Each devloping country will have its own model but they will all be centred on these four strategic planning models:

The Cascade Model which is simple and easy-to-implement model suitable for organizations of any size and industry, Hoshin Kanri Model which is Ideal for large organizations with multiple layers of management, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): A goal-setting framework focusing on quarterly sets of OKRs and V2MOMmodel. All these focus on;

Ø Vision Statement: Describes the organization's purpose

Ø Company Values: Defines how the organization behaves

Ø Focus Areas/ Methods/ strategies: Key areas to focus efforts

Ø Objectives: Specific outcomes to achieve

Ø Key Performance Indicators: Measures progress toward objectives

Ø Projects: Specific actions to deliver objectives

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are divided into four focus areas:

Ø Financial

Ø Customer

Ø Internal Processes

Ø Learning & Growth

In modern sports management—particularly within developing countries such as those in North Africa—the most effective strategic planning models are those that blend localized realities with globally tested frameworks. A few strategic planning approaches stand out due to their adaptability, practical success, and alignment with long-term performance improvement in sports organizations:

1. SWOT-TOWS Integration Model

This model, which examines Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, is especially effective when applied through a TOWS matrix—a step further that aligns external opportunities/threats with internal strengths/weaknesses. In Morocco, for instance, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) used a version of this model after a disappointing 2010 World Cup qualifier campaign. They conducted a nationwide assessment to identify infrastructural weaknesses and talent development gaps. This resulted in the creation of regional academies like the Mohammed VI Football Academy, which has since produced international-level players.

2. Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for Sports

The Balanced Scorecard—originally a business tool—has been adapted by several federations to align sports development with clear KPIs: performance, grassroots growth, stakeholder engagement, and financial health. Tunisia’s Olympic Committee adapted a simplified version of this model to prepare for multi-sport games, balancing medal targets with athlete development, coaching improvement, and international exposure. What made it work in Tunisia was regular stakeholder reviews and integration with government sports budgets.

3. PESTLE + Scenario Planning

Combining PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) analysis with scenario planning has been increasingly adopted by sports ministries, especially in Algeria and Egypt. In Egypt, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations was a prime example. The LOC (Local Organizing Committee) had to plan around political tensions, economic inflation, and infrastructure delays. By simulating best-case and worst-case scenarios and planning each logistics path accordingly, they managed to execute a world-class tournament with record ticketing and digital engagement.

4. Stakeholder-Driven Planning Framework

In many African contexts, sports development success is tied to managing diverse actors: government, private sponsors, NGOs, local clubs, and international federations. A stakeholder-driven approach—especially one grounded in the Theory of Change—has been used by organizations like Tibu Africa (Morocco), a non-profit leveraging sports for youth development. Their strategic plan focuses on impact measurement and involves community voices at every step, which ensures sustainability and high buy-in from local and regional authorities.

5. Project-Based Strategy (Hybrid Agile Models)

Where resources are limited and political dynamics are unpredictable, traditional long-range plans can fail. Instead, federations are adopting hybrid agile planning models. This is evident in Senegal’s basketball and football federations, where planning is broken into 90-day project sprints—each sprint aimed at a tournament, grassroots camp, or fundraising campaign. Real-time data from each phase informs the next, making the plan adaptive and execution-focused.

Recommended Readings & Sources:

• “Strategic Sports Management in Emerging Economies” – African Sports Development Journal, 2021
• CAF & FIFA Development Program Reports (2020–2023)
• Tibu Africa Annual Reports
• Harvard Business School Case Study on "Football Academies in Africa"
• Interviews with North African Sports Administrators (see Jeune Afrique Sports Dossier)

It is advisable to implement sporting events in the form of strategic initiatives.

Today, the theory has quite strictly defined guiding principles and described rational structures for deploying a strategy through strategic initiatives.

Working on strategic initiatives as idea-to-launch systems refers to practices implementing the Stage-Gate concept.

In public companies, the leading role in launching the implementation of initiatives belongs to the Strategy Committee of the Board of Directors. Initiatives approved by the Strategy Committee of the Board of Directors are considered at strategic sessions of the top executive management, where

curators are assigned, managers are determined, target values ​​are set for key milestones in the implementation of the initiative, and target achievement dates are fixed.

Approved strategic initiatives are implemented in the form of projects that should be defended at a meeting of the Board of Directors.

A special role in the management of strategic initiatives is assigned to the department (office) of strategic management, whose functions include solving the following tasks:

- consulting executive management before holding a strategic session on the formation of a set (portfolio) of strategic initiatives necessary to achieve target indicators;

- coordinating actions with the financial service so that financial plans and budgets include funding and human resources for strategic initiatives;

- establishing short-term objectives and checkpoints that will link long-term goals with current budget indicators;

- collecting information on the implementation of strategic initiatives and testing the hypothesis of the relationship between strategic goals and initiatives;

- preparing a periodic report to management on the status and progress of the initiative;

- participating in problem solving in project teams based on the analysis of the data obtained in cases where the initiative is behind schedule, goes beyond the budget or does not produce the expected results, or in cases where it is necessary to adapt the strategy to newly emerging circumstances.

The Department (office) of strategic management, on an ongoing basis, in terms of departments and persons involved in the implementation of initiatives, monitors such indicators as the number and proportion of rejected initiatives, the number and proportion of unconfirmed prices for planned work of projects that ensure the implementation of strategic initiatives; the number of unstarted, unfinished, postponed, terminated projects/work. The ideas themselves, which form the basis of the initiative, and the methods of their implementation do not necessarily have to be original. The principles of forced (coercive), imitative and normative isomorphism are in effect here.

1. Cooper R. G. Stage-gate systems: a new tool for managing new products //Business horizons. 1990. Т. 33. №. 3. С. 44-54.

2. DiMaggio P.J., Powell W.W. et al. The new institutionalism in organizational analysis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991. 486 p.

3. Ichsan M. et al. Project portfolio management capabilities of strategic initiatives and PMO practices in strategy implementation: A perspective of dynamic capability in banking industries in Indonesia // International Conference on Business and Management Research (ICBMR 2017). Atlantis Press, 2017. С. 657-673.

4. Lechner C., Frankenberger K., Floyd S.W. Task contingencies in the curvilinear relationships between intergroup networks and initiative performance // Academy of Management Journal. 2010. № 53 (4). Pp. 865-889.

5. Lovas B., Ghoshal S. Strategy as Guided Evolution // Strategic Management Journal. 2000. Vol. 21, No. 9. Pp. 875-896.

6. Saunders M., Mann R., Smith R. Implementing strategic initiatives: a framework of leading practices // International Journal of Operations & Production Management. 2008. № 28(11). Pp.1095-1123.

7. Scott W.R. Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prince-Hall International Eds. 1992. 414 p.

8. Shenhar A.J. et al. Project success: a multidimensional strategic concept // Long range planning. 2001. Т. 34. №. 6. Pp. 699-725.

9. Smith E.E. Perceptions Regarding Strategy Implementation Tasks in Selected Industries : A South African Perspective // International Journal of Business and Commerce. 2011. № 1(4). Pp. 22-45.

1. SWOT Analysis: Identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

2. Balanced Scorecard: Links financial and non-financial objectives to achieve a balance.

3. PESTEL Analysis: Analyzes the influencing political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors.

4. Strategic Planning Model for Sports Organizations (SPSO): Focuses on formulating the vision and mission with the participation of stakeholders.

Recommended Publications & Resources

Academic Sources

• "Strategic Management in Sport" by Gerry P. McNamara & Robert D. Pitts – Classic framework on planning and implementation.
• "Sport Governance: International Case Studies" (Routledge) – Includes developing world governance models.
• "Sport Management in the Middle East and North Africa" by Mohammed Ben Sulayem et al. – Directly relevant.
• African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences (AJPHES) – Publishes applied research in African sports contexts.

Case Studies & Reports

• UNESCO / UNDP Sport for Development reports – Offer strategic planning insights from grassroots to elite sport.
• International Olympic Committee reports – On strategic development in emerging markets.
• CAF and FIFA development frameworks – Look into Forward Programme reports and regional development initiatives.