Overview of variations on the SOFT approach (1965–1980)
| Author(s) | Model or tool | Framework | Relationship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Stewart (1963) | System of plans | Robert Franklin Stewart was recruited by the Stanford Research Institute from Lockheed Aircraft Corporation where he had pioneered Long-range planning at its development planning department (1953–1961). The SRI System of Plans authored by Stewart, was announced to the world in Business Week to show the world how to organize long-range planning (BusinessWeek, 1963) | |
| 02 | Stewart et al. (1965) | SOFT approach | System of plans | Stewart was program manager of TAPP-LRPS at SRI (1962–1971) charged to research planning theory and best practices to create a method-logy on “how to plan” for LRPS client companies |
| 03 | Ansoff and Stewart (1967) | Gap analysis (objectives, threats and opportunities, performance projections and strengths and weaknesses are all brought together in an evaluation of the prospects for the firm) | System of plans | SRI hired H. Igor Ansoff as an academic advisor to write the LRPS report 329 “The Evolution of Corporate Planning”. H. Igor Ansoff, George A. Steiner and Robert F. Stewart had first met at Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in 1956, building Lockheed’s Long Range Planning organization at the Corporate Development Planning Department (Steiner, 1963) |
| 04 | Hussey (1968) | Corporate appraisal | System of plans | David E. Hussey worked as corporate planning officer at Elders and Fyffes Ltd., a subscriber to the long-range planning service |
| 05 | Kami (1969) | Gap analysis | System of plans | Michael Kami was corporate planning officer at IBM, a subscriber to the Long Range Planning Service |
| 06 | Hargreaves (1969) | Corporate planning cycle | Unknown | Hargreaves was director of P.A. Management Consultants Ltd. No apparent SRI connection |
| 07 | Humble (1967) | Critical analysis | Unknown | John Humble was a director at Urwick, Orr and Partners Ltd. Urwick and Orr consultants were likely participants in LRPS/TAPP seminars and roundtables in London, 1966 and Zurich, 1967 (Royce et al., 2001; Smith, 1966) |
| 08 | McConnell (1970, 1971a, 1971b) | Determination of a family (or hierarchy) of objectives | Organized entrepreneurship (a redub of System of Plans) | Douglas McConnell worked at SRI for LRPS/TAPP as senior marketing economist |
| 09 | Ringbakk (1970) | External opportunities and threats, internal corporate strengths and weaknesses | PIPOS framework | Kjell-Arne ringbakk worked as assistant Professor at the San Diego State College and conducted industry research for SRI |
| 10 | Stait (1972) | Strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats | IMP approach | Nicolas H. Stait was a senior partner at Urwick, Orr and Partners |
| 11 | Steiner (1972) | Opportunity-threat-risk analysis | The strategic planning process | See explanation at nr. 03 |
| 12 | Humphrey (1973) | Strengths, faults, threats and opportunities (SOFT) | Participative planning or Team action planning (TAP), inspired on the system of plans | Albert S. Humphrey was president of Business Planning and Development in London and a former core member of the LRPS/TAPP research group at SRI |
| 13 | Argenti (1974) | The cruciform chart: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (see Figure 2) | Argenti system | John Argenti is a British author and used to work as an independent management consultant. He wrote articles and books and reviewed new books on corporate planning for Long Range Planning journal (1969–1997). He had access to authors, articles, reports and SRI materials |
| 14 | Humphrey (1974) | Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats inherent in the operation | Participative planning | Idem as nr. 12 |
| 15 | Mottershaw (1974) | SWOT analysis | IMP approach | Ian Mottershaw worked as a consultant for Urwick Orr and Partners |
| 16 | Ansoff (1975) | Threat/opportunity analysis | Strategic issue management system (SIMS) | H. Igor Ansoff was an academic advisor for the board of SRI |
| 17 | Ansoff (1975) | Opportunity-vulnerability profile | Idem | Idem as nr. 16. |
| 18 | O’Conner (1976) | SWOPT | Unclear | The management research division of the Conference Board commissioned a research report for long-range planning, especially how to develop division plans |
| 19 | Currill (1977) | Gap analysis | Unclear | It appears to be an adaptation of SRIs organized entrepreneurship |
| 20 | King and Cleland (1977) | Strategic database (SDB) | Unclear | There are references to Peter Drucker and Russel Ackoff, which might indicate indirect SRI connections |
| 21 | Steiner and Miner (1977) | WOTS-UP analysis | Situational audit, as part of strategic planning, influenced by LRPS/TAPP seminar materials for the Quinta Corporation case study | See explanation at nr. 03 |
| 22 | Hurd and Riggs Monfort (1979) | Vulnerability analysis | System of plans | Douglas Hurd worked as a researcher at SRI International. Riggs Monfort III worked as a consultant at SRI International |
| Legend | ||||
| 02 | Satisfactory and faults in the existing operations and opportunity and threats in the future operations, resulting in an Impact analysis | |||
| 03 | Objectives, threats and opportunities, performance projections and strengths and weaknesses are brought together in an evaluation of the prospects of the firm | |||
| 05 | In 5 steps: where are we now?, where are we going?, where are we really going?, where do we want to go? and how big is the gap?) | |||
| 19 | The planning gap approach in six steps | |||
| Author(s) | Model or tool | Framework | Relationship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | System of plans | Robert Franklin Stewart was recruited by the Stanford Research Institute from Lockheed Aircraft Corporation where he had pioneered Long-range planning at its development planning department (1953–1961). The SRI System of Plans authored by Stewart, was announced to the world in Business Week to show the world how to organize long-range planning ( | ||
| 02 | SOFT approach | System of plans | Stewart was program manager of TAPP-LRPS at SRI (1962–1971) charged to research planning theory and best practices to create a method-logy on “how to plan” for LRPS client companies | |
| 03 | Gap analysis (objectives, threats and opportunities, performance projections and strengths and weaknesses are all brought together in an evaluation of the prospects for the firm) | System of plans | SRI hired H. Igor Ansoff as an academic advisor to write the LRPS report 329 “The Evolution of Corporate Planning”. | |
| 04 | Corporate appraisal | System of plans | David E. Hussey worked as corporate planning officer at Elders and Fyffes Ltd., a subscriber to the long-range planning service | |
| 05 | Gap analysis | System of plans | Michael Kami was corporate planning officer at IBM, a subscriber to the Long Range Planning Service | |
| 06 | Corporate planning cycle | Unknown | Hargreaves was director of P.A. Management Consultants Ltd. | |
| 07 | Critical analysis | Unknown | John Humble was a director at Urwick, Orr and Partners Ltd. Urwick and Orr consultants were likely participants in LRPS/TAPP seminars and roundtables in London, 1966 and Zurich, 1967 ( | |
| 08 | Determination of a family (or hierarchy) of objectives | Organized entrepreneurship (a redub of System of Plans) | Douglas McConnell worked at SRI for LRPS/TAPP as senior marketing economist | |
| 09 | External opportunities and threats, internal corporate strengths and weaknesses | PIPOS framework | Kjell-Arne ringbakk worked as assistant Professor at the San Diego State College and conducted industry research for SRI | |
| 10 | Strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats | IMP approach | Nicolas H. Stait was a senior partner at Urwick, Orr and Partners | |
| 11 | Opportunity-threat-risk analysis | The strategic planning process | See explanation at nr. 03 | |
| 12 | Strengths, faults, threats and opportunities (SOFT) | Participative planning or Team action planning (TAP), inspired on the system of plans | Albert S. Humphrey was president of Business Planning and Development in London and a former core member of the LRPS/TAPP research group at SRI | |
| 13 | The cruciform chart: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (see | Argenti system | John Argenti is a British author and used to work as an independent management consultant. He wrote articles and books and reviewed new books on corporate planning for Long Range Planning journal (1969–1997). He had access to authors, articles, reports and SRI materials | |
| 14 | Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats inherent in the operation | Participative planning | Idem as nr. 12 | |
| 15 | SWOT analysis | IMP approach | Ian Mottershaw worked as a consultant for Urwick Orr and Partners | |
| 16 | Threat/opportunity analysis | Strategic issue management system (SIMS) | H. Igor Ansoff was an academic advisor for the board of SRI | |
| 17 | Opportunity-vulnerability profile | Idem | Idem as nr. 16. | |
| 18 | SWOPT | Unclear | The management research division of the Conference Board commissioned a research report for long-range planning, especially how to develop division plans | |
| 19 | Gap analysis | Unclear | It appears to be an adaptation of SRIs organized entrepreneurship | |
| 20 | Strategic database (SDB) | Unclear | There are references to Peter Drucker and Russel Ackoff, which might indicate indirect SRI connections | |
| 21 | WOTS-UP analysis | Situational audit, as part of strategic planning, influenced by LRPS/TAPP seminar materials for the Quinta Corporation case study | See explanation at nr. 03 | |
| 22 | Vulnerability analysis | System of plans | Douglas Hurd worked as a researcher at SRI International. Riggs Monfort III worked as a consultant at SRI International | |
| 02 | Satisfactory and faults in the existing operations and opportunity and threats in the future operations, resulting in an Impact analysis | |||
| 03 | Objectives, threats and opportunities, performance projections and strengths and weaknesses are brought together in an evaluation of the prospects of the firm | |||
| 05 | In 5 steps: where are we now?, where are we going?, where are we really going?, where do we want to go? and how big is the gap?) | |||
| 19 | The planning gap approach in six steps | |||
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