Build relationships with the whole community of strategic stakeholders (planning, financial, and measurement) before external demands for change arrives.

By going beyond simple compliance with a mandate, take a good step toward actually achieving compliance.

Get stakeholders involved. This has significant implications for buy-in, ownership, speed of implementation, and the plan's overall success.

Help individuals and groups see that the strategic plan is relevant to them and that their contributions will be recognized and rewarded.

The right supporting technology and reporting mechanisms need to be in place. Balanced Scorecards are helpful.

Establish a Strategic Management calendar.

Results, data gathered, and lessons learned from all phases of Strategic Management should feed the update process.