The CIO plays an increasingly important role in an organization's strategic planning process because technology plays an increasingly important role in strategy, and it's the CIO who understands the innovation that technology can enable. Without active input from the CIO, a strategic planning committee is likely to fall short in identifying imperatives because members do not understand the range of possibilities, writes Dan Burrus, CEO of consulting firm Burrus Research, in a post at CIOUpdate.

Strategic plans today should by dynamic, allowing for change in real time, Burrus recommends. Unlike a static plan, which is published and shared with employees, a dynamic plan presents an opportunity for feedback and ongoing dialogue, encouraging engagement from employees.

A dynamic strategic plan can be presented in different forms, including a document, video, audio or some kind of graphic. "If you put the strategic plan out in one format, then you're only engaging one learning style within an organization that has multiple styles," Burrus writes. "In fact, in a world where multimedia is easy and the tools are relatively free, there's no excuse for not getting the strategic plan in multiple formats."

For more:
- see Dan Burrus' post at CIOUpdate

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