STRATEGIC PLANNING
Many startups and non-profits make the mistake of attempting to do strategic planning internally, but a true strategic plan requires confidential data collection and an external evaluation. Typically, strategic plans vision specifically measurable goals for the next 3-5 years.
Strategic Planning is a facilitated strategy development process that addresses complex environments and issues with a clear, visualized strategy. It is significantly deeper and broader than a Strategic Visioning retreat. This service is perfect for a company or business that needs a robust strategy development process that involves key members of the organization. It can fit well with existing plans, performance measurement systems, and business processes.
Your organization will get clear maps of your vision, strategy, performance metrics, and implementation plans. You will:
Strategic Planning works well for developing an overall strategy for a company or business unit. It can also work well to develop strategy that addresses a particular area, such as an internet strategy, a new business development strategy, or a technology strategy.
Strategy Mapping allows a group to effectively work with the full hierarchy of planning activities and decisions that businesses use to reach their objectives. It integrates the four disciplines of Strategy, Visioning, Graphics, and Group Process to create a powerful group experience.
Dr. Jones and Associates bring extensive experience in strategic planning in both public and private sector organizations. Our process is a flexible one that we tailor to the specific needs and situation of our clients. In general, however, our strategic planning focuses on helping clients clarify their purpose as an organization; to better understanding the environment in which the organization operates, particularly of the forces that affect or impede the fulfillment of their purpose; and to apply their creativity in developing effective responses to those impeding forces.
An overview of the strategic planning approach of Dr. Jones and Associates is depicted in the figure above. Our process includes five general phases, or tasks, that build upon one another. Unlike a visual depiction, however, strategic planning is a process that progresses as various elements are developed and often with considerable overlap between one phase and another.
TASK 1 GETTING STARTED:
It is in the first phase that we lay the foundation of successful planning. Here, we meet with the client and clarify their purpose in planning, explore foreseeable obstacles, and gain an initial understanding of the client’s environment. This task will guide the overall design of the planning process, considering the degree of control the organization has over its own future and the relationships between internal and external stakeholders.
In the public sector, much of the planning activities are sometimes performed by special committees comprised of employees and managers from different levels, geographical areas, and functional units across the organization. These cross-functional groups often serve as liaisons between their respective units and the core group of planners, and they can serve as “sounding boards” for ideas on which planners want more input and information.
For organizations that have limited experience with comprehensive planning, an important element in the getting started phase is a “readiness assessment” to identify risks and challenges for the organization during the planning process. This can be a relatively informal assessment of the organization’s experience with previous change initiatives, clarity of direction and leadership, employee morale, and so on. On occasion, we have encouraged organizations that showed limited capacity for strategic planning to undertake only more modest initiatives for change.
TASK 2 IDENTIFICATION OF ISSUES:
Beginning in the second phase is an in-depth analysis of the organization’s purpose that will culminate in a mission statement at some point in the planning process. The mission statement describes why the organization exists – its basic purpose. The statement also describes what the organization fulfills in client needs with what services. In the public and nonprofit sectors, it is usually important during this task to consider the types of communities served, to analyze the roles of diverse stakeholders, and to understand any mandates that might affect the mission, such as legal charters or regulatory constraints.
This is also the phase where top managers and planners begin to articulate a long-range vision for the organization. This is a description of where the leadership wants the organization to go or to become in future, usually over a period of several years. A frequent challenge with vision statements is to make them realistic, understandable, and as detailed as possible so that all people and stakeholders and have a common agreement and frame of reference for planning decisions.
TASK 3 REALITY TESTING:
Work on the third task sometimes begins while progress is still be made on Tasks 1 and 2. This phase includes a series of data gathering and analysis in the internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the organization. An important requirement for successful planning is for the client to understand what the organization is capable of achieving given its internal and external challenges.
SWOT analyses usually entail the collection of considerable data, both internally and externally. Internal data collection might include employee surveys and interviews, reviews of key business indicators, and any data used for regular reporting to higher levels of management such as regulatory reports. External data will usually include political, economic, market and environmental trends that have potential implications for the success and direction of the organization. In the private sector, an important part of the external analysis would focus on customers and market competitors.
TASK 4 STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT:
The planning process begins to look more carefully toward the future with this task – the analysis and selection of goals the organization must reach to accomplish its mission. For ambitious organizations, this process might include narrowing down a long “wish list” of potential goals into a smaller set of the most important and achievable ones. The development of a clear vision statement (started during Task 2) can be very important at this step to engage stakeholders, and to gain their commitment and support.
This phase also includes the development of specific action plans to implement each strategy and achieve each goal. Action plans are the specific activities that each major organizational unit must undertake to ensure it is effectively implementing each strategy. The specific objectives of each action plan should be clearly worded so that people can assess when, and the degree to which, each of the objectives have been met. To be effective, action plans will usually identify the roles and responsibilities of the parties assigned, commit sufficient resources (e.g., employees, time, and money), establish timeframes for major milestones, and describe how progress will be monitored and communicated.
TASK 5 DEPLOYMENT:
The final task is “where the rubber meets the road” and all of the preceding work is put to the test. Deployment of the plan requires communicating and “selling” it to all of the major stakeholders, including employees, supervisors and managers. This is one reason that the analysis and engagement of stakeholders during Task 2 is often vitally important. Those parties upon whom the success of the plan ultimately depends are the ones who need to be involved in the planning process from the beginning. The payoff for their involvement comes during this phase when commitment and support for the plan are essential.
The process of communicating the plan so that all employees and stakeholders understand and accept it requires frequent repetition and reinforcement. The “owner” of the plan (usually a CEO or executive director) needs to explain and market the plan on every occasion to any person or group whose support is important. A common mistake in the deployment process is to underestimate the time it takes for people to understand and recognize how a new plan affects their jobs and what they are supposed to do to support the new plan.
This phase also includes establishing formal procedures for disseminating the plan throughout the organization, monitoring progress in achieving the plan, and for reviewing and updating the plan at regular intervals (e.g., annually or semi-annually). A successive process, sometimes referred to as “cascading”, can be used for plan deployment in a large organization. Major portions of the plan are first assigned to large organizational units (e.g., departments, regions, or divisions). Successively smaller portions of the plan then are assigned within each of those large units to sections or offices, following the hierarchy of the organization’s normal chain-of-command. Management by objectives is a well-known framework that provides for orderly sequential deployment and tracking of a single plan to numerous individual units within a large organization. A process for the review and approval of operational plans by at least one level of higher management is usually effective in ensuring adequate linkages and management support for operational planning.
Strategic Planning is a facilitated strategy development process that addresses complex environments and issues with a clear, visualized strategy. It is significantly deeper and broader than a Strategic Visioning retreat. This service is perfect for a company or business that needs a robust strategy development process that involves key members of the organization. It can fit well with existing plans, performance measurement systems, and business processes.
Your organization will get clear maps of your vision, strategy, performance metrics, and implementation plans. You will:
- Bring all the best available information and analysis to the table to make the smartest choices;
- Benefit from the strong buy-in that results from the whole company participating in a collaborative strategic planning process;
- Harvest the best strategic ideas from people throughout the organization;
- See all their strategic choices mapped out logically, encouraging new ideas and combinations;
- Consider multiple strategies to determine which optimizes value for the business and its stakeholders;
- Build a complete strategy visually, then tie it directly to initiatives, performance metrics, & implementation plans to support making it a reality; and
- Have fun doing strategy!
Strategic Planning works well for developing an overall strategy for a company or business unit. It can also work well to develop strategy that addresses a particular area, such as an internet strategy, a new business development strategy, or a technology strategy.
Strategy Mapping allows a group to effectively work with the full hierarchy of planning activities and decisions that businesses use to reach their objectives. It integrates the four disciplines of Strategy, Visioning, Graphics, and Group Process to create a powerful group experience.
Dr. Jones and Associates bring extensive experience in strategic planning in both public and private sector organizations. Our process is a flexible one that we tailor to the specific needs and situation of our clients. In general, however, our strategic planning focuses on helping clients clarify their purpose as an organization; to better understanding the environment in which the organization operates, particularly of the forces that affect or impede the fulfillment of their purpose; and to apply their creativity in developing effective responses to those impeding forces.
An overview of the strategic planning approach of Dr. Jones and Associates is depicted in the figure above. Our process includes five general phases, or tasks, that build upon one another. Unlike a visual depiction, however, strategic planning is a process that progresses as various elements are developed and often with considerable overlap between one phase and another.
TASK 1 GETTING STARTED:
It is in the first phase that we lay the foundation of successful planning. Here, we meet with the client and clarify their purpose in planning, explore foreseeable obstacles, and gain an initial understanding of the client’s environment. This task will guide the overall design of the planning process, considering the degree of control the organization has over its own future and the relationships between internal and external stakeholders.
In the public sector, much of the planning activities are sometimes performed by special committees comprised of employees and managers from different levels, geographical areas, and functional units across the organization. These cross-functional groups often serve as liaisons between their respective units and the core group of planners, and they can serve as “sounding boards” for ideas on which planners want more input and information.
For organizations that have limited experience with comprehensive planning, an important element in the getting started phase is a “readiness assessment” to identify risks and challenges for the organization during the planning process. This can be a relatively informal assessment of the organization’s experience with previous change initiatives, clarity of direction and leadership, employee morale, and so on. On occasion, we have encouraged organizations that showed limited capacity for strategic planning to undertake only more modest initiatives for change.
TASK 2 IDENTIFICATION OF ISSUES:
Beginning in the second phase is an in-depth analysis of the organization’s purpose that will culminate in a mission statement at some point in the planning process. The mission statement describes why the organization exists – its basic purpose. The statement also describes what the organization fulfills in client needs with what services. In the public and nonprofit sectors, it is usually important during this task to consider the types of communities served, to analyze the roles of diverse stakeholders, and to understand any mandates that might affect the mission, such as legal charters or regulatory constraints.
This is also the phase where top managers and planners begin to articulate a long-range vision for the organization. This is a description of where the leadership wants the organization to go or to become in future, usually over a period of several years. A frequent challenge with vision statements is to make them realistic, understandable, and as detailed as possible so that all people and stakeholders and have a common agreement and frame of reference for planning decisions.
TASK 3 REALITY TESTING:
Work on the third task sometimes begins while progress is still be made on Tasks 1 and 2. This phase includes a series of data gathering and analysis in the internal strengths and weaknesses and the external opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the organization. An important requirement for successful planning is for the client to understand what the organization is capable of achieving given its internal and external challenges.
SWOT analyses usually entail the collection of considerable data, both internally and externally. Internal data collection might include employee surveys and interviews, reviews of key business indicators, and any data used for regular reporting to higher levels of management such as regulatory reports. External data will usually include political, economic, market and environmental trends that have potential implications for the success and direction of the organization. In the private sector, an important part of the external analysis would focus on customers and market competitors.
TASK 4 STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT:
The planning process begins to look more carefully toward the future with this task – the analysis and selection of goals the organization must reach to accomplish its mission. For ambitious organizations, this process might include narrowing down a long “wish list” of potential goals into a smaller set of the most important and achievable ones. The development of a clear vision statement (started during Task 2) can be very important at this step to engage stakeholders, and to gain their commitment and support.
This phase also includes the development of specific action plans to implement each strategy and achieve each goal. Action plans are the specific activities that each major organizational unit must undertake to ensure it is effectively implementing each strategy. The specific objectives of each action plan should be clearly worded so that people can assess when, and the degree to which, each of the objectives have been met. To be effective, action plans will usually identify the roles and responsibilities of the parties assigned, commit sufficient resources (e.g., employees, time, and money), establish timeframes for major milestones, and describe how progress will be monitored and communicated.
TASK 5 DEPLOYMENT:
The final task is “where the rubber meets the road” and all of the preceding work is put to the test. Deployment of the plan requires communicating and “selling” it to all of the major stakeholders, including employees, supervisors and managers. This is one reason that the analysis and engagement of stakeholders during Task 2 is often vitally important. Those parties upon whom the success of the plan ultimately depends are the ones who need to be involved in the planning process from the beginning. The payoff for their involvement comes during this phase when commitment and support for the plan are essential.
The process of communicating the plan so that all employees and stakeholders understand and accept it requires frequent repetition and reinforcement. The “owner” of the plan (usually a CEO or executive director) needs to explain and market the plan on every occasion to any person or group whose support is important. A common mistake in the deployment process is to underestimate the time it takes for people to understand and recognize how a new plan affects their jobs and what they are supposed to do to support the new plan.
This phase also includes establishing formal procedures for disseminating the plan throughout the organization, monitoring progress in achieving the plan, and for reviewing and updating the plan at regular intervals (e.g., annually or semi-annually). A successive process, sometimes referred to as “cascading”, can be used for plan deployment in a large organization. Major portions of the plan are first assigned to large organizational units (e.g., departments, regions, or divisions). Successively smaller portions of the plan then are assigned within each of those large units to sections or offices, following the hierarchy of the organization’s normal chain-of-command. Management by objectives is a well-known framework that provides for orderly sequential deployment and tracking of a single plan to numerous individual units within a large organization. A process for the review and approval of operational plans by at least one level of higher management is usually effective in ensuring adequate linkages and management support for operational planning.