We used a global technology scan as a way of auditing how our core competencies stacked up. We have used what's known as the Boeing model. It deploys a guerrilla attack team to set up a business model that attacks the sweet spots in the company's book of business. Then the planners have to adopt new initiatives that either counter the guerrilla threat or absorb it. The GE portfolio analysis worked one year to help us identify several new markets to enter.
Any model can work if rigorously applied.
But the managers at Serigraph came to the conclusion that the model of using leading-edge books as a foundation is perhaps the best method to date. Some theorists would argue that strategic planning on an annual basis is overkill. They believe that every two or three years is sufficient. For us, the annual planning process works. We put a lot of time and energy into the process and try to draw as many people in the company into the planning as can be accommodated and still run a decent meeting.