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8 Most successful businesses have embraced the concept of strategic planning, and the results attained drive the direction, resources, and decisions made in the daily course of doing business. Strategic planning guides leadership and unites employees and partners through common goals and objectives. Since the benefits of developing a strategic plan are generally positive, why don't community associations enthusiastically proceed along the same path? One answer is that many community association volunteers believe that the 30-year reserve study is their plan. While this financial tool is an important part of a comprehensive plan, it does not include many factors that contribute to the overall health of the community. Some of these factors are changing demographics, local economic conditions, and aging landscaping and design elements. A complete plan will also consider the needs and wants of the individual community members. Let's first tackle the perception that creating a plan is complicated and requires a lot of time and money. If we look at some of the examples used in the business environment, SWOT, team alignment, or scenario planning, this might be a true statement. But we can take the essence of these models and apply three simple steps – preparation, development, and implementation – and we now have a process that can be used by any community association. Developing a strategic plan for your association will require a commitment by the board and each of its members. Each member should be prepared to invest 10 to 15 hours to complete the plan. Although this time commitment is divided into four specific tasks, it is important to move through the process as steadily as possible. Creating a plan for your association is neither complicated, time-consuming, or costly. Planning

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