Most organizations have written a strategic plan at some point. Fewer can say it actually shaped decisions after the planning retreat ended.
It wasn't specific enough to act on
"Improve communications" isn't a plan — it's a wish. A usable plan names the specific initiative, who owns it, and what "done" looks like.
Nobody owned implementation
A plan without a named owner for each initiative quietly becomes everyone's responsibility, which means it becomes no one's responsibility.
It was never revisited
An annual planning session that isn't followed by a regular check-in cadence tends to fade from relevance within a quarter.
A plan built to be revisited — quarterly, at minimum — is far more likely to actually change how your organization operates.