Too often, annual planning produces a glossy deck that gets forgotten by February. Teams stay busy, but their work drifts from the company’s vision - and priorities shift without a clear roadmap to guide decisions.
Annual strategic planning is your chance to change that. Done well, it sets the course for the next 12 months, ensuring every team’s work connects directly to the company’s vision. This workflow walks you through a proven, repeatable process for building a strategic roadmap that drives quarterly OKRs, budget decisions, and team priorities all year long.
Step 1 – Review the Past Year
Objective: Understand what worked, what didn’t, and why.
Before looking ahead, take a close look back:
- Analyze last year’s OKRs, KPIs, and financial performance.
- Identify major successes and their contributing factors.
- Document failures and lessons learned — without blame.
- Assess progress toward your long-term vision and mission.
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Step 2 – Update or Reaffirm the Company Vision & Mission
Objective: Ensure your strategic direction is still relevant and inspiring.
- Confirm your mission statement still reflects your purpose.
- Adjust your vision if market or industry changes demand it.
- Revisit core values to ensure they guide decision-making.
- Share updates with leadership to reinforce alignment.
Step 3 – Conduct an Environmental Scan
Objective: Identify opportunities and threats that could shape the year.
- Perform a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats).
- Review competitive landscape and industry trends.
- Gather customer insights through surveys, interviews, or feedback.
- Factor in economic, regulatory, or technological shifts.
Step 4 – Define Annual Strategic Priorities
Objective: Decide where the company will focus its efforts over the next 12 months.
- Select 3–5 strategic pillars or focus areas.
- Ensure they align with your vision, mission, and market context.
- Define the desired impact for each priority.
- Keep priorities broad enough to inspire, but focused enough to guide.
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Step 5 – Set Company-Level Annual OKRs
Objective: Translate strategic priorities into measurable outcomes.
- Draft Objectives for each strategic priority.
- Create Key Results that quantify success for the year.
- Confirm each KR can be tracked reliably.
- Assign an owner for each Objective.
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Step 6 – Align Departmental Goals
Objective: Cascade company-level OKRs into team-level annual goals.
- Share the company OKRs with department heads.
- Facilitate workshops for teams to create their own aligned OKRs.
- Identify cross-team dependencies early to avoid misalignment.
- Use this alignment to inform Q1 OKR planning.
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Step 7 – Create the Annual Roadmap
Objective: Turn strategic priorities into a high-level execution plan.
- Map major initiatives for each quarter.
- Assign key owners and cross-functional partners.
- Build in flexibility for new opportunities or risks.
- Align roadmap milestones with quarterly OKR cycles.
Step 8 – Communicate & Launch
Objective: Share the plan widely and make it part of the culture.
- Host a company-wide meeting to present the annual strategy.
- Explain how it connects to vision, mission, and values.
- Provide documentation in an accessible, shared location.
- Encourage Q&A to drive buy-in.
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Step 9 – Schedule Quarterly Reviews
Objective: Keep the plan alive and relevant throughout the year.
- Use quarterly OKR planning sessions to check progress.
- Adjust tactics based on market shifts or performance trends.
- Celebrate wins and share learnings across the company.
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Pro Tips for Annual Strategic Planning Success
- Involve voices from multiple levels of the company — not just leadership.
- Keep priorities visible year-round (dashboards, wall posters, team meetings).
- Avoid overstuffing the roadmap — focus on what’s truly achievable.
- Use the annual plan as a decision-making filter for new initiatives.
The Bottom Line
Annual strategic planning isn’t just a one-time exercise — it’s the foundation for every decision you’ll make in the year ahead.
Follow this workflow to create a plan that inspires action, aligns teams, and drives results all year long.
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