Best Strategic Planning Software
Strategic business planning is an essential process for small businesses to set clear goals and objectives, and to map out the actions and resources needed to achieve those goals. Strategic planning software helps small businesses to stay focused, allocate resources effectively, and make informed decisions that drive long-term success.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of strategic business planning for small businesses and discuss some tools and techniques that can help you get started, including a comparison of 5 strategic business planning SaaS products.
Why is strategic business planning important for small businesses?
Small businesses often face a unique set of challenges, such as limited resources and a highly competitive marketplace. This makes it all the more important for small businesses to have a clear direction and a plan in place to achieve their goals. Here are some of the key benefits of strategic business planning for small businesses:
1. Helps to clarify your vision and mission:
Strategic planning helps you to define your business’ purpose and the values that guide your decision-making. This can help you to stay focused on your long-term goals and ensure that your actions align with your values.
2. Identifies opportunities and threats:
A strategic plan helps you to assess your internal and external environment, including your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This information can help you to identify new opportunities for growth and to mitigate potential risks.
3. Allocates resources effectively:
A strategic plan helps you to prioritize your goals and allocate your resources (such as time, money, and personnel) effectively. This can help you to make the most of your limited resources and achieve your goals more efficiently.
4. Improves decision-making:
A strategic plan provides a framework for decision-making, helping you to consider the long-term consequences of your actions. This can help you to make informed decisions that drive the success of your business.
5. Increases accountability:
A strategic plan helps you to set clear goals and objectives for customers. This can help to increase accountability within your organization. It can also provide a benchmark against which you can measure your progress and success.
Now that we’ve covered the importance of strategic business planning for small businesses, let’s take a look at some tools and techniques that can help you get started.
Best strategic planning software
There are many tools and techniques that small businesses can use to facilitate the strategic planning process. One option is to use strategic business planning software-as-a-service (SaaS). SaaS products are web-based applications that can be accessed from any device with an internet connection.
Strategic planning software typically offer a range of features and tools to help businesses with the process of creating and managing a strategic plan. In this section, we’ll compare 5 popular strategic business planning SaaS products: StratPad, PlanGuru, LivePlan, BizPlan, and Enloop.
1. StratPad:
StratPad is a cloud-based strategic planning software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features, including financial projections, a SWOT analysis tool, and a dashboard to track progress.
Pros of StratPad:
- User-friendly interface: StratPad has a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to use even for those who are new to strategic planning software.
- Comprehensive: StratPad offers a wide range of features, including financial projections, a SWOT analysis tool, and a dashboard to track progress.
- Collaboration: StratPad offers real-time collaboration tools, such as team member access and real-time editing, which can be useful for businesses with multiple stakeholders.
Cons of StratPad:
- Cost: StratPad can be more expensive than some other strategic business planning SaaS products.
- Limited customization: While StratPad allows you to add your own logo and choose from a range of templates, it may not offer as much customization as other platforms.
2. PlanGuru:
PlanGuru is a strategic planning and budgeting software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features, including financial projections, variance analysis, and scenario planning.
Pros of PlanGuru:
- Comprehensive: PlanGuru offers a wide range of features, including financial projections, variance analysis, and scenario planning.
- Customization: PlanGuru allows users to customize their plan to meet the specific needs of their business.
- Support: PlanGuru offers extensive support resources, including a knowledge base, tutorials, and one-on-one training.
Cons of PlanGuru:
- Cost: PlanGuru can be more expensive than some other strategic business planning SaaS products.
- Complex: PlanGuru has a more complex interface and may require more time to learn than some other platforms.
3. LivePlan:
LivePlan is a cloud-based strategic planning and business management software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features, including financial projections, a SWOT analysis tool, and a dashboard to track progress.
Pros of LivePlan:
- User-friendly interface: LivePlan has a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to use even for those who are new to strategic planning software.
- Collaboration: LivePlan offers real-time collaboration tools, such as team member access and real-time editing, which can be useful for businesses with multiple stakeholders.
- Extensive support: LivePlan offers a range of support resources, including a knowledge base, tutorials, and one-on-one coaching.
Cons of LivePlan:
- Cost: LivePlan can be more expensive than some other strategic business planning SaaS products.
- Limited customization: While LivePlan allows users to add their own logo and choose from a range of templates, it may not offer as much customization as other platforms.
4. BizPlan:
BizPlan is a cloud-based strategic planning and business management software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features, including financial projections, a SWOT analysis tool, and a dashboard to track progress.
Pros of BizPlan:
- User-friendly interface: BizPlan has a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to use even for those who are new to strategic planning software.
- Collaboration: BizPlan offers real-time collaboration tools, such as team member access and real-time editing, which can be useful for businesses with multiple stakeholders.
- Affordable: BizPlan is more affordable than some other strategic business planning SaaS products.
Cons of BizPlan:
- Limited features: While BizPlan offers a range of features, it may not be as comprehensive as some other platforms.
- Limited support: BizPlan may not offer as many support resources as other strategic business planning SaaS products.
5. Enloop:
Enloop is a cloud-based strategic planning software that is designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a range of features, including financial projections, SWOT analysis tool, and a performance scorecard to track progress.
Pros of Enloop:
- User-friendly interface: Enloop has a simple and intuitive interface, which makes it easy to use even for those who are new to strategic planning software.
- Collaboration: Enloop offers real-time collaboration tools, such as team member access and real-time editing, which can be useful for businesses with multiple stakeholders.
- Performance scorecard: Enloop’s performance scorecard is a unique feature that helps businesses to track their progress and identify areas for improvement.
Cons of Enloop:
- Limited customization: While Enloop allows users to add their own logo and choose from a range of templates, it may not offer as much customization as other platforms.
- Limited support: Enloop may not offer as many support resources as other strategic business planning SaaS products.
In addition to strategic business planning SaaS products, there are other tools and techniques that small businesses can use to facilitate the strategic planning process. These include SWOT analysis, strategic planning workshops, strategic planning templates, and strategic planning consultants.
Conclusion – The best strategic planning Software
Strategic business planning is an essential process for small businesses to set clear goals and objectives, and to map out the actions and resources needed to achieve those goals. There are many tools and techniques that small businesses can use to facilitate the strategic planning process. These include strategic business planning SaaS products, SWOT analysis, strategic planning workshops, strategic planning templates, and strategic planning consultants.
By choosing the right tool or combination of tools for your business, you can effectively leverage strategic business planning to drive long-term success
