Strategic planning is a coordinated system of operations that helps the institution to change its current situation into a brand new one.

It is a vision of what the institution should be in the future, and a definition of the approach that shows how to achieve change of raising the organization's returns and improving its performance.

Strategic planning is a voluntary and rational dynamic process that helps the institution to predict the future, anticipate crises and meet challenges. Therefore, planning is a need for every reasonable measure that seeks to sustain and renew the institution.

Strategic planning effectiveness

The effectiveness of strategic planning depends on many specifications such as effective and qualified management, clear and applicable communication channels, and the openness of the institution to new opinions and visions that help to avoid bureaucracy and intellectual inertia. A leadership of vision and strategic thinking plays a key role in the success of strategic planning.

Strategic planning pillars

Strategic planning is based on key pillars:

• Providing an incentive system that encourages all employees and partners of the institution to involve in the planning process including vision, implementation, review and development.

• A solid and large base of information and data about the institution and its surrounding environment of various dimensions, and the needs and aspirations of society.

• Objectivity in analysis and discussion in more depth to examine all options and alternatives.

However, the planning process must be inclusive and contain all stages of the process. It must create an atmosphere that allows all parties to participate, communicate and share information and opinions.

The strategic planning process requires the involvement of those involved in the organization's present and future to be led by a qualified team.

It also requires a vision, a strategic plan that can be implemented by the institution on stages through adopting annual or periodic plans, a great deal of responsibility, commitment and participation of all levels of management.

If strategic planning aims to achieve a particular goal, this does not mean that this goal is pre-defined necessarily. Therefore, the institution must consider multiple options related to its existence, function and the overall policy and objectives.

An additional benefit of strategic planning is that it constitutes a basic pillar of management and provides the employees with a common vision and strengthens the commitment of all members. It also stimulates the mobilization of funds and helps in facing crises and risks and determines priorities within the possible options.

Strategic planning steps

The strategic planning process is implemented according to a specific approach that can be outlined in:

1- Forming a team/leadership to manage the strategic planning process. A leadership that has a great deal of knowledge and communication competence and a spirit of innovation, initiative and creativity.

2- Identifying the message: The message means the identity of the institution, the reasons for its existence and issues it is carrying out. It has a strong link with the philosophy and values that frame the foundation's objectives.

3- Vision: It is a long-term reality that we do not see. However, it is a possible reality we seek to achieve. The vision can be written or embedded. It is what we aspire to achieve and not necessarily what we can achieve.

4- Review the vision and the message.

5- Analyse the external environment including the economic, social, cultural and demographic dimensions in order to identify resources, context and opportunities available, as well as coercion and challenges.

6. Analyse the institution and identify the strengths and weaknesses to know that internal resources available and the resources that must be identified through partnerships or third-party support.

7- Study options and alternatives through an objective discussion where all actors contribute.

Building a strategy:

1- Designing a preliminary plan:

• Goals: strategic objectives and intermediate objectives.

• Expected results.

*Indicators.

*Activities.

*Tracking and evaluation mechanisms.

2- Review the plan with the stakeholders and work to amend it.

3- Implement the strategic plan.

4- Review implementation and amendment when needed.

Strategic planning is not easy, it requires effort, time, patience and perseverance, as well as combined efforts of competencies and qualified leadership.

The most important factors that may affect the development of the strategic plan are false assumptions, optimistic and unrealistic expectations, not to mention weaknesses in risk analysis, weaknesses and strengths for the organization or in the analysis of opportunities and the surrounding structure.

Strategic planning training

It is necessary to focus on the importance of training during this period, while in the future the need for training will be greater than it was due to the massive and definite expansion in All fields through effective training for the development and development of human resources as it is the focus The primary goal for accomplishing goals.

From the above we found the following results:

• Strategic planning is considered an important policy for the administrative process and Human Resources .

• Human resources are considered one of the most important elements of production because the human being is the tool of development And its purpose.

• The importance of an efficient and sophisticated strategic manager.

• Training increases knowledge, polishes skill, and changes behavior.