How to Develop a Plan That Really Works Case Study

How to Develop a Plan That Really Works - Case Study Example Boeing uses four main types of plans: strategic, tactical, operational and contingency plans. Strategic planning is important as it determines the directions and strategic priorities of the corporation. Recent years, Boeing develops its strategic plans in accordance with Federal regulations and bankruptcy laws namely the Federal Acquisition Regulation and Cost Accounting Standards. For Boeing, strategic alternatives may be generated at all levels in the organization's hierarchy. At the organizational level, alternatives are concerned with the form of government, its basic style and policies, and its central service delivery purpose and strategy. At the department level, alternatives deal with the direction the organization should follow for each major service being delivered (Bryson 2004). At the division level, alternatives are concerned with the direction the organization should take in regard to discrete systems, processes, methods, and approaches. As the strategic planning proces s is being contemplated, criteria should be established as to how the plan will be evaluated. Criteria such as reduced cost, improved quality, improved sense of direction, better teamwork, and improved service delivery might be used. Organizations need to be aware of what is happening in their environment that might affect them. In other words, they should continually survey and monitor the outside as well as the inside of the organization (Bradford et al 2000). Strategic planning is influenced by social responsibility issues including ethical concerns and fair competition laws. Special attention is given at competition and advertising, macroenvironment and compliance with international laws. "Global corporate citizenship is one of Boeing's core values, and our communities are among the key stakeholders in the company's business model. Corporate citizenship is as integral to our company as our expertise in flight and technology" (Boeing Home Page 2008). Factors to be considered as part of the macro-environmental scanning process include social factors such as demographics, financial factors such as interest rates, and political factors such as increasing government deregulation, changing federalism and state government's trends, and regulations. Among the factors to be considered as part of the government, an environment is the number and locations of other governments, the degree of federal and state government presence, the typical service s being provided, and the marketing strategies of other competitive local governments. The competitive-environmental scan includes consideration of general competitor profiles (other local governments and private service providers), market segmentation patterns, research and development, and so on (Bryson 2004).