Creativity, flexibility, and the ability to respond quickly to change are touted as the most important characteristics needed in organizational leaders these days. Indeed, business and life move and change on a dime. However, there is tremendous value to taking the time to slow down and gain an understanding of why you do what you do. What are your long-term goals? What needs to happen to achieve them? Who is going to do what? Without a clear vision of where to go, it is easy for leadership to get distracted by the bright shiny object and for implementers to wander around confused about what they are meant to do.

Effective long-term strategic planning brings all stakeholders together to craft a unified vision for the organization—the why behind your work. From there 3-5 year organizational goals are set, as well as associated tactics and implementation plans to achieve them. It should be noted that “strategic plan” is a term used throughout the business world to mean many types of planning tools, including a marketing plan or a business plan. For this article, we are defining a strategic plan as a consensus-based document that will guide an organization’s activities over a certain time period.

So what does the long-term strategic planning process look like?

We have created an outline of the essential steps for creating a powerful organizational planning tool:

 Step 1: Leadership meets to set goals for and develop an agreed-upon outline of the planning process. A strategic planning committee is created with members who are enthusiastic and dedicated to the entire process.

Step 2: Key constituents are identified and convened to collect insights on the current state of the business, industry and customer base, as well as their vision for the future of the organization. The viewpoints gleaned from these interested parties will inform the strategic planning committee’s decision-making.

Step 3: A series of strategic planning meetings with stated KPIs are held to develop the final plan. Meeting topics should cover the following:

1) Review of goals and process

2) Discussion of what is possible compared to what is desired

3) Examination of external challenges and opportunities

4) Examination of internal strengths and limitations

5) Crafting an outline of goals to be achieved

6) Development of tactics to achieve identified goals

7) Development of implementation plan to achieve identified goals

8) Development of a budget to support the plan

Step 4: A draft of the final outcomes of the planning process is created and presented to leadership for review and acceptance.

Step 5: The final document is published and shared with appropriate stakeholders.

Step 6: Implementation begins!

A Consultant’s Role

Many organizations look to a consultant to manage their strategic planning process. The objectivity and expertise offered by a skilled outside partner is a valuable asset for what can be a long and arduous task. In particular, a consultant trained in consensus-based negotiation tactics can guide a group through contentious discussions to positive outcomes. However, a consultant is not meant to lead the planning process. Their role is to set the structure, facilitate consensus, keep the process on task and on schedule, ensure confidentiality, and assist in creating the final document. The success of the plan will depend upon the commitment of the strategic planning committee to a respectful, thoughtful, participatory and timely process. It is the investment of their time, expertise and dedication to the organization that will lead to a beneficial and actionable strategic plan.

The strategic planning process takes time, effort and committed constituents to be successful. However, the process can uncover key factors that portend success or failure for your organization. This hard look at who you are, where you want to go versus where can can go, and how you can get there may just be the key to taking your organization to the next level.

Jennifer Riley Simone, President and founder of Fresh Figs Marketing has been trained in consensus-building negotiation, and is skilled at guiding organizations through the strategic planning process. For more information on our services, send us an email, or give us a call at 860-670-6595.