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i <br /> Summary Thoughts <br /> A successful plan is, by definition, a usable plan — one that informs the City's <br /> activities as well as its long-range view, and that yields meaningful <br /> improvements in effectiveness, capacity and relevance. More than a few <br /> strategic planning efforts have run aground because they were based on a <br /> fundamental misunderstanding of what a strategic plan is. Sometimes <br /> strategic planning is confused with other planning modalities, each valid in its <br /> 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 and resources needed to accomplish them. As a <br /> rule, most strategic plans should be reviewed and revamped every three to <br /> five years. This plan is no exception. <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 22 of 23 <br /> Draft–Subject to Approval and Adoption <br />