Strategic Planning With the Hoshin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Planning With the Hoshin - Essay Example Strategic planning is the forecasting of the character and ways of development of the macro-system, tendencies of the industry development and their impact on the enterprise, its perspectives and stages of development, and that is determination of the business strategy for the enterprise. The Hoshin Process, described in the article, is often called operations strategy in Western literature. Operations Strategy, being the combination of the philosophical and operational levels of strategic management, represents the only possible method of surviving in the dynamic conditions of the global market economy. It is a general plan of the firm’s development and improvement at all the levels of its functioning, including all the aspects of objectives and goals. However, this plan is not a rigid and constant, but a dynamic and changing phenomenon. Due to this dynamics operations strategy provides an opportunity to meet and foresee all the market requirements, through usage of unique re sources and competencies. Operations strategy has become the major method of maintaining sustainable competitive advantage of the firms. The hoshin process, being a strategic planning methodology, provides an opportunity for long-term planning, breakthrough operations and day-to-day management. The article gives us an insight into the major requirements to the strategic management. The planning begins from positioning of the firm: where we are now and where we want to be. The strategy itself is a plan of overcoming the gap between the two points within a defined period. Objectives and goals being set, implementation of the strategy starts at all the levels of the organization. The hoshin methodology offers a systemized and standard strategic planning. The strategy is established by the upper management. However, strategic planning includes both top-down and bottom-up process. In the hoshin process the strategies are adapted to the mission, major objectives and goals of the organization at