maple Ridge Company in dissemination of the annual strategic plans.
Weaknesses
The model six hats model has a limitation in the implementation of the proposed solutions since it can only apply to the contemporary structure of MRE. It does not consider the possibility of expansion of the organization structure. Of course, as MRE organization increases in size, many departments emerge, prompting the need to expand the capacity of the management for decision-making. The current model may not apply to the expanded capacity unless more colors are introduced, with newer unique implications (Gall, 2003). Secondly, the model in its present state, introduces certain limitations of the strategic planning, because of the bureaucratic conditions it creates. This is because of the number of decision makers involved in MRE and the number of departments to which the GEMS system integrate. It therefore slows down the implementation of the strategic plans in MRE.
Technique 2
The second technique that applies in the formulation and implementation of the strategic plans in MRE include the Interactive environment between human’s beings (staff, clients and other stakeholders) and Intelligent Computers Systems.
Background
From this study, intelligent systems exist in many forma such as decision support system, artificial system, Expert \Systems and executive systems (Senge, 1990). From the many options of intelligent systems, this study makes proposes a comprehensive system for supporting Executive Group Decisions. This requires the development of knowledgebase from to which the MRE integrates the GEMS system (Hutchins, 1996). The system has to be able to receive information from various users and use a special model that combines the various parameters of the knowledge base to analyze the information. What the executive team receives is a set of reports with leading information towards the directions of decision options. The basis of the discussion of the strategic plans is entirely based on the recommendations derived from the intelligent system.
Process
The process of developing the intelligent system involves a complete System Development Life Cycle. This cycle involves processes such as:
Requirement Specification
Preliminary Studies
System Planning
Functional Specification
System Prototyping
System Coding
System Testing
Documentation
Installation / Deployment
Maintenance and Support
The knowledge base has to contain leading information to the nature of decisions, which MRE intends to make, and hence, the strategic plans. System developers have to keep the documentation of the system including the sourc...