Annual strategic planning is your opportunity to set 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 creating a clear strategic roadmap — one that guides 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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