Strategic Planning: Environmental Scanning

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Strategic Planning Environmental Scanning

• Bruce Chr. Johnson
• Boy Scouts of America

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• I think you should be more explicit here in step
  two.

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(No Transcript)
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• How can you govern a country which has 246
  varieties of cheese?
• -- Charles De Gaulle

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• The nicest thing about not planning is that
  failure comes as a complete surprise, and is not
  preceded by a period of worry and depression.
• -- John Perton

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Environmental Scanning

• Common part of strategic analysis
• There are internal elements external elements
• All interrelate

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SWOT Framework
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Definitions Strengths (S)

• An organizational (internal to Sea Scouting)
  resource or capability
• May be used to advance the organizations /
  programs interests

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Definitions Weaknesses (W)

• The absence of certain strengths or capabilities
  that are needed to move the organization forward

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Strengths Weaknesses

• May be identified by asking questions
• Why does Sea Scouting do well?
• What do we do less well?
• In what areas is Sea Scouting healthy robust?
• In what areas is Sea Scouting weak or struggling?

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Strengths Weaknesses

• May be identified by asking questions
• What might someone looking at Scouting in general
  point out as unique or distinctive either
  positive or negative about Sea Scouting?
• What resources can we call upon?
• How do these resources compare with our needs?

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Definitions Opportunities (O)

• Chances for growth or positive change in
  direction revealed by changes or trends in the
  external environment

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Definitions Threats (T)

• Changes or trends in the external environment
• May also reveal a treat to overcome or challenge
  to meet
• Threats are sometimes described as Traps

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Opportunities Threats

• Are identified by looking beyond the boundaries
  of the organization
• Questions might include the following
• What are the external trends that will affect us?
  How?
• What is changing in our communities that will
  affect us? How?

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Opportunities Threats

• Questions might include the following
• What are the the needs in the external
  environment that could be met by deploying the
  strengths of Sea Scouting and its members?
• Do any of our weaknesses make us particularly
  vulnerable to a changing environment?

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SWOT Strategic Matrix
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SWOT Strategic Matrix

• S-O strategies are strategies that build on
  organizational strengths and resources to pursue
  opportunities
• W-O strategies require the organization to
  overcome weakness to pursue opportunities

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SWOT Strategic Matrix

• S-T strategies utilize the organizations
  strengths to overcome vulnerability to external
  threats
• S-W strategies create a defensive plan to keep an
  organizations weakness from making it
  susceptible to external threats

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SWOT Rules

• Be realistic about Sea Scoutings strengths
  weaknesses
• Not too modest, not overly critical
• Seek a balance between strengths weaknesses
• Distinguish between where Sea Scouting is today
  and could be tomorrow

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SWOT Rules

• Look at Sea Scouting in relation to competing
  (external) organizations interests
• Be as specific as you can
• Avoid fuzziness or shades of gray in this
  analysis
• Keep it short simple.
• Dont over-analyze

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SWOT Rules

• The aim is not to identify every factor affecting
  Sea Scoutings future
• Identify key factors
• A good target would be 10 factors in each of the
  four areas
• Remember that SWOT is subjective
• There is no right or wrong answers

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SWOT Rules

• The underlying purpose is to develop strategies
  that ensure the best alignment between the
  external environment (opportunities threats)
  and the internal environment (strengths
  weaknesses)

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SWOT Rules

• A SWOT exercise is a valuable way of obtaining
  observations and predictions from a group of
  knowledgeable and involved participants during
  the planning process