Strategic Planning

My proven five-step approach to strategic planning cultivates cohesive commitment within your organization while providing tools for implementation and successful integration of your goals into your organization’s operating culture.  The multi-phase process is specifically designed to build organizational capacity, achieve success, and provide direction and action. 

Step 1.  Get Organized

 Proper preparation is essential to developing a good plan, building commitment, and your organization’s time well. The outcomes of this critical step include:

1. Expected outcome of strategic planning process. This will serve as the “north star” for the planning process
2. Roles/responsibilities of Steering Committee members will be determined
3. The strategic planning model will be clarified and customized per your needs
4. Identification of stakeholders to include in the planning process
5. Pre-planning materials will be discussed and prepared for distribution to the full committee
6. Logistics of planning retreat will be determined
7. Assessment of core statements (Mission, Vision, Values)

Step 2.  Organizational Assessment

 A summary of your organization’s current status including key issues that need to be addressed using a combination of existing stakeholder input, organization assessment, and analysis of external forces.  The extent of the information gathering for this phase will be determined by the Steering Committee i.e. whether or not to include external surveys and interviews, environmental scanning data collection, etc.  R. Char Consulting will work closely with staff to gather and validate information.  A resulting written summary will provide the basis for discussion in the next step of the planning process.

Step 3.  Goal Development

 The Strategic Planning Committee and key staff will convene for a retreat (1-2 days) to determine the desired future your organization and develop a blueprint for your success.  Included in the plan will be:

1. Vision of Success statements: future-oriented statements that express the organization’s desired direction and accomplishments.
2. Strategies: prioritized organizational goals that are aligned to achieve the Vision Statements.
3. Action Steps: a set of broad action steps specifically developed to each of the strategies that become the basis of your organization’s annual work plans developed by staff.

Full documentation of workshop results and the strategic plan developed during the retreat will be prepared for presentation to your Board of Directors.

Step 4.  Plan Presentation

The strategic plan document will be presented to the Board of Directors for their review, refinement and approval.  Of specific concern will be the Board’s feedback on:

• suggestions for improvement in the plan
• assessment of any risks imposed by the plan
• commitment to the plan’s implementation and success

The final version of the Strategic Plan, incorporating any revisions recommended by the Board, will then be submitted to the Board for its approval.

Step 5.  Plan Implementation

Your staff, having a thorough understanding of the development and execution of the strategic goals, may elect to conduct a half-day workshop with the action plan team to review the Vision Statements and preliminary strategies developed in the Strategic Plan and to help them identify team and individual goals and action steps that correspond with the statements and strategies.