In many Not for Profit, Association and Member-driven organizations, in spite of the enormous effort and best intentions, the strategic plan ends up as a forgotten document on the bookshelf. In our experience at WMC, there are a few critical fact
ors which spell success or failure in strategic planning:
The strategic plan must be genuinely strategic – All too often organizations fail to achieve breakthrough thinking. They may mistake operational priorities for strategic issues or the process may not stimulate them to push beyond what they already know about their environment and business. It is important for the strategic planning process to result in a few key areas of focus that will truly drive the organization forward. Therefore the process needs to encourage participants to think beyond current assumptions and points of view to find those ideas that will energize and unify.
The problem is more often implementation than it is planning – Our common experience is that organizations have more success at planning than at implementing. This may result from developing plans that require resources or capabilities not present in the organization or it may reflect lack of realism about what can reasonably be accomplished within current organization boundaries and limits. Most frequently, the daily pressures of organization life tend to drive us to the urgent rather than the important. Good strategic planning must include good and realistic implementation planning so that the plan becomes the fundamental focus of resources, energy and personal commitment.
Finding the right method – There are several methods of strategic planning. Some are better suited to particular organizations than others. Many not for profit organizations use some mix of:
- Classic strategic planning which is a highly formal, analytical approach including SWAT analysis, external scanning, competitive analysis, definition of mission and the setting of strategic objectives.
- Visioning in which the desired future state of the organization is defined usually through some kind of consultative group process. Typically in visioning the second step would be to define the current reality in relation to the state visualized in the vision. A possible third step would consist of closing the gap through action planning.
- Issues management in which the key strategic issues or success factors are identified and prioritized. An issues management approach would culminate in plans to give priority attention to a few critically important issues; the priorities would be reflected in such areas in planning, resource allocation, performance management and organizational focus.
- Scenario planning is re-emerging as a popular approach to strategic planning although it is complex and can exceed an organization’s strategic planning resources. In scenario planning, the critical driving forces facing the organization — those factors which must be well managed to ensure success — are identified and defined. Based on this analysis, three to four scenarios are selected and described in detail. The scenarios represent the organization’s most likely futures. Once the scenarios have been defined, the organization can develop contingency plans to prepare for the most likely futures they will face.
In our experience, good strategic planning results often come from a creative mix or combination of these forms of planning.
The role of the consultant – This is a misunderstood but important success factor. Skilled facilitation is essential, but the organization also needs to determine to what extent the consultants are expected to contribute ideas from other jurisdictions and their own knowledge. Our experience is that the consultant should be expected to offer suggestions and should also challenge, in a constructive manner, your own thinking. But for best results, the consultant’s main emphasis should be on bringing out your thinking and innovative ideas and helping you succeed at achieving your goals.
The product and process of planning – We have learned that the substance of the strategic plan is important but the process used to create it is also important. This is particularly true of organizations that use volunteers for key leadership and governance roles. These organizations depend on consensus and the engagement of volunteer leaders. Effective consultation is essential if the plan is to have any chance of success. Participants need to feel they are being treated respectfully. But it is more than a matter of consulting with stakeholders; the consultation must be effective and be viewed as genuine. And the consultation should extend to the process as well as the substantive issues. If people participate in decisions about the way planning will be done, there is a much greater chance that the results will make a positive difference to the organization.
Same old, same old - Not for profit organizations commonly approach strategic planning by simply updating a current plan, rather than starting from scratch. This approach is understandable in organizations with limited time and resources, but it is tough to maintain the strategic plan as a vital, living document if it is not perceived to change with the times.
Less can be more – Some not for
profit organizations are making an effort to develop plans that are more concise and compelling. In these cases, additional information such as strategic analysis, research documents and progress reports are available on request, but the plan is very concise. Some advantages of this approach:
- They distil the essence to a readable description of what the organization stands for and the results they are shooting for;
- They minimize the amount of dry, business-speak that boards, staff and others have to review;
- They represent a good test of whether the underlying thinking is buy cialis online clear, relevant and compelling.
