STRATEGIC PLANNING IN THE POST-PANDEMIC SCENARIO

The year 2021 begins with good prospects, despite concerns related to COVID-19. The “new wave” of the pandemic still scares the main regions of the world, with the adoption of Lockdown as the main measure to contain the virus. However, the hope for the efficacy of the vaccines developed makes the projections for the year more encouraging. In the business world, characterized by the natural dynamism of the sector, the year 2021 begins a little differently. Faced with a more challenging and mainly restrictive scenario, managers are developing alternative Strategic Plans, capable of being changed rapidly in the event of new extreme events, such as the one we experienced in 2020. Planning involves making informed decisions in advance. As presented in the article CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: STRATEGIC PLANNING, the Strategic Planning process consists of mapping the company's current scenario and defining short, medium and long-term objectives, using goals and guidelines to enable sustainable business growth and development. In periods of instability, the perception of risks becomes more evident for entrepreneurs and investors. The uncertainty generated by COVID-19 brought a new mechanism in decision-making. Managers began to adopt a more dynamic and flexible stance, adapting to new protocols and updates. This flexibility imposes some questions: Does the Strategic Planning prepared before COVID-19 consider the variables appropriate? Should Strategic Planning, after all, be short, medium or long term? These questions are important in the elaboration of the main goals and objectives Strategic Planning fuels. In the post-COVID-19 scenario, caution in setting goals and observing external factors in the company's daily life become essential for business prosperity and sustainability. Reducing expenses, although it seems like the simplest and most immediate decision, may not be the healthiest for the company's continuity. In order to ensure greater effectiveness of the Strategic Planning to be adopted, it is important to observe:

• Market Analysis: using the SWOT matrix as a tool, it is possible to identify internal and external strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the business, helping to reposition itself in the market where it operates;

• Mission, Vision and Values: treated as the basis of Strategic Planning and the pillars that support the company's orientation to the market and all stakeholders involved in the process major events may alter these parameters. It is important to verify that the company's macro vision is still in line with the culture and values they see at the moment;

• Processes: operational processes must undergo a reassessment in search of bottlenecks that may be hindering the generation of business value, in addition to adapting to the new way of carrying out certain activities;

• Costs: it is important to know how to identify those that really add value to the production process. The manager must seek a balance between quality and competitiveness, considering that a severe reduction in costs can negatively impact the quality of deliveries to customers;

• Adaptation and reinvention: the pandemic made evident the need for entrepreneurs and businesses to adapt. The digitalization of work processes in Home office they are great examples of adaptations that companies have started to adopt. However, with the advent of these adoptions, information alignment must be increasingly assertive and timely.

The involvement of people is essential. The more employees can be involved in the preparation of the Strategic Plan, the more engaged the team will be and the more effective the post-pandemic recovery will take place. Measures such as those mentioned above can prevent radical decision-making that, although initially sounding positive, end up harming the business. Despite the negative impacts generated by COVID-19, some learning was important to entrepreneurs. This pandemic created opportunities such as the reassessment of certain processes, costs, routines, and others. Managers must now assess the impact of the pandemic on their businesses, understand how their clients behaved during the pandemic, identify bottlenecks in the processes and prepare a Strategic Plan that is focused on long-term success, yet flexible for changes that may be necessary in the short and medium term. Good Strategic Planning is carried out with caution and attention to detail and can guarantee the continuity of a business.ARTICLE WRITTEN BY BRUNO GROTH — ASSOCIATE FROM FC PARTNERSGo to our site: http://www.fcpartners.com.br