2026 Pub. 6 Issue 1

Strategic planning can mean different things from one bank to another, and its complexity often varies based on size and goals. Some banks lean more toward short-term operational planning and may not look out five years. Others incorporate operational planning as part of a broader strategic process. In any case, planning is essential to understanding where the bank is today, where leadership and shareholders envision the bank in five years, how those goals are communicated across departments, and how the organization will get there.