In the 1980s, IBM was the dominant technology brand, with sky-high revenue and market share. But the company failed to evolve along with customers’ computing needs, and it became siloed and dependent on hardware sales. Louis Gerstner, brought on as IBM’s CEO in 1993, led the company’s transformational shift from products to services. In essence, IBM changed its strategy from being a multinational technology provider to a holistic, shared-services partner. Core elements of the strategy were to offer the best technology stack to clients versus pushing standalone hardware sales, tie employees’ pay to company performance, consolidate marketing and branding efforts under one agency, standardize processes and reporting procedures for all internal functions and consolidate those activities in key centers and divest low-growth, low-margin product lines and technologies. IBM’s new strategy worked and is hailed as one of the greatest corporate turnarounds of all time. And that's what a good Planning Model can do for your company, turn around your fate or redefine your organization's path.
Organizations are always looking for ways to improve. It’s how they stay relevant and, more importantly, profitable. But you don’t get better just by desiring it. It takes planning, and then a model to implement that strategy.
No surprise, there are models to accomplish this called planning models. They’re great for businesses, big and small, and assist in project planning and implementing organizational goals in a thorough and structured manner. Once you have decided on an objective, then you must plan a model that will execute it successfully.
What Is a Planning Model?
A planning model is how an organization takes its strategy and creates a plan to implement it to improve operations and better meet its goals. How they get to this point requires identifying what the company wants, and how it hopes to achieve those goals in the near term. Once they have that target clearly defined, then it’s a matter of working backward to figure out how to get there.
This, of course, is easy to say and extremely difficult to do. Sometimes the complexity involved in trying to put together a plan to strategically meet your goals can feel like it needs a strategic planning model all its own! That’s why there are classic models already in place to help you accomplish your goals.
Do You Need a Planning Model?
If all this sounds like a fancy way of saying you need a plan to achieve your goals, well, you’re right. But that doesn’t dismiss its usefulness in achieving those objectives. It provides a clear path that the organization uses for operational planning which determines what work will be done by everyone on the staff. Think of it as being focused. There are a lot of distractions that occur every day in every business. Knowing what your topline is helps you prioritize and keep your energies directed on the overall strategy for the company and the right initiatives.
Get equipped with our expert designed Planning Model Templates. We’ve got you 100% editable and content ready templates. The customizable nature of the templates provides you with the flexibility to edit your presentations. The content-ready slides give you the much-needed structure
Template 1: Strategic Workforce Planning Model PPT Template
Are you interested in exploring organizational development, employee plans, and the workforce? Enhance your presentations with our PowerPoint templates, crafted for an in-depth understanding of workforce behavior. This human resource management presentation encompasses several templates, covering organizational development, employee plans, vision, mission, values, goals, objectives, performance requirements, and more. Explore industry trends, external analysis, labor market forecasts, demographic customer makeup, and human resource trends. Analyze employee performance levels and current staff composition and efficiently manage future workforce needs with gap analysis and closing strategies. Download this PowerPoint Set to initiate compelling discussions on succession planning, workforce management, staffing, personnel, capacity building, workload analysis, supply and demand forecasting, and business transformation. These strategic workforce planning model slides will enhance your presentation, projecting confidence and self-assurance. Download Now!
Template 2: Ansoff Gap Planning and Analysis Model and Method PPT Template
Use this PPT Template to assess growth opportunities in your organization by analyzing existing products, new products, current markets, and new markets. The Ansoff Matrix, which is a key component of this template, is a four-quadrant chart that categorizes growth strategies based on these four factors. The Market Penetration section focuses on selling more of existing products in current markets. The Product Development column involves creating new products for current markets The next Market Development entails selling existing products in new markets. Diversification involves creating new products for new markets. The slide also details specific strategies that can be applied within each quadrant of the Ansoff Matrix. Like, under Market Penetration, strategies include increasing market share and boosting product utilization. Download Now!
Template 3: Strategic Planning Model Ansoff Matrix PPT Template
Use this Matrix PPT Template to make informed decisions regarding growth strategies. It helps visualize four options that a business can consider: market penetration, product development, market development, and diversification. In the slide, market penetration focuses on selling existing products to existing markets. This can be achieved by increasing sales force efforts or investing in marketing campaigns. Product development involves creating new products for existing markets. Companies may do this to meet the changing needs of their customers or to stay ahead of the competition. Market development entails selling existing products to new markets. This could involve entering new geographic territories or targeting new customer segments. Diversification is the strategy of creating new products for new markets. Pick your approach and download now!
Template 4: Issue Based Strategic Planning Model PPT Template
The slide depicts an issue-based strategic planning model, an extension of the basic strategic planning model. It elaborates on steps to create a comprehensive strategic plan. The steps include conducting a SWOT analysis to assess the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then, based on the SWOT analysis, key issues and goals are identified and prioritized. Strategies are then developed to address these issues and goals. The mission and vision statement of the company may also be updated or created at this stage. Once the strategies are finalized, an action plan is developed to implement them. This includes allocating resources, creating a yearly operational plan, and assigning roles and responsibilities. The strategic plan is monitored and revised as needed. Download Now!
Template 5: Succession Planning Model PPT Template
Use the PPT Layout to create a plan for your organization. The template outlines six steps to follow. First, identify the key positions that you need to fill. Second, build a profile for each key position. This should include the required skills and experience. Then, conduct a competency gap analysis to assess the skills of your current employees. This will help you determine where there are gaps and who needs further development. The next step is to create individual development plans for employees with high potential. These plans should outline the training and development opportunities that they need to close the skills gap. You can develop opportunities for them to develop new skills, and consider recruiting from outside the company if necessary. Download Now!
Template 6: Planning Model PPT Deck
This comprehensive PPT deck, with 20+ slides, is an essential tool for effective planning and strategic decision-making. The slides cover critical aspects: an introduction to the planning model, a detailed planning cycle flowchart, and thorough analysis steps from identifying aims and exploring options to selecting the best option. It includes detailed planning, plan evaluation, implementation, and closure. Visual aids such as tables and charts enhance understanding, showcasing comparisons and evaluations. This deck is designed to streamline your planning process, ensuring clarity and structured execution for any project or business strategy. Download Now
Template 7: Four-Phase Strategy Planning Model PPT Template
Create a roadmap for your business. The four phases in the PPT Template are plan formulation, implementation, evaluation, and modification and amplification. The plan formulation phase involves identifying objectives and conducting a critical area analysis. The implementation phase focuses on assigning roles and responsibilities. The evaluation phase includes performance feedback and present vs desired state analysis. The modification and amplification phase involves correcting failures and amplifying marketing plans. Download now and get started today!
Wrapping up
As the economist and business strategy guru, Michael Porter, says, “The essence of planning is choosing what not to do.”
With planning models, businesses identify their strengths and weaknesses, choose what not to do, and determine which opportunities should be pursued. In sales operations, having a clearly defined strategy will help your organization plan for the future, set viable goals, and achieve them. Start now!









