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Organizational Development: Strategic Planning - Your Map for Success

Imagine going on a multi-year road trip to explore the entire great U.S. of A. You know you want to experience all there is in the country: landscape, cultures, history, recreation, events, food and of course, America’s Byways®. It’s a grand vision and there’s a temptation to just grab an atlas of the country, hit the road and see where it takes you.

That could be a really fun and spontaneous way to travel. You might, indeed, have the experience you envision. Or you might arrive home several years later feeling a bit unfulfilled because haphazard twists and turns led you away from, rather than toward, locations that would have been significant to the trip. You might miss events because you didn’t confirm dates, not notice subtle cultural nuances because you didn’t do any research or you could run out of money because you didn’t have enough detail in your budget.

Turning a vision into reality is more likely if there is a plan in place. It doesn’t have to include all the details that take you into the next decade, but knowing what needs to be done in the upcoming months will keep things on track. Organizations often do this with a strategic plan, which sets out the steps that need to be taken to achieve major goals. Terms, structure and process vary from one organization to another. However a strategic plan is developed and updates, it’s only useful if members of the organization understand and implement it. If it’s too broad, too long, uninspiring, too complicated, unrealistic or unread, it will sit on a shelf collecting dust and generating cynicism.

This tool can help to simplify and speed things up a bit. Keep the big picture of your corridor management plan in mind—rather like the atlas of the whole country when you’re on that long road trip—but really focus on the immediate future and choose actions that will lead toward achieving your goals. For an organization, accelerating the strategic planning process and simplifying the resulting document can generate excitement and action. People will soon be saying, “Now I know what I need to do right now!”

SAMPLE AGENDA

9:30 - 10:00 - Arrive and social time
10:00 - 10:15 - Introductions, agree that objective for the day is to draft goals and specific strategies for the next 1 to 2 years
10:15 - 10:30 - Current status (Report form ED/Pres of BoD -financial, program, public image, relationships between partners)
10:30 - 10:45 - Review and reaffirm mission
10:45 - 11:15 - Vision and Values
11:15 - 11:30 - Break
11:30 - 12:00 - Report from environmental scan, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, agree on key Goals
12:15 - 1:00 - Lunch
1:00 - 1:45 - Key Goal: Objective, activities, resources needed,
responsibilities
1:45 - 2:15 - Key Goal: Objective, activities, resources needed,
responsibilities
2:15 - 2:30 - Break
2:30 - 3:15 - Key Goal: Objective, activities, resources needed,
responsibilities
3:15 - 3:45 - Other concerns and activities
3:45 - 4:30 - Summarize and define next steps
Adjourn

Remember:

• First Key Goal will probably take longer and the rest get shorter as the group learns the process.
• Activities: Be sure to ask “When?”
• Responsibilities: Define at least the next immediate step, who will do it and when.
• Other concerns: Ask “Is there anything else we need to do for the good of the cause?” Then go around and give each participant 30 seconds to give some feedback on the day.

Here are some basics for strategic planning after you already have a mission and a corridor management plan. Agreeing on goals and strategies gives the group a concrete way to check progress and be accountable to each other. This model will keep you moving for a year or two at a time, and that’s what the action-oriented people in your organization need to stay motivated and involved.

Using the model, you will have strategies to last a year or two and keep you working toward long-term goals. It’s like knowing which five of the fifty States you’ll be visiting during the first year of your trip. You can get out those few maps, plan the stops you want to make, decide how long you will stay, figure out how much money you need to spend and set aside the maps for the rest of the country until several months from now. Want more assistance? Your State Scenic Byway Coordinator is your go-to person. She or he has probably been through many strategic planning sessions and can contribute to your own successful process. Also, there’s a Byways Specialist of America’s Byways Resource Center who is assigned to your State who will be happy to consult with you on setting up and conducting an effective process.

TASK: Decide who will be the Strategic Plan Leader
WHEN TO DO IT: Initial stage of process
WHO TO INVOLVE: Director, board members, key staff members
GUIDELINES: Decide who will be involved and who will take the lead. Recognize that organizational leaders must support and promote the process and strategic decisions. The selected leader may or may not be an outside facilitator.

TASK: Set the date for the planning session
WHEN TO DO IT: Hold strategic planning annually after new board members are elected and before budget development
WHO TO INVOLVE: All key attendees
GUIDELINES: Do strategic planning annually to check progress and make updates. Hold the session after elections so that new members are fully engaged and before budget development so it’s clear what resources need to be acquired and available. Required attendees should be notified of the date 2 or 3 months prior to the session.

TASK: Environmental scan
WHEN TO DO IT: 4 to 5 weeks prior to the planning session
WHO TO INVOLVE: Organization leaders
GUIDELINES: This is a simple look around that answers the questions, “Where does our mission and vision fit into the bigger picture of the region and/or nation?”

TASK: Stakeholder interviews
WHEN TO DO IT: 3 to 4 weeks prior to the planning session
WHO TO INVOLVE: Strategic Plan Leader, one-on-one with organization leaders, BoD members, key staff members, highly involved community members
GUIDELINES: Conduct individual (or in groups of two at most) conversations with key stakeholders. This is mainly to ask questions, listen and identify patterns. Plan on meetings of 30 to 45 minutes each with 8 to 10 stakeholders.

TASK: Get a focus
WHEN TO DO IT: 2 to 3 weeks prior to the planning session
WHO TO INVOLVE: Strategic Plan Leader
GUIDELINES: After each conversation, record the 4 to 6 major concern/ideas/challenges/problems. The same few are likely to be mentioned by most or all of the participants. These will become your suggested goal statements.

TASK: Plan the meeting
WHEN TO DO IT: 2 to 3 weeks prior to the planning session
WHO TO INVOLVE: Strategic Plan Leader
*GUIDELINES: Arrange for room set up. Prepare materials and handouts (keep to a minimum). Draft and send out the agenda and copies of the organization’s mission statement, vision and core values.

TASK: Hold the meeting
GUIDELINES: See “Sample Agenda” above.

TASK: Report and approve
WHEN TO DO IT: 1 to 3 weeks after planning session
WHO TO INVOLVE: Strategic Plan Leader, Organization Leader, Executive Committee members.
GUIDELINES: Keep the report simple and brief, try for one page per goal. For each goal, include the strategies, key activities, resources needed, person responsible and next steps.

TASK: Implement
WHEN TO DO IT: Ongoing
WHO TO INVOLVE: Persons responsible for each goal
GUIDELINES: The Strategic Plan drives the programming, budgeting and staff direction. The specific tasks and actions don’t need to go in the strategic plan report. Each work group and individuals need a work plan and measurable performance goals. Job descriptions for each position should reflect the strategic plan. Goal Statements may become standing items on meeting agendas; check-in frequently and celebrate all accomplishments.

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