Abstract

This article looks to explore applying agile methods to strategic planning to improve the coordination of global and remote teams. It seeks to understand how the agile planning process works and if it can fill the void that separates formalized strategic planning and execution of designed actions. Many organizations do not prioritize their planning process and fail to align their workforce to an end goal beyond their day-to-day activities. For those that do craft a vision and strategic plan, many fail to incorporate the stakeholders into the planning process for a more robust perspective during the development phase; other organizations have failed to properly communicate the vision and strategy. The overarching issue with strategic planning has been the completion of the identified goals. While many organizations have succeeded in the development and communication of the plan, many have defaulted to the frenetic pace of their routine work and fail to accomplish their goals or the change efforts that they set out to accomplish. This research helps clarify the importance of strategic planning as it aligns teams across a global and virtual scale, giving teams and individuals the right priorities and showing them where to focus their efforts.