Let’s start with the best news. Strategic planning is the number one most used business tool globally! 45% of organizations use it, according to Bain & Company’s annual survey of executives. It has scored at or near the top for years. (Bain & Company Management Tools Survey, 2013) Here's some more good news.  58% of organizational leaders say strategic planning is extremely or very important in their organization’s success. That’s according to Forrest Consulting's 2013 Strategic Leader Survey, conducted last year of 314 for-profit and non-profit organizational leaders in decision-making roles, which tracked closely with the results of a similar survey we conducted a year earlier and with a 2006 McKinsey & Company survey. But, unfortunately, the reality is not nearly as good as it might seem. Organizations of all types are not living up to their potential.

A recent dialogue with a strategic planning expert as practiced by the U.S. Army raised the issue of planning efficiency.