DO YOUR PLANNING PROCESSES MEET THE REALITY TEST

Sophisticated planning systems and touted techniques have never been a guarantee of success to a business. We believe this is because there has been too much focus on the content of strategy rather than the und erlying process, and because the process is often poorly matched to th e nature of the problem. For strategic situations the issues are usual ly complex and unpredictable with many unknowns and a large human fact or, typical of the problem category defined as 'wicked'. This article identifies a set of seven fundamental process principles for dealing w ith such problems. The principles are a starting point in the effort t o codify the 'art' of successful strategic planning. Several examples of the use of the principles in business contexts are provided. Copyri ght (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd