To begin with, a strategic plan exists in the leader’s mind.

A strategic plan should be very simple, therefore you need no tools, nor you need to communicate it to everyone in the firm, for your strategy is the core of your business; why give away your more treasured secret? Keep it for decision-makers.

Employees need to know other things, i.e., what the firm wants to do and obtain: that can be called strategy, but it is not your strategic plan.

The best practice is to operate as I have said; it will not “sit on the shelf” because it will be an important “document”, implemented directly by decision-makers.

As for small businesses, why complicating their life with tons of documents? Decision-makers should know what they want and … put it into practice.