Strategy is not a work that is ‘set in stone’ as soon as it has been formulated. If an organization wishes to retain strategic advantage, it needs to keep abreast of changes to its internal capabilities and its external environment that may necessitate a change to strategy or other corrective action.

An organization needs to keep monitoring emerging events and its environment. For many animal protection organizations, this will mean the need to develop:

• General awareness of the broader strategic options and orientations of the sector.
• Greater awareness of the plans and actions of its competitors and collaborators.
• Greater awareness of the political environment in which it operates.
• Ability to ‘think strategically’ about aspects of its day-to-day responsibility.

Environmental scan - A process for discovering and documenting facts and trends in the external environment that might impact the organization’s future

Environmental scanning should include (but not exclusively):

• Newspaper and news scanning for animal protection issues.
• Trade journals.
• Scientific press.
• Trade conferences and shows.
• Animal protection conferences.
• Web Sites of key competitors.
• Key animal protection meetings.
• Relevant political and governmental conferences and meetings.
• Funders’ conferences and meetings with funders.
• Supporters and donors meetings.