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Summary Thoughts <br /> A successful plan is, by definition, a usable plan — one that directs the City's <br /> economic development activities as well as its long-range view, and that <br /> yields meaningful improvements in effectiveness, capacity and relevance. <br /> More than a few strategic planning efforts have run aground because they <br /> were based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what a strategic plan is. <br /> Sometimes strategic planning is confused with other planning modalities, <br /> each valid in its own right but geared toward a different end result. <br /> To put it simply, not every plan is a strategic plan. A strategic plan is a tool <br /> that provides guidance in fulfilling a mission with maximum efficiency and <br /> impact. If it is to be effective and useful, it should articulate specific goals <br /> and describe the action steps as we have in this document. As a rule, most <br /> strategic plans should be reviewed and revamped every three to five years. <br /> This plan is no exception. <br /> • <br /> Strategic planning has long been used as a tool for transforming and <br /> revitalizing economic development organizations. In its own right, this plan's <br /> primary goal is to energize the Arden Hills EDC and to chart a course of <br /> action for the organization. Recently, however, skepticism about planning <br /> has been on the rise. Political and economic uncertainty is the norm and the <br /> pace of technological and social change has accelerated. There is some <br /> disillusionment with planning efforts that can't keep pace. "We did a plan five <br /> years ago and haven't looked at it since," is one common complaint. Or, "By <br /> the time we completed our plan, we were already carrying out all of its <br /> strategies." <br /> However such comments miss the point. Rather than expose some fatal flaw <br /> in strategic planning, they reflect a basic misconception about the purpose <br /> and value of strategic planning and what it takes for a plan and the process <br /> to succeed. Indeed, the process can prove pointless and frustrating and the <br /> Strategic Plan for Economic Development Page 24 of 25 <br /> Final Draft— Ready for Release Subject to Council Approval and Adoption <br />