STRATEGIC PLANNINGSTRATEGIC PLANNINGProfessional Development Workshop

Gathering Wisdom IIIl h iHealth Directors Day

November 5, 2009

Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives

• Provide an overview of the strategic planningProvide an overview of the strategic planning process;

• Examine exercises and techniques that have• Examine exercises and techniques that have produced good results in different stages of the strategic planning process; andthe strategic planning process; and

• Discuss participant experiences with the i l istrategic planning process.

Definition of Strategic PlanningDefinition of Strategic Planning• Strategic Planning is making choices. It is a 

t t l d i b i i t ti lprocess to support leaders in being intentional about their goals and methods. Simply stated strategic planning is a management tool…usedstrategic planning is a management tool…used for one purpose only ‐ to help an organization do a better job.

• Strategic planning can help an organization focus its vision and priorities in response to a h i i t d th tchanging environment and ensure that members of the organization are working toward the same goalstoward the same goals.

Definition of Strategic PlanningDefinition of Strategic Planning

• A systematic process through which anA systematic process through which an organization agrees on ‐ and builds commitment among key stakeholders to ‐commitment among key stakeholders to priorities that are essential to it mission and responsive to the environment Strategicresponsive to the environment. Strategic planning guides the acquisition and allocation of resources to achieve these prioritiesof resources to achieve these priorities.

Being StrategicBeing Strategic • Making conscious choices as to how you are 

i li i dgoing to use your limited resources to achieve your purpose in response to a dynamic and changing environment:

–Focus your energies on overall priorities y g p

–What you will do

Wh t ill t d–What will not do

Strategy• Broad, future oriented directions that require many actions to implement and create multiple impacts. S i ( i hi i l ) h l h d• Strategies (within a strategic plan) help the reader understand where the organization will be primarily focusing its resources for the time frame of the 

lstrategic plan.“ Strategy is not a response to short term fluctuations in operations or environment...Strategy deals with the p gypredetermined direction toward which these quick responses are pointed. It is concerned with the longer term course that the ship is steering, not with the p g,waves.” (Strategy in Action – the executive, politics and payoff of business planning, 1984)

What Strategic Planning is Not• Does not predict the future

– Over time an organization must monitor changes in the environment and assess whether its assumptions remain essentially valid

• Not a substitute for judgment of leadership• Not a substitute for judgment of leadership– The data analysis and decision making tools of strategic planning only support the intuition, g p g y pp ,reasoning sills and judgment of the people involved

• Rarely a smooth, predictable, linear process– It is a creative process that requires flexibility as you work through its various phases

7 Step Strategic Planning Process

1) Getting ready

2) Developing/reviewing Vision and2) Developing/reviewing Vision and Mission 

3) Assessing the environment 

4) Agreeing on priorities ) g g p

5) Writing the Strategic plan 

6) I l ti th St t i Pl6) Implementing the Strategic Plan 

7) Monitor and evaluate the plan

Another way to conceptualize the process

1) Getting Readyf h d bl h• Determining if the organization is ready or able to commit the 

time and resources to looking at the ‘big picture’. • If it is ready, the organization needs to:

– determine the specific choices that should be addressed (5‐7 issues) in the strategic plan;

– determine who will do what in the planning process;– create a group/committee to guide the planning;– develop a written organizational profile; and – identify any additional information that would help the 

i i k d d i i h id ifi dorganization make sound decisions on the identified choices/issues.

• Depending on the intensity of the strategic planning process, and the technique(s) used much of the work is oftenand the technique(s) used, much of the work is often addressed during a ‘strategic planning retreat.’ However it is important to recognize that significant thought and analysis could/should be undertaken prior to such a retreatcould/should be undertaken prior to such a retreat.

HISTORY OF YOUR COMPANY KEY

GOALS/RESULTS

In the Beginning... Big Moments

Big MomentsRESULTS

PROJECTS/

• Key moments in your history • Key moments in

your history

Goalg g Big Moments

PROJECTS/STRATEGIES

KEY EVENTS • Key moments in

• Key moments in your history • Key moments in

your historyStrategy 1

Strategy 2

PEOPLE

• Key moments in your history

• Key moments in your history

Event 1 Event 2 Event 3

PRODUCTS/SERVICES/SITES

Name

Site

• Key moments in your history

• Key moments in your history

• Key moments in your history

• Key moments in your history

• Key moments in your history

• Key moments in your history

SITES Site y y

Dateline1960 20001970 1980 1990

2) Developing Vision/Mission2) Developing Vision/Mission

• Vision s o– Presents an image in words of what success will look like if the organization achieved its purpose.

– A mental model that people and organizations can bring into being through their commitment and actions

– A description of the organization operating at its most effective and efficient level (means)

– A statement that describes how the world would be improved, changed, or different if an organization is successful in achieving its purpose (ends)g p p ( )

1) Getting ReadyYOUR COMPANY’S COVER STORY VISION

BRAINSTORMS QUOTES) g y• Determining if the organization is ready or able to commit the time 

and resources to looking at the ‘big picture’. If it is ready, the organization needs to:organization needs to:– determine the specific choices that should be addressed (5‐7 issues) in 

the strategic plan;– determine who will do what in the planning process;

BIG HEADLINES SIDEBARSdetermine who will do what in the planning process;

– create a group/committee to guide the planning;– develop a written organizational profile; and – identify any additional information that would help the organization 

/

HEADLINE HEADLINE HEADLINE HEADLINE

make sound decisions on the identified choices/issues.• Depending on the intensity of the strategic planning process, and the 

technique(s) used, much of the work is often addressed during a ‘strategic planning retreat ’IMAGES

strategic planning retreat.  • However it is important to recognize that significant thought and 

analysis could/should be undertaken prior to such a retreat.

Developing Vision/MissionDeveloping Vision/Mission

• MissionMission• Communicates to the world what you do and why you do it.why you do it.

• Has both a statement of purpose (why organization exists) and a description of whatorganization exists) and a description of what the organization does, and for whom, to fulfil that purpose.

• Summarizes the who, what and why of an organization’s work.

3) Assessing the Environment3) Assessing the Environment

• Involves taking an objective and critical look atInvolves taking an objective and critical look at the current situation the organization finds itself in. 

• The environmental scanning or Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis often done at this point should help to refine or alter the specific choices or issues that pthe organization needs to address, respond to or deal with in the strategic planning process.

CONTEXT MAP

POLITICALCLIMATE ECONOMIC

CLIMATE

PEOPLES/MEMBER NEEDS

3) Assessing the EnvironmentYOUR “S.P.O.T. ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES3) Assessing the Environment 

• Involves taking an objective and critical look at

STRENGTHS+

+

+

+

+

+

OPPORTUNITIES

Involves taking an objective and critical look at the current situation the organization finds itself in. 

+

+

ERNAL

FUTU

+

+

• The environmental scanning or Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats PROBLEMS THREATS

RREN

T/IN

TER

TURE/EXTERN

(SWOT) analysis often done at this point– Should help to refine or alter the specific choices 

h h d dd

–

–

–

CUR

NAL

–

–

–

or issues that the organization needs to address, respond to or deal with in the strategic planning process.

– –

process. 

4) Agreeing on Priorities4) Agreeing on Priorities

• The organization figures out what broadThe organization figures out what broad approaches (strategies) it will take and the specific results it is seekingspecific results it is seeking. 

• In many respects this is the most important and most underutilized part of the processand most underutilized part of the process.

• Strategies are broad directions that require i i l dmany actions to implement and create 

multiple impacts. 

TEAM/

TARGET

GAMEPLAN

TEAM/RESOURCES

_______ _______ _______ ______

Goal

SUCCESSFACTORS

CHALLENGES

5) Writing the Strategic Plan5) Writing the Strategic Plan

• Putting all the pieces into one coherent document that g panswers the key questions in enough detail to serve as a guide that the organization can use when it is making more detailed operational plansmore detailed operational plans. 

• A strategic plan summarizes why an organization exists, what it is trying to accomplish, and how it will do so. y g p

• It informs the reader about the organization's most important ideas, issues and priorities.

• It provides the best possible explanation of the organization’s plan for the future. 

5) Writing the Strategic Plan• The length (average of 3 to 40 pages) of the plan depends on 

the intensity of the planning process itself. A strategic plan contains a combination of these elements:– An introduction by the President/CEO (planning process, why 

doing strategic planning, how to use report)– Executive summary

’ f l /h ( h / h )– Organization’s profile/history (who/what you are)– Vision/Mission statements (where going and why)– Critical Strategic issues (the specific issues or choices facing the 

i ti th t d t b dd d d i th t t iorganization that need to be addressed during the strategic planning process ‐ strategic, operational, crisis)

– Core Strategies (main directions, emphasis)Program and Management goals and objectives (how this will be– Program and Management goals and objectives (how this will be done in next 3‐5 years)

– Conclusion (thanks, what’s next)

Goals, Objectives, Activities, OutcomesGoals, Objectives, Activities, Outcomes

• Goal – What is the major change or end result you are seeking in this area

• Objectives – Short, Medium, Long term, , g– What are specific major changes that you want to focus on (will lead 

to the major change above)• Outcome Measure 

– What change will you see and how will you know things have changed …‘indications’… things you can measure

• Activities/tasks h k b k h b– The key steps to be taken to achieve an objective

Objectives• A precise measurable and time phased result that supports• A precise, measurable and time phased result that supports 

achievement of a goal (generally at least 2 per goal)• Process objectives

D ib ti iti d t k b i ti– Describe activities undertaken by an organization … • To develop…to implement…to establish…to conduct…

– Done by Staff/volunteersO bj i• Outcome objectives – Changes/outcomes that will be made by the end user of the 

organizations servicesT i t d t i• To increase…to decrease…to improve

• S. M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, achievable/appropriate, realistic, timed)Di i f h f h l i d f• Direction of change + area of change + target population + degree of change + time frame– To reduce the unemployment status of our graduating students so 

that 75% are fully employed within six months of graduationthat 75% are fully employed within six months of graduation

6) Implementing the Plan6) Implementing the Plan

• How the organization will align its day to day g g y ywork with the content of the strategic plan. 

• In general the strategic plan is used as a guide to the choices that will make the organization’sthe choices that will make the organization’s annual operating plan and budget supportive of the mission and vision. 

• In other words, there are more often than not, a lot of ideas about what could be done so the plan should help the organization make the difficultshould help the organization make the difficult choices by identify the activities that best fit with the strategic plan.

7) Monitoring and Evaluation7) Monitoring and Evaluation

• Involves a quarterly review to ensure that theInvolves a quarterly review to ensure that the strategic plan is being incorporated into the day to day activities of the organizationday to day activities of the organization. 

• An annual review is also conducted to make sure that:sure that:– assumptions about the working environment remain accurate; andremain accurate; and 

– The organization continues to support the directions set out in the plandirections set out in the plan. 

Keys to Effective Strategic Planningy g g• Focus on the most important issues:

– If you don’t have any really important choices to make about your organizations future, you don’t need strategic planning

• Be willing to question both the ‘status quo’ andBe willing to question both the  status quo  and ‘sacred cows’:– Don’t allow ‘new ideas’ to be characterized as inherent 

iti i f th tcriticisms of the past

• Produce a document:– It is a symbol of accomplishment a guide for internalIt is a symbol of accomplishment, a guide for internal operations and a marketing tool

• Make sure its translated into annual operating plans

Thank YouThank You 

Harold Tarbell – FacilitatorHarold Tarbell  Facilitator

#409 – 100 Park Royal South

C 2West Vancouver, BC       V7T 1A2

(604) 787 – 8638

htarbell@total.net