Rating: 
Summary: 5 on clarity, 1 on substance
Review: A better title for this book might be "Strategy for Dummies". I read this book as a suggestion by someone else; I must say that I am somewhat disappointed. It appears that the authors simply recorded about 2 days worth of B-school lectures (both authors attended Dartmouth's MBA program) and transcribed those lectures into this book. In this respect, I'd give this book an A+ on clarity; it is well written. As far as sustance goes, it is highly lacking. It appears the authors cater to the small to mid-size business. My impression is that this book is best read by "Mom and Pop" business owners who have no other strategy background to draw on. One thing that is conspicuously missing in this text is a bibliography. No doubt the author's are "borrowing" many of the concepts they present from notable strategists such as Porter, Prahalad and Hamel, and others. On page 72 in the text, the authors present a table labeled "Measures of Success". This table is nothing more than a "Balanced Scorecard", pioneered by Robert Kaplan at Harvard. The table even uses the same 4 generic headings as the B.S.C., yet there is no credit or even mention of Kaplan's and Norton's work surrounding the table. I believe people who have no prior experience in strategy might find this "simple" text as enlightening, perhaps even marginally useful. Those who are leaders of more complex businesses who don't want their competitive position obliterated by their competition, would probably be better served with another text; "The Strategy Concept and Process: A Pragmatic Approach", by Arnaldo Hax. It too, provides a roadmap for strategy formulation, but at more thought provoking level. Plus the author cites numerous (well over a 100) articles and texts to support his position. Simplified Stategic Planning is much too heavy on the "simplified" and too lite on the "strategy".
Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional Value ... Highly Recommended
Review: A true how-to book that provides exceptional value for those who have to create and implement a strategic plan. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to strategic planning
Review: Finally, a book on strategic planning that makes sense! Bradford's process for helping organizations think about, plan for and implement strategic planning is straightforward and completely accessible. Whatever size your oganization, and whatever your background in strategy, this one is a must-read. Bradford offers an action-oriented approach that allows you to customize the process to meet your needs. In these days of leaner budgets, take advantage of this gem--it's almost like having Bradford in your company as you work through the process. His focus is on results, and his success with all kinds of organizations is very impressive.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to strategic planning
Review: Finally, a book on strategic planning that makes sense! Bradford's process for helping organizations think about, plan for and implement strategic planning is straightforward and completely accessible. Whatever size your oganization, and whatever your background in strategy, this one is a must-read. Bradford offers an action-oriented approach that allows you to customize the process to meet your needs. In these days of leaner budgets, take advantage of this gem--it's almost like having Bradford in your company as you work through the process. His focus is on results, and his success with all kinds of organizations is very impressive.
Rating:
Summary: 5 on clarity, 1 on substance
Review: Having taken the course in Simplified Strategic Planning offered through the University of Michigan, I found this text to be a highly functional compliment to that program. The book is concise and offers a clear cut process to develop and implement a strategic plan that offers the highest impact with the most effective use of resources. I highly recommend this book to beginners, who want to understand the fundamentals of business planning, as well as to experienced professionals, who can benefit greatly by streamlining their planning processes.
Rating:
Summary: Clear, To the Point, and Highly Effective
Review: Having taken the course in Simplified Strategic Planning offered through the University of Michigan, I found this text to be a highly functional compliment to that program. The book is concise and offers a clear cut process to develop and implement a strategic plan that offers the highest impact with the most effective use of resources. I highly recommend this book to beginners, who want to understand the fundamentals of business planning, as well as to experienced professionals, who can benefit greatly by streamlining their planning processes.
Rating:
Summary: A realistic plan for developing and implementing strategy
Review: If you are looking for startling new insights on strategic planning, or gimmicky, buzzword-laden books aiming to be best-sellers, this one is not for you. This is ideal as a first book on strategic planning since it provides a realistic, carefully set out action plan for developing a competitive strategy and implementing it to produce results. Even if you have read dozens of books on strategy, the no-nonsense, concise guidance of this book makes it valuable. The book is the result of extensive work by the authors with small and medium-sized businesses. It not only presents the strategy process in admirably clear terms, it provides templates and guidance throughout the process. Simplified Strategic Planning will not make you gasp at new insights, stun you with incredible depth, or woo you with seductive writing. It will make it much easier for you to form and implement a definite strategic plan for your business.
Rating:
Summary: I would recommend this book to my clients
Review: Realistic, step-by-step action plan for developing a competitive strategy for your company and turning the plans into reality. Straightforward, easy-to-read, and GETS RESULTS!
Rating: 
Summary: Simplified Strategic Planning
Review: There are plenty of books about strategy. Most of them are about some guru's grand theory of strategy. This book is about HOW to devise an appropriate strategy for your organization. Peter and I (along with the other talented people at the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning) have been coaching management teams through the planning process for years. We all share tips and tricks with each other on a regular basis, trying to find the best answers to these questions: 1. What strategies assure the greatest growth in PROFITABILITY? 2. What is the FASTEST way to assure you have a good strategy? 3. What will create SUSTAINABLE success over a longer period of time? Companies we have used the resulting process with have done phenomenally well. Most companies I have used Simplified Strategic Planning with have gone from declining profitability to an average annual profit growth rate of 23% within 3 years. We have been teaching this process through public University seminars since 1980 - now you can join the thousands of companies who have turbocharged their profitability by using this simplified, yet powerful process to create a great strategy. If you already do strategic planning in your company, you will find this book gives you a lot of tips to improve the process and make it faster. If you don't, there is no better way to start than with the lean, time-efficient approach of Simplified Strategic Planning.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be titled "Simple Strategic Planning"
Review: This book is very poor and I would recommend against purchasing it. This guide is seems to be written by seminar teachers, full of simple one-liners and cheesy analogies that don't really add that much to your understanding of strategy. Possibly a starter guide, but not recommended if you have already read anything on strategy.
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