Strategic Planning: A Management Contrivance for Effective Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tanzania? A Survey of Selected SMEs in Ilala Municipality

Effective strategic planning and its implementation enhance Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs) performance which in the long run has a significant impact on their survival. Hence, the plans become handy as they influence better decisions, accountability, organization focus, proper resources allocation and utilisation, good returns, market recognition, growth and success of entrepreneurial ventures. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of strategic planning in the performance of SMEs. Specifically it looks at factors which influence SMEs to adopt strategic planning; contributions of the strategic planning in SMEs performance; and examine factors influencing effectiveness of strategic planning. 50 different categories of SMEs in Ilala Municipality were surveyed and data were collected using questionnaires, interviews and focused group discussions. Data were analysed by using descriptive statistics aided by Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 and thematic approach analysis. Findings revealed that organizational complexities, environment dynamics and external constraints are among the factors towards strategic planning adoption. Most of entrepreneurs seem not to be familiar with the process as they could not differentiate it from a business plan. Strategic planning is considered to be effective only if it is well formulated and properly implemented to attain the desired goals regardless of the challenges in the process and this can happen when; resources are adequate, management supports team work and also the plans are flexible. It is regarded as a factor for success through its contribution in better decisions and solutions, satisfaction to the customers, competitive advantage and market recognition which they all facilitate the chances of success and improve performance. It is concluded that there is a positive relationship between effective strategic planning and performance improvement, hence, the study recommends a need for providing training to entrepreneurs concerning proper formulation and implementation of strategic plans; also it is important to improve legal framework and development of internal experts for SMEs to ensure that they adopt and become able to continuously apply effective strategic planning. Key words: Strategic Planning, Performance of SMEs, Ilala and Tanzani