Strategic planning: the managerial agenda If you were to ask what strategic planning is, you could interpret it simply as a road map capable of guiding the organization in the right direction. It is very unlikely that an organization will know which direction to take without a sense of direction. Managers are faced with decisions every day that have a major impact on the direction the organization needs to take, so strategic planning can play an important role in guiding managers in the right direction. In other words, strategic planning is a tool that management can use to give them a sense of direction that will guide them to do a better job and to ensure that everyone in the organization is working towards the same goals" An article by Beecroft ( 1999) entitled “The Role of Quality in Strategic Management” discusses the importance of quality considerations in developing an effective strategic plan One of the primary concerns encountered by the author was the relationship between quality, short-term and long-term objectives and bottom line profits. According to the author, “Conformity to design and customer requirements translates into quality, so greater compliance means higher quality. Higher quality translates into lower costs and increases competitiveness, leading to increased sales and market share, more jobs and improved profitability" (p..