Strategic Planning

The question most executives ask is not if they should do strategic planning but how should I do it?  They already understand how critical it is to forge a vision and strategy that aligns and focuses organization resources.

We support the executive team (and an expanded team that includes key stakeholders, if desired) through a five step process over a two month period of time.  This process is customized to the needs of our client.

1. Create a compelling picture of the preferred future (3-5 years) that describes the organization's strategic intent and is articulated as "visionary goals".  These aspirations clarify the boundaries of where the company wants to focus in the future.  It is often helpful to develop this collaboratively with key stakeholders.

2. Create a shared picture (data and intuitive driven) of market and industry dynamics (trends, opportunities, threats), customer needs and expectations (current and future), the strengths and weaknesses of the company, underlying assumptions, and core values.

3. Strategic options are identified through analysis of the organizations’ current and future opportunities. The top possibilities are fleshed out by developing a business case for each, reviewing the benefits and risks against the probable future scenario (a forecast of likely key variables that will impact the strategy).

4. This potential direction is then shared with key members of the organization for feedback.

5. Choosing and refining a strategic direction, developing a communication plan and developing implementation goals and actions, with performance measures for tracking and learning is the final step.

While the process produces a plan, the more important outcome is the learning journey that the executive team experiences in creating their shared picture of the current situation and desired future direction.  This understanding becomes the context for continually reviewing and adapting the plan since it will be critical to not assume the plan is a "blueprint" to the future but a living document of intent and a theory about how to achieve it.  In some ways it is an "experiment" that requires constant monitoring and evaluation and adaptation to keep it sharp and relevant in today's dynamic environment.