Strategic Planning

Workshop for Strategic Management Students Association (SMSA)

Moi University, 17th November, 2015

Daniel Were, Sector Specialist,

Peniel Development Consult

What is Strategic Planning?

Why Strategic Planning?

What does strategic planning answer?

What is Organizational Inquiry

Defining the Strategic Framework

Strategic Planning Methodology

How to envision the future

Action Planning

CAT

Overview:

Strategic planning provides a bridge to the future

The strategic planning process clarifies mission, comes to grips with the

internal and external environments, identifies major issues that demand

response and directs energy and resources towards creative and

positive initiatives

The strategic planning process develops strategic thinking, a prerequisite

for progressive change and improvement

Strategic planning is all about choosing the best goals while

applying visionary leadership to determine the desired future

(Speed and efficiency are not assets when you are travelling down

the wrong road)

Strategic leaders consistently ask questions about what new thing must

be done today in order to meet the challenges of tomorrow; what

should be done now to be ready for the opportunities that may

come our way next?

Some Facts:

Purpose: Planning begins with a clear sense of purpose or

mission with a “predestined” means to achieve the purpose,

called a strategy;

Strategic planning clarifies what an organization is, what it

is trying to achieve and how;

Having or determining a picture of the best desired future,

how that future could look like and the steps to get there;

Developing or a road map to a desired future;

Changing mentalities into longer term thinking, purpose,

cooperation, responsibility and accountability.

What is Strategic Planning?

Focus on the future: Planning begins with todays realities, but its

focus must always be on tomorrow’s opportunities

Capture a vision: A healthy dissatisfaction with present conditions is

often the spark that ignites a planning process.

Manage opportunities and threats: Not all changes are negative.

However, we must be wise enough to spot timely and fashionable

changes that are advantegeous to us while guarding against threats and

hazards

Devise effective strategies: Make systematic choices of how to

deploy resources within our means to achieve goals

Stimulate action: Action without planning is aimless, but planning

without action is fruitless.

Anticipate and respond to change: change is a certainty in our

world. So? Plan for change. Always!

Remain Flexible: It is impossible to determine the future clearly

Why Strategic Planning?

To affirm the organization … brainstorming

together and agreeing on values.

To discover our best ... What we are best at,

and strengthening the strong points

Clarifying future thinking ... Necessitates a

pause for re-orienting the organization,

considering alternatives, revisiting the vision

Transforming vision into action ... Outlining

the steps to get to the vision, for actualization

Cont …

Why does the organization exist? – Responded to through

a mission statement or a statement of purpose;

What gives your organization life and meaning? – the

energizing forces

What does your organization want to do? – This gives

proposals for the future

What does your organization do well? – This gives the

best practices

Where does your organization want to go? – Vision

statement

How will your organization get there? – The response to

that is an action plan.

What does Strategic Planning Answer?

Carried out to conduct a Strengths and Weaknessees analysis of

an organization by looking at:

Human resource capital (staff, skills, expertise, etc.)

Management style

Systems (human resources, accounts, information, etc.)

Inputs (human resources, revenue generated, etc.)

Outputs (service delivery, enabling environment, etc.)

Equity and gender balance (addressing existing disparities, etc.)

The environment and resource enquiry: Examines the organizations relationship with stakeholders and partners

(looking at opportunities and threats)

Scrutinizes the financial situation (what would a favourable situation be

like? What is the fundraising target/strategy?)

Interrogates the political, ecological and social context

Organizational inquiry

This include the following aspects that must all fit together:

A clearly stated vision

A clear mission statement

Clear values

Overall goal of the organization

Immediate objectives of the organization

Key result areas on which the organization will focus

An understanding of the gap(s) between where the organization is

(currently) and where you want it to be (future)

The strategic framework gives coherence and clarity to the work of

the organization

Defining the Strategic Framework:

The Process of Defining the Strategic Framework

VISION

OVERALL GOAL

IMMEDIATE

OBJECTIVE

KEY RESULT

AREA

ACTION

PLANNING

MISSION VALUES

PROBLEM

IDENTIFICATION

Strategic Planning Methodology Step #1: Identify the factors

affecting your County/ Constituency/ Village Youth Forum, including stakeholders’ interests and concerns

Step #2: Build a consensus on specific organizational objectives and outcomes to be accomplished

Step #3: List the blocks to achieving the desired future or goals

Step #4: Create strategies to overcome the blocks and achieve the desired objectives

Step #5: Plot out specific (immediate) actions, assignments and schedule implementing the strategies

1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

2. VISION

3. OBSTACLES

4. STRATEGIES

5. ACTION PLANNING

1. Vision Statement – It is a concise expression of the

organization’s best future with the following desirable

characteristics:

Conveys what a people in the organization imagine possible

Must be shared

Is never impossed but is generated, understood, accepted

and lived by all

Broadly describes what the organization aspires to be and

the circumstances it intends to create

Communicates an organizations existance for external

relations

Strategic Orientation for the Organization (Setting Strategic Goals)

Imagine in one or more years the following: (a)

What kind of organization will it be? (b) What will

the organization look like? (c) What will the

organization change?

Review the above questions and responses,

looking for common points.

Summarize all those possibilities presented into

one acceptable statement (that all those

involved can identify with ... And that describes

a state of being)

Drafting a Vision Statement

Respond to the four questions listed in a previous slide: why? Who? What? How? Where?

List the responses and take note of the ones that best capture the purpose, target audience and the business of the organization

Ensure the statements you create is consistent with the vision statement

Seek consensus on the draft statement

Present it to other stakeholders and if agreeable, adopt it as the most suitable organizations mission statement

Drafting a Mission Statement

These are shared values or guiding principles

that underpin your work and relationship as an

organization

They are what individuals believe to be true

about themselves … eg.??

How one believes the world ought to be

There is need to clarify and reach consensus on

an organization’s values as it forms a basis for

making difficult decisions

Organizational Values

Step #1: Reflect on the vision statement then ask –

what are the values implicit in the vision that guide us as

we contribute towards it?

Step #2: List the values and value statements that come

up

Step #3: Agree in consensus what is shared and taken to

be the organization’s values

Drafting an Organization’s Values:

This is a broad response to “how the organization will get there”

It outlines the practical and achievable action

Reviews the building blocks (inquiries into the organization including the SWOT, vision, mission, etc)

Highlights of the gaps and strengths identified

Brainstorms and generates a range of specific actions that will move the organization towards the desired future

From the list of actions we determine and consider: when they will take place; who will be responsible; what forms of technical assistance will be required (e.g. human and/or financial resources, training, partnerships, equipment, etc)

It is presented, validated, endorsed and adopted

Developing the Action Plan

It is important to implement the strategic plan as soon as it is endorsed

Carry out periodic monitoring and evaluation of the strategic plan to ensure it is within the agreed framework

Adjust the strategic plan according to the organizations changing or emerging realities without altering the vision, mission and goals

Inspire full participation of all parties and stakeholders in the implementation of the proposed activities to enhance transparency and accountability

Follow-up Action

Problem Coping Strategy

Level of effectiveness Impact Proposed Solution

Low Moderate High

Action Planning (Example of monitoring tool

for a climate change project)

SP - Samples

“It is only when a mosquito lands

on your testicles that you realize

there is always a way to solve

problems without using violence”

- Chinese Proverb

1) Looking at the devolved government structure in your

respective Counties of origin, how do you envisage your future

involvement in addressing youth unemployment issues as a

graduate?

2) List actors, their roles, activities and interventions contributing

to sustainable youth economic empowerment in your County

(considering the prevailing challenges to sustainable peace and

development)

3) Generate a 2-year strategic plan as your guide in handling youth

employment. (NOTE THE KEY PRIORITY AREAS)

CAT

Aii … Aii Mayi; Aii Aii …Mayi (x2)

Omwana Wanje

Aii Natembea Tira Omwana Natembea

The Small Frog and the Big Frog