On the road to becoming more data driven, and making sense of stakeholder data, organizations use the data to inform their strategic planning process.
A strategic plan, in short, is a written document that outlines an organization’s mission, vision, the context the plan is being developed in, strategic goals and steps for achieving them over a designated period. .
Like logic models, theories of change and similar documents, the process for developing a strategic plan can be tedious. As such, there’s more focus on getting the document “just right” as less on how to use the document to guide your work.
When you don’t have a plan for checking in on your strategic plan, you run the risk of it sitting on the shelf, collecting dust next to all the evaluation reports that don’t get read.
In all seriousness, a strategic plan is a living document. Each strategic goal has a desired outcome. As we know, life happens, and where we thought we would be may not be where we end up, based on a variety of circumstances. While your strategic plans are set in place, the path for achieving your goals and have shifted since the plan’s implementation. With this understanding, let’s explore how to use your strategic plan as an accountability tool.
This activity is ideal for:
- Anyone responsible for leading a strategic planning process
- Anyone interested in participating in the strategic planning process
Here’s what you need:
- Your organization’s strategic plan
- Whatever setup you use to capture your process (laptop, pen and paper, whiteboard, etc.) but make sure it’s kept in a place that you can refer back to
The steps:
When your strategic plan was developed, you determined an ending year to the plan. Depending on your industry, strategic plans are no less than one year or could be greater than five years. Three years seems to be the sweet spot based on experiences with doing the strategic planning process with client organizations.
For today, let’s say your plan runs for three years. As each strategic goal has a desired outcome, let’s start there and work backwards. Ideally, you should be tracking your progress over time so that this exercise can be easier.
I’m a huge believer in not making processes harder than they needed. So, this process can be iterative and done ideally in a joint meeting with board and staff.
On the setup you’re using to capture your process, section the space into three sections and label them like this:
Let’s say your strategic plan is for three years and you’re doing this process after completing year one.
In the left section, list out each strategic goal. Next, in the middle section, discuss where you are with each goal based on your organizational role and perspective. As staff, you’re most likely on the programmatic side and witness the day-to-day, whereas as a board member, you may be focused on the broader picture.
In the right section, identify the circumstances and conditions that occurred that got you to where you currently are with each goal. .
For example, you may have thought that one strategic goal would take the entire three year period, but something occurred that allowed you to meet this goal within year one. What took place? What is unexpected funding, a new partnership, media attention, a reallocation of resources, etc.?
On the other hand, you can have a goal that was anticipated to be achieved in year one, but something occurred that knocked you off course? What took place? Was it unexpected staff turnover, a new executive director, loss of funding, the development of a new program/service, a reallocation of resources, etc.?
In this instance, discuss what action steps that can be taken to bring you on track. It may be easier to divide these action steps into the remaining strategic plan time to avoid overwhelm.
Also, you can also discuss if this goal is important enough to see through to the end of the plan. If you choose to focus on the remaining goals, document why this goal is being deprioritized for now.
Let’s process:
What’s working (and how can you celebrate your progress?) What isn’t working (and how can you get back on track?) It’s important to recognize where you are in order to move forward. It’s also important to be transparent about any emerging needs, from your role’s perspective.
While this process can help ground you in your current reality, it’s really created for your future selves. Strategic plans have a end date. Documenting this process will help you fully evaluate your progress when it comes time to create a new strategic plan.
I recommend doing this process every 6 months to really hold your organization accountable.
Key takeaway
Strategic planning can be a tedious process, but the work isn’t over once the plan has been implemented. Don’t wait until your plan expires to reflect on where you are.
Try this process out and let me know how it goes for you (or if you’d like for me to assist you with this process, let me know how we can work together).
Raise Your Voice: How do you assess your strategic plan’s goals? Share below in the comments section.
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