Strategic planning requires research and iterative drafting. After defining the problem and crafting research questions, you have to decide how you're going to go about finding the information you need. Throughout this course, you have executed plans in simulated environments. Your goal in this project is to make a useful, well-reasoned, actionable plan for a project you care aboutone that you can execute outside of class. In the course of your research, you will both seek out sources of information (largely secondary sources) and you will develop primary information as well through your own personal contacts. In other MBA courses, you've developed skills in quantitative methods. In this project, you may find that qualitative methods such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys are equally if not more helpful to you as you craft your plan.

Choosing a Project

Choose a project that needs both secondary and primary research. The primary research should be both quantitative (based on internal information) and qualitative (drawn from interviews, surveys, or focus groups). While most students will choose a workplace or organizational management problem (e.g., organizational change, consumer preferences, training needs), a home management problem such as finding elder care for a loved one are also completely acceptable. Excellent projects in prior classes have included research to make a new training or academic course, to decide whether or not to buy an existing small business, to determine how to right-size an organization, and whether to add space to an existing home or purchase a different house.

It is important for those in accounting to choose projects that support research methods within their respective disciplines. This is to ensure that all of the learning objectives associated with their particular disciplines can be met. This guideline is intended to stimulate creative application of each discipline's literature and research.

Bound the strategic planning project you choose to make certain that you can do realistic problem-solving. Paying off the national debt, for instance, would be much too large a project to undertake; but moving your family out of debt could be an entirely apt choice. Do consult with the instructor before getting too far along on the project you select.

Specialization Requirements

2. Introduction and problem definition
   • Identify your real-world situation
   • Summarize your situation in no more than three paragraphs
   • End the introduction in a one-sentence description that defines your project. This is your "elevator speech" about what you are doing. It's also your thesis statement
5. Project rationale
   • Identify the main issues that you have chosen to address and justify their importancedescribe the whyof your project
   • Which global trends as identified in National Intelligence Council (2021) influence the urgency of your project?
   • Clarify the problem or opportunity, andexplain its relevance to you personally
8. Project objectives
   • State your targeted outcomes for this project once it is executedthe what of your project. What, exactly, are you seeking to acquire, accomplish, produce, and/or deliver?
   • Note that broader goals (e.g., "to incorporate social media into overall marketing strategy in the organization") are identified under project rationale, immediately above.
   • Identify specific, concrete, measurable accomplishments (think project evaluation) you intend to include in your strategic plan
11. Project methodology
    • Describe the proposed game plan or approachthe howyou intend to use to obtain the outcomes described above. That is, how will you go about accomplishing the objectives you've defined?
    • Include a list in the overview you prepare for this step of all the essential resources you will need in order to succeed. Be clear on how and when (during this project or at a later time) your project will be implemented.
    • Describe the kind of project evaluation you intend to apply once you execute your project. How will you determine your level of success? What will you measure? Whose evaluative input(s) will you seek?
14. Literature review
    • Summarize the important sources of information relevant to your project that were identified and assessed during the class
    • Identify and add at least 5 additional sources that link clearly to answering your questions. Ensure each is relevant and credible.
17. Primary Methods 10%
    • Identify and assess the value of a variety of research methods to help answer the questions
    • Suggest and evaluate specific quantitative and qualitative approaches
    • Draft example structures, if appropriate, for use in the qualitative approaches
20. Project Timeline
    • Determine and present a work breakdown structure (a week-by-week plan)-the when-that you intend to follow to balance the workload and assure that you meet your milestones and deadlines
    • Remember to account for the lead time needed to secure the things you'll require from others (e.g., pre-project approval, document reviews, interviews with staff)
    • Present your plan in a bullet style, identifying month and week followed by the actions and steps that need to be accomplished during each week
23. Conclusions
    • Identify gaps and challenges to executing your plan, noting the influence of global trends
    • Propose a way forward
26. Scholarship integration
    • Seamlessly integrate sources using signal phrases throughout your project
    • Thoroughly support and analyze your assumptions

Rubric

Element	Advanced
Introduction and framework	Thoroughly describes criteria to analyze. Systematic development of ideas/arguments; consistently logical organization; clear thesis statement
Crispness of rationale	Clearly identifies the main issues and justifies importance - the WHY of the project. Clarifies the problem or opportunity, and explains the relevance to the writer
MBA1 Solving Clarity of objectives	Valid, measurable objectives for project that also clearly link to the relevance and rationale of the project
MBA1 Selecting Methodology	Describes a fully developed research methodology
MBA2 Evidence Literature review	Valid, academic foundation for overall project; includes a preliminary list of vetted research sources
MBA2 Methods Primary methods	Clear, well-conceived examples that relate directly to research questions
Timeline	Valid, developed project timeline, factoring in potential challenges in the process
MBA1 Interdependent Gap analysis	Discusses gaps in depth
Conclusions	Discusses way forward in depth
Consistency	Arguments are consistent and logically developed throughout
Mechanics	Grammatically correct, fluid and well-written without spelling or typographical errors. Language is in keeping with educated usage
Scholarship	Thoroughly integrates and cites theory from course and supplementary materials. The topics are synthesized and critically analyzed

Reference

National Intelligence Council. (2021). Global trends 2040: A more contested world (NIC 2021-02339). Office of the Director of National Intelligence. https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/GlobalTrends_2040.pdf