The incorporation of the subject of Strategic Planning as an elective in the management orientation The objective of the 4th year of Industrial Engineering is To provide students with knowledge about strategic planning theory and functional strategies (Marketing, Sales, Pricing, Support, Operations and Finance).  

In an interview with Marcelo Cancelliere, professor of the new subject, we talked about the importance of incorporating this subject into the curriculum of industrial engineers.  

Why is it important to add this new subject to the curriculum?

The subject gives students a a new perspective from which to understand the company from a systemic point of view. Furthermore, it presents concepts that allow for the development of corporate and functional strategies to achieve the stated objectives. 

It is essential that engineering students have corporate strategy tools because they understand the basic concept of working on a strategic plan today to achieve the desired result tomorrow. 

What key aspects of corporate strategy do you consider most important for introducing students to this subject?

Understanding the concepts and elements inherent to a strategy that are Objectives, Actions, Resources and Time HorizonThis isn't the only important point, and there's much more, but it's a good summary. On the other hand, it's interesting to highlight the difference between cnatural and strategic competence. Strategic competition is revolutionary and requires determination and the availability of resources., whereas natural competition is evolutionary and is more of a game of action and reaction between competitors. 

What role does organizational change play in the development and implementation of corporate strategies?

Someone once said, “You can’t expect different results by always doing the same thing.” The same is true for organizations. Change must be a constantIt's like subjecting the body to physical training so that it's always in shape. 

How to measure the impact of a strategic plan?

A key aspect of the execution of any strategic plan is to measure in order to determine improvements or aspects that need to be corrected in order to progress. The concept of Balanced Scorecard and KPIs is fundamental to achieving this goal. 

What impact do the constant changes brought about by technological advancement have?

Technological advances are fundamental and must be monitored, understood, and justified in order to incorporate them into the strategic plan or identify them as external threats and act accordingly. To understand how strategic planning works in the real world,During the course of the subject Students analyze company case studies , the Apple, Starbucks, Amazon, and Tesla. This learning methodology allows them to connect the theoretical concepts developed in class with the real world of business. 

For its part, Juan Cruz Fernández, race director, he maintained that “eWithin the framework of a competency-based training process, the objective is to foster students' openness to facing complex challenges, managing change with a human touch, and making sustainable systemic decisions.” Furthermore, he emphasized that this subject It fosters critical thinking and the ability to adapt to dynamic changes. through the use of agile methodologies and practical applications of real cases. 

This new subject allows us to better prepare engineers to face the constant challenges of an increasingly dynamic and changing world.