For This Assignment You Will Work On Creating A Strategic Pl

For This Assignment You Will Work On Creating A Strategic Plan

Develop at least three long-term strategic goals (3–5 years) for Curtis & Associates, ensuring these goals meet the criteria for effective goals as outlined in management literature. Provide justification and your rationale for these goals. Develop tactical (annual) goals that support the long-term strategic goals, along with their justification. Explain the importance of budgets in developing tactical goals, providing detailed support. Develop operational goals (monthly, weekly, or daily) to reach the tactical goals, including justification and rationale for these operational goals. Use at least three credible, relevant sources to support your writing, citing each at least once within the assignment.

Paper For Above instruction

Curtis & Associates, Inc., founded by Dean Curtis to train welfare recipients in job search skills, has experienced significant success, notably a 70% job placement rate among clients who participated in its workshops. As the organization looks toward the future, it is essential to craft a comprehensive strategic plan that aligns with its mission, optimizes resources, and ensures sustainable growth. This plan will focus on establishing long-term strategic objectives, supporting tactical initiatives, and operational actions necessary to achieve sustained performance improvement over the next three to five years.

Long-Term Strategic Goals—These overarching goals provide a roadmap for the company's future, ensuring that all activities align with its mission to enhance workforce readiness among welfare recipients. Three effective long-term goals include:

1. Expand Service Offerings and Reach: Increase the number of workshops and diversify training modules to cover related areas such as soft skills, financial literacy, and digital literacy. The goal is to serve at least 10,000 clients annually within five years. This goal is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), addressing capacity-building and service diversity to meet the evolving needs of clients and employers (Bryson, 2018).
2. Forge Strategic Partnerships: Establish collaborations with local businesses, government agencies, and non-profits to create a supportive ecosystem that facilitates job placements and training programs. The goal is to build at least 15 new formal partnerships that enhance placement opportunities and resource sharing within three years, fostering community engagement and increasing employment rates (Porter & Kramer, 2019).
3. Achieve Financial Sustainability and Growth: Develop diversified revenue streams, including grants, corporate sponsorships, and fee-for-service models, aiming for a 25% increase in annual revenue over five years. Sustainable funding will ensure program stability and capacity for expansion, critical for long-term strategic success (Kaplan & Norton, 2008).

Justification and Rationale: These goals directly support the organization’s core mission and are aligned with the SMART criteria. Expanding services responds to increasing demand and market potential; fostering partnerships leverages community resources, enhances credibility, and increases placements; and ensuring financial sustainability guarantees ongoing operations and capacity for future growth.

Tactical Goals—Aligned with the long-term objectives, tactical goals break down these visions into actionable yearly plans. Examples include:

• Launch two new workshop modules each year focused on emerging employment skills.
• Sign at least five new strategic partnerships annually that facilitate job placement and resource sharing.
• Secure at least three new funding sources annually, including grants and sponsorships, to support program expansion.

Justification: Tactical goals operationalize strategic visions, enabling measurable progress. They are specific, time-bound, and achievable, ensuring the company remains focused and adaptable to changing circumstances (Kaplan & Norton, 1996).

The Importance of Budgets in Developing Tactical Goals—Budgets are vital in translating strategic and tactical plans into financial terms, thereby enabling effective resource allocation. Budgeting ensures that resources—financial, human, and material—align with priorities, preventing overspending and facilitating accountability (Anthony & Govindarajan, 2007). For Curtis & Associates, detailed budgets help monitor expenditures on program development, marketing, staffing, and partnership activities, ensuring that tactical goals are financially feasible and aligned with revenue projections.

Operational Goals—To translate tactical goals into day-to-day activities, operational goals include:

• Recruit and train at least three new workshop facilitators per quarter to support the rollout of new modules.
• Conduct bi-weekly outreach activities to potential partner organizations and employers to foster collaboration.
• Apply for at least one grant or sponsorship every quarter to support program expansion.
• Monitor and evaluate program effectiveness monthly through feedback surveys and success metrics.

Justification: Operational goals ensure that daily and weekly activities directly contribute to broader tactical and strategic objectives. They help maintain momentum, accountability, and continuous improvement, which are critical for sustaining organizational growth (Haines & Mitchell, 2002).

In conclusion, by setting well-defined long-term, tactical, and operational goals, Curtis & Associates can strategically position itself for sustainable growth and increased impact in workforce development. Effective budgeting and detailed activity planning further ensure that these goals are achievable, resource-optimized, and aligned with the organization’s mission. The integration of these planning levels facilitates a cohesive approach to performance enhancement, ultimately leading to higher job placement rates and community benefits.

References

• Anthony, R. N., & Govindarajan, V. (2007). Management Control Systems. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
• Haines, S. G., & Mitchell, M. S. (2002). Strategic Planning in Higher Education: A Concise Guide for College and University Leaders. Jossey-Bass.
• Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996). The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action. Harvard Business School Press.
• Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2008). The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Harvard Business Press.
• Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2019). Creating Shared Value. Harvard Business Review, 97(1), 62–77.