Best Strategic Planning Software Shortlist
Here are my top choices for strategic planning software and a snapshot of their best features:
- AchieveIt - Best strategic planning software for the entire organization
- Cascade - Best strategic planning software for strategy execution
- MPOWR Envision - Best strategic planning software for identifying problem areas
- Clear Impact Scorecard - Best strategic planning software for performance reporting
- Sciforma - Best strategic planning software for resource allocation
- Workboard - Best strategic planning software for achieving OKRs
- Profit.co - Best strategic planning software for goal setting
- Perdoo - Best strategic planning software for performance management
- Hirebook - Best strategic planning software for employee engagement
- ClearPoint Strategy - Best strategic planning software for strategy reporting
Traditional strategic planning methods, such as manual spreadsheets or disjointed systems, can be time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to manage. The best strategic planning software will help you create roadmaps for achieving your long-term goals. They provide tools that will not only help you create strategies but also execute them. In this listicle, I'll walk you through the best strategic planning software available today.
What Is Strategic Planning Software?
Strategic planning software is a business tool that helps organizations create strategies and track progress to achieve long-term and short-term goals. It offers features such as project management, business planning, resource management, data visualization, and performance management.
These features help businesses track progress, optimize resource allocation, and ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives.
Overviews of the 10 Best Strategic Planning Software
Here you'll find an in-depth review of each strategic planning software that highlights what it does best. Plus, you'll find product screenshots, notable features, software integrations, pricing information, and the pros and cons of the software.
1. AchieveIt - Best strategic planning software for the entire organization
AchieveIt is a cloud-based software that helps businesses with strategic planning, business development, and performance management. It provides tools for organizations in various industries, including state and local government, healthcare, education, commercial, banks and credit unions, manufacturing, and non-profit organizations.
Why I picked AchieveIt: Usually, businesses have several plans, such as marketing plans, business strategy, financial strategy plans, and so on. In that case, it's difficult to integrate and keep track of different plans. However, AchieveIt solves this problem with its one-stop solution. It lets users create unlimited plans, regardless of their planning method. It also offers a variety of views, including Kanban boards, Gantt, Dashboard, Tree, List, Embedded widgets, and multi-plan view.
Another good thing about this software is that it automates manual processes so that you can focus on creating plans. For example, it sends notifications and alerts to stakeholders when updates, changes, or critical milestones are approaching. It generates automated reports and provides interactive dashboards with real-time visualizations of key performance indicators (KPIs) and strategic metrics. This automation saves time on manual reporting and allows for quick access to critical insights.
AchieveIt Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include performance tracking and analytics features that help organizations monitor the progress of their strategic initiatives. It provides customizable dashboards, reports, and visualizations that allow users to track key metrics, identify trends, and gain actionable insights.
Integrations are available natively through the software’s open API. Their implementation team will work with you directly to connect to other tools.
Pricing One-Liner: Pricing upon request (minimum 20 users required)
Free Trial One-Liner: Free demo available
Pros
- Customizable dashboards and reports
- Robust performance tracking
- Easy to learn and use
Cons
- Limited reporting features
- Limited automations
2. Cascade - Best strategic planning software for strategy execution
Cascade is a performance management software designed to help organizations manage their strategic goals effectively. More than 45,000+ global teams, such as KFC, Toshiba, Honeywell, American Express, and UNICEF, use Cascade for strategic planning.
Why I picked Cascade: I found Cascade to be the best solution for strategy execution. It achieves this by eliminating silos and promoting collaboration, transparency, and alignment across teams and departments. Cascade provides a centralized platform for managing and communicating strategic goals and initiatives. This ensures that all teams and individuals can see the overall strategy and align their efforts accordingly.
It facilitates the cascading of goals from the organizational level to individual contributors. This process breaks down silos by connecting the objectives of different teams and aligning them with the overarching strategy. It also encourages cross-functional team collaboration through collaboration tools, such as commenting, document sharing, and real-time updates.
Cascade Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include customizable and interactive dashboards that visualize performance metrics and allow users to monitor progress in real-time. Also, it automates report generation, saving time and effort in gathering and analyzing data. Additionally, it offers various templates for goal-setting, such as the SMART goal-setting template.
Integrations include Salesforce, Google Calendar, Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, Jira, Agile CRM, Airtable, Bitrix CRM, Gmail, and HubSpot. You can also get additional integrations through Zapier. The Cascade API is only available to Enterprise subscription users.
Pricing One-Liner: From $24/user/month (billed annually)
Free Trial One-Liner: Free plan available
Pros
- Easy to use
- Interactive dashboard
- Good for strategy execution
Cons
- No free trial is available
- Limited customizations
3. MPOWR Envision - Best strategic planning software for identifying problem areas
MPOWR Envision is a strategic planning platform designed to assist organizations in effectively developing, executing, and monitoring their strategic plans. It is designed to help both large and small and non-profit and for-profit organizations.
Why I picked MPOWR Envision: I picked MPOWR Envision for its Strategy Health Map feature. It is a unique feature that utilizes health algorithms to help users identify areas of improvement. It provides an overview of which projects are critical, at risk, or healthy.
The strategy health map offers a clear and concise visual representation of the organization's strategic initiatives and their progress. This allows executives to quickly grasp the current state of strategic initiatives.
MPOWR Envision Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include a digest summary report, which provides key highlights and insights from the performance data and metrics tracked within the software. This allows stakeholders to grasp the overall performance and progress of the organization quickly.
Integrations include Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, Slack, Gmail, Trello, Dropbox Business, Google Sheets, Asana, Jira, and Microsoft Teams. You can also get additional integrations through Zapier.
Pricing One-Liner: From $500/month
Free Trial One-Liner: Free demo available
Pros
- Facilitates collaboration and engagement
- Easy to navigate
- Helpful training videos
Cons
- No mobile app
- Outdated interface
4. Clear Impact Scorecard - Best strategic planning software for performance reporting
The Clear Impact Scorecard is a performance measurement and management system developed by Clear Impact. The Clear Impact Scorecard is designed to help organizations track, measure, and manage their performance and impact.
Why I picked Clear Impact Scorecard: Interactive scorecards are a key feature of the Clear Impact Scorecard that allows users to view and engage with performance data in a dynamic and user-friendly manner. These scorecards typically present key performance indicators (KPIs) in a visual format, such as graphs, charts, or dashboards. Users can interact with the scorecards to drill down into specific metrics, filter data, and explore trends over time. The interactive nature of the scorecards enhances data visualization and understanding, enabling users to gain insights, identify patterns, and make data-driven decisions more effectively.
Clear Impact Scorecard Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include an accountability scoring feature that allows organizations to assign and track scores or performance ratings to individuals or teams based on their progress and outcomes towards achieving project goals and objectives.
Integration information is unavailable at this time.
Pricing One-Liner: From $375/month
Free Trial One-Liner: Free plan available
Pros
- Provides data visualizations
- Free plan available
- Promotes collaboration
Cons
- No integration with Zapier
- Limited work management features
5. Sciforma - Best strategic planning software for resource allocation
Sciforma is a project and portfolio management (PPM) software solution designed to help organizations effectively plan, execute, and manage their projects and portfolios. It provides a range of features and tools to support project managers, team members, and stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.
Why I picked Sciforma: Sciforma is the best platform for resource optimization because it provides a centralized platform for managing and allocating resources across projects and portfolios. It offers a holistic view of resource availability, skills, and workload, allowing project managers to make informed decisions when assigning resources to projects.
The software enables organizations to plan and optimize resource capacity effectively. It helps in identifying resource constraints and determining if resources are underutilized or overbooked. This allows project managers to balance workloads, avoid resource bottlenecks, and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently.
Sciforma Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include a time management feature that allows team members to track their time on project tasks. It provides time tracking functionality where users can enter their worked hours, providing accurate data on actual time spent. This helps monitor project progress, track task completion, and compare it against planned timelines.
Integrations include Salesforce Sales Cloud, Jira, Google Calendar, Quickbooks Online, SharePoint, QuickBooks Payroll, Salesforce Service Cloud, Yammer, and VersionOne.
Pricing One-Liner: From $20/month
Free Trial One-Liner: Free demo available
Pros
- Good for enterprises
- Includes accountability feature
- Accurate progress tracking
Cons
- Pricing details are not transparent
- Steep learning curve
6. Workboard - Best strategic planning software for achieving OKRs
Workboard is a cloud-based strategy planning software. It provides features and tools for strategic planning, goal management, and performance tracking. It is used by a wide range of organizations across industries, including enterprises, businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.
Why I picked Workboard: OKRs, or Objectives and Key Results, are a goal-setting framework that helps organizations define and track their objectives and measure their progress toward achieving them. Workboard is a software platform that specializes in implementing and managing OKRs.
Workboard provides a centralized platform where teams and individuals can align their objectives with the organization's overall goals. It enables cascading of objectives from the top level to individual contributors, ensuring everyone is working towards the same strategic priorities.
Workboard allows teams to track and monitor their real-time progress toward key results. It provides visual dashboards and progress indicators that help teams stay on track and make data-driven decisions. This visibility enables timely course corrections and helps identify areas where additional support may be needed.
Workboard Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include collaboration and communication features such as goal commenting, status updates, and task assignments. These tools help teams discuss progress, share insights, and provide feedback, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
Integrations include Slack, Asana, GitHub, Jira, Google Calendar, HubSpot CRM, Zapier, Pipedrive, Zendesk Suite, and Microsoft Azure. You can also connect it to Zapier to get additional integrations.
Pricing One-Liner: From $7.91/user/month (billed annually)
Free Trial One-Liner: Free demo available
Pros
- Mobile app is available
- Great automation features
- Easy to use
Cons
- No free trial is available
- Pricing details are not transparent
7. Profit.co - Best strategic planning software for goal setting
Profit.co is planning software with features such as progress tracking, collaboration tools, and analytics. It enables teams to drive performance, foster transparency, and make data-driven decisions.
Why I picked Profit.co: It's great for goal setting because it provides a structured framework based on the widely adopted OKR methodology. It guides organizations through the process of defining clear objectives and measurable key results, ensuring that goals are specific, aligned, and actionable.
Profit.co Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include the task management feature, which provides organizations with a robust system for organizing, assigning, and tracking tasks related to their goals and objectives. Profit.co allows users to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency. Deadlines can be set for tasks, ensuring that team members know the expected completion dates and can manage their workload effectively.
Integrations include Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Zapier, Outlook, Power BI, Google Calendar, Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and monday.com. You can also connect it to Zapier to get additional integrations.
Pricing One-Liner: From $9/user/month
Free Trial One-Liner: 30-day free trial + free plan available
Pros
- Good interface
- Easy-to-use features
- Good reporting feature
Cons
- Limited customizations
- Limited documentation
8. Perdoo - Best strategic planning software for performance management
Perdoo is performance management software that helps organizations align their goals, track progress, and drive employee engagement. It enables companies to create a culture of transparency, alignment, and accountability by ensuring everyone in the organization is working towards the same objectives.
Why I picked Perdoo: The feature I liked the most is the KPI board, which are visual dashboards that allow organizations to track and monitor their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in real-time. KPI Boards present KPIs in a visual and intuitive format, making it easier for individuals and teams to understand their performance at a glance. Visual representations such as charts, graphs, and progress bars enhance quick assessments.
Another great feature is strategic pillars, which represent an organization's core areas or focus areas. They are the fundamental building blocks that support the achievement of organizational objectives. By breaking down the strategy into specific pillars, teams and individuals can set goals that directly contribute to these strategic areas.
Perdoo Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include peer recognition that enables managers and colleagues to recognize and praise employees for their achievements, fostering a positive work environment and boosting employee morale.
Integrations include Microsoft Teams, Slack, Asana, Jira, Google Sheets, and Zapier. You can also avail additional integrations through Zapier and the Perdoo API.
Pricing One-Liner: From $6.50/user/month (billed annually)
Free Trial One-Liner: Free plan available
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Promotes collaboration and transparency
- Easy to navigate
Cons
- Setup takes time
- Limited mobile app features
9. Rhythm - Best strategic planning software for great onboarding
Rhythm is an enterprise software that helps organizations with strategic planning, goal setting, and execution management. It helps businesses align their objectives, track progress, and drive performance.
Why I picked Rhythm: Rhythm has a great onboarding and implementation process that ensures the successful adoption of the software. The process begins with a discovery phase where Rhythm's implementation team collaborates with the client to understand their unique needs, goals, and existing processes. They gather information and conduct workshops to prepare a tailored implementation plan.
Then, Rhythm's implementation team works closely with the client to configure the software according to their specific requirements. This involves setting up account structures, defining metrics and goals, and customizing the platform to align with the client's organizational structure and terminology.
They also encourage clients to provide feedback and suggestions for enhancements, which ensures that the software meets the evolving needs of the organization.
Rhythm Standout Features and Integrations
Features: Rhythm has a clean interface, and it is designed to be intuitive, user-friendly, and visually appealing. It provides a clean and organized layout that enables users to navigate the software and access key features and information efficiently.
Integrations include WordPress, Zoom, CloverConnect, QuickBooks Online, Canvas, CampaignMonitor, AWS EventBridge, Sitefinity, Clowder, and Elevate. You can also get additional integrations through Rhythm API and Zapier.
Pricing One-Liner: Custom pricing upon request
Free Trial One-Liner: Free demo available
Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Facilitates team collaboration and communication
- Provides valuable insights
Cons
- Limited customization options
- Learning curve for new users
10. ClearPoint Strategy - Best strategic planning software for strategy reporting
ClearPoint Strategy is a strategy reporting tool that helps businesses automate their strategy reporting process. It automatically collects data from various sources and provides powerful reporting capabilities so that users can focus on the activities and metrics that drive overall organizational goals.
Why I picked ClearPoint Strategy: ClearPoint integrates with various data sources, such as spreadsheets, databases, and external systems, to automatically collect relevant data. This eliminates manual data entry and ensures real-time and accurate reporting.
ClearPoint allows users to create strategy maps and scorecards to visually represent their strategic objectives, initiatives, and performance measures. These tools provide a structured framework for reporting the alignment between actions and strategic goals.
ClearPoint Strategy Standout Features and Integrations
Standout features include alerts and notifications that inform users about critical updates and changes in the strategy reporting process. This ensures that relevant stakeholders are promptly notified about deviations or significant milestones.
Integrations include Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Oracle, PowerPoint, Google Sheets, MySQL, Asana, WordPress, and QuickBooks. You can also get additional integrations through ClearPoint Strategy API and Zapier.
Pricing One-Liner: Custom pricing upon request
Free Trial One-Liner: Free demo available
Pros
- Enables data visualization
- Automates data population
- Great monitoring features
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Pricing details are not transparent
Other Options
Here are a few more software that didn’t make the list:
- Quantive Results - Best for data-driven decision-making and performance analysis
- Hansoft - Best strategic planning software for collaborative planning.
- i-nexus strategy software - Best for aligning goals across the organization
- Allstacks - Best for managing software development projects and tracking progress
- Cube - Best strategic planning software for visualizing and analyzing data
- Smartsheet - Best for creating and managing dynamic project plans
- Jedox - Best for integrated business planning and budgeting
- COMPASS Quality Management System - Best for project portfolio management
Selection Criteria For Strategic Planning Software
Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best strategic planning software for this article:
Core Functionality
Strategic planning software should help the user:
- Develop clear and well-defined goals for their organization
- Help them formulate strategies to achieve those goals
- Foster accountability towards the goals through performance tracking
Key Features
While looking for the best strategic planning software, I looked for the following features:
- Project management: Enables organizations to plan, execute, and manage projects effectively
- Resource management: Helps businesses allocate resources, such as budget and equipment, to achieve strategic goals
- Performance management: Involves monitoring, tracking, and evaluation of performance related to strategic initiatives
Usability
Since you'll regularly log into a strategic planning software to track progress and follow up with team members, the software should have a good user interface. The layout should be clean, and the features should be easy to navigate for better user adoption.
Another important factor I assessed was the level of support provided. The customer support team should provide quick and timely solutions to problems. It should also have a short onboarding period and simple navigation so that teams can get up to speed quickly.
Software Integrations
Software integrations allow data synchronization between different software. Hence, the planning software should provide integrations with various third-party tools to enhance its functionality. These include project management software, CRM, human resource systems, and communication tools.
Pricing
Before investing in any software, you need to be sure that you’ll get the most value out of it. Hence, you can get a freemium plan or use the free trial to give you a better understanding of the ROI.
In terms of pricing, since the software listed in this article is cloud-based, you can expect to pay a per month fee. This fee can range between $20 to $50/user/month.
People Also Ask
Here are the answers to some questions about strategic planning software that we are frequently asked:
What are the benefits of strategic planning software?
Who uses strategic planning software?
How do I choose the right strategic planning software?
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Conclusion
With a focus on features, scalability, integration, customization, and support, I have presented a detailed overview of the top 10 strategic planning tools in this article. Each software has unique strengths and advantages and caters to different organizational needs.
Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, these software options offer the tools and capabilities to improve your strategic planning processes, foster collaboration, and drive business success. By carefully evaluating your requirements and considering the features and benefits of each software, you can make an informed decision.
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