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Case Study: Strategic planning is for you too
Many startup companies fail because they didn’t develop a strategic plan and then follow it rigorously. Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Fairfax County (Virginia USA) Economic Development Authority, is an expert on strategic planning and has just written the second edition of “Strategic Planning for Local Government” (International City/County Management Association), but he says that strategic planning is vital for any company or organization that is serious about growing and succeeding.
1. Who should develop a strategic plan?
Strategic planning provides a structured process for analyzing factors in the future that will either enhance or detract from the potential for achieving one’s vision. More relevant actions and reactions can be generated once the future is defined as much as possible. As such, any organization- public, private, non-profit, even community groups- can benefit from thinking strategically. And, although the content is always different, the process is remarkably consistent. I have used the same process in facilitating plans for communities, agencies, businesses, non-profits, universities, even countries.
2. What is the most important part of the strategic planning process?
A strategic plan is a valuable tool for an organization because it provides not only direction and a scope of activities, but also because it provides a context for understanding why those activities are important. However, more often than not, the true value of strategic planning lies not in the document but in the process of preparing it.
Strategic planning sessions can be used to incorporate a broad variety of perspectives in the process. This frequently results in a wider general acceptance of the resulting plan.
In every case with which I have been involved, the true value has come from the process of researching, analyzing, and discussing what the future will be like and how best to respond.
3. What is the best way to start the process?
Strategic planning needs a champion. The more highly placed that person is, the greater are the chances for a successful process. That person is most effective when announcing the initiation of the activity, the selection of the participants, and the general expectations form the process.
Typically, the first step is either to identify the existing vision and mission, or to review and revise them, or to develop new ones. The vision is a very general statement of the ideal future. It is what one works toward with the understanding that a vision may not actually be achieved. For example, a community might envision being “the best place to live and work;” a company might set as its vision to be “the world’s leading manufacturer of telephones;” and, a non-profit may work toward a society in which a given disease is eradicated.
Once a very succinct vision is verbalized, a mission statement can be adopted. The mission is a brief statement of how the organization operates to achieve that vision. In many cases, the mission statement can be found in the organization’s charter or other establishing documents or in previous strategic plans.
4. What are some of the limitations of a strategic plan?
The greatest danger in strategic planning is to develop a plan and feel that one must adhere to it in the strictest sense. Plans are valuable because they provide logic and performance guideposts. However, they are based on one’s best estimation of what the future will be like. In today’s world, change comes so fast that forecasted opportunities or problems can be very different tomorrow. The most successfully implemented strategic plans are those which are frequently revisited and reconsidered. The greater the flexibility, the greater the chance of approaching the stated vision. Again, the process is the key.
5. How does one find an expert to help with strategic planning?
One way to find an expert to support an organization's strategic planning process is to consult with other, similar organizations that have had a positive experience with a facilitator. The recommendations of a peer group would be a great way to find someone who understands not just the process but also the business, or government settings, or non-profit organizations.
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