Key Planning Documents: Vision Statement

A Vision statement, used as an integral part of the structured planning framework we advocate should contain the following:

• Which organization or department is responsible for the statement
• A description of how it is linked to the Charter.
• Long term objectives that the mission is designed to achieve
• Details of who has been allocated responsibility for achieving the Vision objectives
• A time line describing when the Vision is expected to have been completed
• Details of any Vision review or audit procedures that will have to be followed
• A description of any identified issues or risks that may have an impact on the ability to meet the Vision.
• An overview description of available and allocated resources that will be used to achieve the plan.

The Vision is one of the three foundation documents on which organization design is based using our framework. The other two, the Charter and Mission statements are planning documents that the Vision is derived from or influences. The Vision statement (or at least the very first one) should be influenced by the core values as expressed in the organisation Charter. Mission statements are derived from the Vision.

Why a Vision Statement?

In our view, a Vision statement should be a planning document in its own right that describes, in as much detail as required, longer term or strategic objectives that the organisation is to achieve (say) over a 5year period with details of who has direct responsibility for achieving them. The Vision should be written so that those organization working to the Vision can identify their own long term objectives which in turn become lower order vision statements.

Value to the Planning Framework?

In the context of the framework we advocate, the Vision statement is a planning document that provides the means to cascade long term corporate aims and objectives on a top down basis to as low a level as required in the management chain. Bottom up, lower level Vision statements provide the means for organization elements and individuals to demonstrate how their plans fit into the overall corporate plan. Applying the structure we propose has the added advantage of making a key planning activity auditable.