PMN604 Assessment Item 1

Strategic Plan
Background

The Chief Executive Officer of your organisation (if you have one or alternatively a not-for-profit
organisation of your own choosing) has asked you to assist in identifying and exploring a new,
significant and innovative initiative to assure the organisation’s continuing success and in particular
to develop a corresponding strategic plan working paper. (Strategy execution including governance
and implementation of this initiative will be deferred until Assessment Item 2). The initiative will
consist of a range of products and/or services and should ordinarily have a product life of not less
than five years. The initiative may be extension of the organisation’s current business (‘red ocean’)
or may represent a radical departure (‘blue ocean’).

Content

As a minimum, your strategic plan working paper will:

 Develop a rich picture of the situation which the product or service intends to address.
 Conduct an environmental scan.
 Undertake an industry competitive analysis.
 Identify opportunities and threats.
 Identify strengths and weaknesses.
 Define the particular customer segments your product or service attempts to reach or serve.
 Broad strategic approach
 Develop your vision and mission statements.
 Specify and justify in moderate detail the proposed product or service.
 Define your long term objectives in “SMART” terms.

You should not only succinctly describe but also persuasively justify the outcome of each step—using
recognised strategic tools and techniques and citing the sources of your evidence and data.

You can assume that the reader is familiar with the particular frameworks you apply, so you should
not again describe those frameworks in detail. Rather the emphasis of your submission should be on
the constructive and persuasive application of those frameworks in analysing the strategic
environment and developing appropriate conclusions and recommendations.

0Also remember that your readers will be the CEO, other C level officers and possibly Boards
member. Your submission should be corresponding ‘pitched’ using an appropriate style.

Remember that senior readers will generally read the Executive Summary first. If they find that
pertinent and persuasive, they are then likely to read the Conclusions and Recommendations. If they
remain inspired, they may then turn to the Body or delegate review of the Body to a subordinate
staff officer. In assessing the submission, the marking tutors will read the submission in a similar
sequence.

Format and Length

The strategic plan working paper should not exceed 4,000 words excluding attachments and be
submitted in Microsoft Word© format. However, it is unlikely that you could achieve the necessary
depth and detail in under 3,000 words (excluding attachments).
The strategic plan will be written and presented as a “report”. You will find guidance on reports at
the QUT cite|write web site.

Criterion Referenced Assessment

Please ensure that you read the Criterion Referenced Assessment as this will used by the marking
tutors in scoring your submission.