Strategic Planning

For some organizations, strategic planning can be effectively completed with a single one day planning retreat which would include a report on goals and objectives. Other organizations require more extensive data collection (staff and board interviews, analysis of other organizations in the same service field, trends, etc.) and/or more facilitation to develop a lengthier written plan including workplans. Between these ends of the continuum, there are many options that have different benefits and costs associated.

There can be many goals for strategic planning. Some commons goals for strategic planning are:

  1. Securing input from all key constituent groups to build ownership of the final plan and their role in implementing the plan; 
  2. Ensuring a process for thoughtful consideration of significant programmatic and organizational choices and for the organization to make its decisions based upon explicit criteria; 
  3. Developing within board, volunteers and staff a renewed commitment and energy toward the mission and work of the organization and an understanding of their individual roles in achieving its long term vision; 
  4. Developing goals and objectives for each committee/task force and organizational function that are tied to the overall vision for programmatic and organizational development; 
  5. Providing a detailed written document that can be easily monitored and adjusted to ensure successful implementation of the strategic plan.

Board Planning Retreat

In a full day session, I can facilitate a process of reaching agreement on the purpose of the organization, its priorities, scope of services, long term direction and develop a clear sense of the board and staff's role in implementing the plan. Topics covered in a strategic planning retreat generally include: mission statement, vision and direction, landscape analysis, strategic goals and Implementation Issues.

Full Strategic Planning Process and Needs Assessment

Many organizations find that they need a more extensive planning process that includes a comprehensive needs assessment and fuller articulation of goals and objectives than is possible in a one day session. This fuller process will also usually include working with a Strategic Planning Committee composed of board and staff members.

Common consulting activities for strategic planning include:

  1. Review of assessment, situation analysis information, past plans and promotional information of organization. 
  2. Meet with staff and key board members to agree on the steps, process and timeline for the strategic planning process. The remainder of this methodology is a general design; the exact steps would be adjusted based on this meeting with key constituents. 
  3. Develop a communication plan to keep all constituents informed throughout the process. 
  4. Work with a planning team composed of a few board and staff members. 
  5. Facilitate the process of the planning team overseeing the planning process including articulating goals and objectives. 
  6. With planning team, determine if a planning retreat is needed to articulate/refine mission, vision, strategic goals. 
  7. Work with various committees, task forces and/or staff to refine vision and overall direction and to develop goals, objectives and action plans including specific steps, assignments, timelines and success measures. 
  8. Prepare a full strategic plan for presentation to the Board and management. 
  9. Prepare an implementation and monitoring plan.

The needs assessment is the most variable of the costs. A needs assessment can include input through written survey or phone interviews with board and staff as well as referral sources, clients, funding sources and/or community leaders. A needs assessment will also usually include analysis of current and projected relevant demographic and social-economic indicators (e.g. population growth, ethnicity, health concerns). The extent of needs assessments varies dramatically and therefore is the most variable cost of a full strategic planning process.

From the needs assessment findings and working with the Strategic Planning Committee, there will usually be a one day retreat as described above. The purpose of the retreat in this context is to reach agreement on mission, vision and major strategic goals. From the retreat, our consultants work with board and staff committees to develop each strategic goal into objectives and action steps.