Planned or deliberate strategies come about where there are precise intentions, which are written down and imposed by a central leadership. Key features include a large number of controls to ensure surprisefree implementation in an environment, which is controllable, with managers who are able to ascertain, review and evaluate every option available, and they are then able to choose what appears to be the best option in the light of rational criteria. Often there is a specialist Strategy Department.
Organisations using this strategy should
• be large enough to afford the costs of formal analysis.
• have goals that are operational.
• operate in an environment that is reasonably predictable and stable.
• take a systematic and structured approach to its development.
• collect internal and external information and integrate decisions into a comprehensive strategy.
• focus on systematic analysis, particularly in the assessment of the costs and benefits of competing proposals.