Creating a strategic plan can feel overwhelming—especially if you aren’t sure where to begin. The good news? You don’t need to start from scratch. There are dozens of proven resources that can help you analyze your environment, set priorities, align your team, and measure progress.
Here are some of the best resources for building a strategic plan, including frameworks, templates, tools, books, courses, case studies, and performance metrics. Whether you’re an executive, entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, or team manager, these resources will help you build a strategic plan that’s clear, actionable, and aligned with your long-term goals.
Strategic Planning Frameworks That Clarify Your Thinking
Using the right framework gives structure to your analysis and helps you make more informed decisions. Here are three of the most widely used frameworks in strategic planning:
- SWOT Analysis
A foundational framework that evaluates your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. This is best for early-stage discovery, team alignment, internal/external assessment.
- PESTEL Analysis
A macro-level assessment of the external environment:
- Political
- Economic
- Social
- Technological
- Environmental
- Legal
This is usually best for understanding market forces, scenario planning, risk identification.
- Balanced Scorecard
A performance management framework that translates strategy into measurable outcomes across four dimensions:
- Financial
- Customer
- Internal processes
- Learning & growth
This is best for linking goals to KPIs, monitoring progress, and aligning teams around execution.
Strategic Planning Templates to Streamline the Process
Templates reduce ambiguity and give you a defined structure to work within. Popular strategic planning templates include:
1. One-Page Strategic Plan
Summarizes your vision, goals, key initiatives, owners, and metrics.
2. OKR (Objectives and Key Results) Planning Template
Helps teams set measurable targets tied directly to strategic priorities.
3. Strategic Roadmap Template
Visualizes how initiatives unfold across quarters or years.
4. Mission–Vision–Values Worksheet
Ensures your plan aligns with your organizational identity and purpose.
5. 3–5 Year Strategic Plan Template
A more comprehensive structure including SWOT, PESTEL, strategic pillars, KPIs, and resources.
Planning and Collaboration Tools for Developing Your Plan
Today’s best strategic planning efforts rely on versatile digital tools for brainstorming, drafting, and project management. There is a myriad of tools you can use and a good business coach will help you choose the tools best suited to your business. It’s always good to have an overview and ideas to ask about, though, so I’ve put together this list for reference.
Presentation & Communication Tools
- PowerPoint – Ideal for presenting your strategic plan to stakeholders.
- Google Slides – Perfect for real-time collaboration across teams.
Brainstorming & Mapping Tools
- Miro is a collaborative online whiteboard platform designed for team brainstorming, planning, and strategy work—especially useful in remote or hybrid work environments.
- MURAL is another leading digital whiteboard and visual collaboration platform, similar to Miro, designed to help teams and facilitators work together creatively and strategically—especially in remote or hybrid environments.
Project & Task Management Tools
- Trello – Simple and visual Kanban boards.
- Asana – Strong for linking strategy to execution through timelines and dashboards.
- ClickUp – Highly customizable for complex workflows.
Collaboration Suites
- Google Workspace – Shared docs, sheets, and drives for easy collaboration.
- Microsoft 365 – Ideal for organizations with more formal governance needs.
Best Books on Strategic Planning
If you want to deepen your strategic thinking, these books provide powerful insights, frameworks, and real-world examples.
1. Playing to Win — A.G. Lafley & Roger Martin
A practical guide introducing five essential strategic choices that help organizations define where they will play and how they will win.
2. HBR’s 10 Must-Reads on Strategy
A collection of influential strategy articles, including Porter’s classic “What Is Strategy?”—a must-read for foundational understanding.
3. Built to Last — Jim Collins & Jerry Porras
Explores why some companies endure for decades and what visionary leadership really entails.
4. The Art of Strategy — Avinash Dixit & Barry Nalebuff
A clear, accessible look at strategic thinking through the lens of game theory.
5. Good Strategy / Bad Strategy — Richard Rumelt
Shows the difference between real strategy and vague ambition, and offers a simple, powerful framework for diagnosing challenges.
6. Blue Ocean Strategy — W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne
Explains how to create uncontested market space instead of competing head-to-head.
7. Measure What Matters — John Doerr
Teaches how OKRs drive alignment and accountability.
Top Online Courses for Learning Strategic Planning
These courses can help leaders of all levels enhance their strategic skills:
- Harvard Business School Online – Strategy Execution
- Wharton (Coursera) – Business Strategy Specialization
- LinkedIn Learning – Strategic Planning Foundations
- MIT Sloan – Strategy & Innovation Programs
- Kellogg Executive Education – Strategic Leadership & Execution
- edX – Business Strategy Programs
- Udemy – Practical Strategic Planning Courses
Ideal for professional development or enhancing team capabilities.
Where to Find Strategic Planning Case Studies
Case studies reveal how real organizations develop and implement strategy, making them invaluable for learning.
1. Harvard Business School Case Library
The world’s most comprehensive and widely-used case study library.
2. MIT Sloan Management Review
Research-backed strategy insights with a technology and innovation focus.
3. INSEAD Knowledge
Global perspectives on strategy, leadership, and transformation.
4. McKinsey & Company Insights
Data-driven analyses and industry-specific strategy examples.
5. Bain & Company Insights
Actionable strategy research across growth, transformation, and operations.
6. Deloitte Case Studies
Strong focus on digital strategy, technology, and organizational change.
7. Stanford Graduate School of Business
Entrepreneurial and innovation-heavy case study library.
Performance Metrics That Strengthen Your Strategic Plan
To ensure execution, you’ll need metrics that show whether your strategy is working.
Key Metrics to Include in Your Strategic Plan
- KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) aligned to goals
- OKRs (Objective + Key Results)
- Dashboards that visualize progress
- Balanced Scorecard metrics
- Leading indicators (predictive signals)
- Lagging indicators (results-based measures)
- Benchmark comparisons
- Organizational health metrics such as engagement or retention
Metrics help you make data-informed decisions, course-correct early, and maintain momentum.
Use the Right Resources to Build a Strong Strategic Plan
Strategic planning doesn’t have to feel complicated. With the right frameworks, templates, planning tools, books, courses, case studies, and performance metrics, any organization can build a strategic plan that drives clarity and results.