This is a Strategic Planning Process for organizations that want to coalesce a variety of opinions concerning the direction of the organization into a focused implementation plan.1
1. Study the background.
You are looking for:
- Basic Data: What are the facts and basic data about our current situation?
- Accomplishments: What are some of our recent accomplishments?
- Challenges: What are some recent challenges or setbacks?
- Trends: What are the trends impacting our organization?
- What are the benefits, strengths, or advantages that give us confidence?
Note: Understand the severity and trends of the problems and needs.
Set the overall focus question. e.g. How can we best accomplish the vision “Know God More, Love God More, Make God Known.”
Some people use SWOT analysis to study the background. However, the number of people who really understand SWOT analysis is small…and even they disagree. The above questions do much of the same thing.
2. Practical Vision
The practical vision spotlights, “What do we want to see in place in 3 to 5 years as a result of our actions?”
Be very specific.
What will I see when I walk in 3 to 5 years from now that tells me that we Know God more?
Examples
- Pastor’s class with 80% of adults attending
- Four adult Bible classes, with 30-50 in each class
- 12 Small group bible studies during the week.
- Grade-specific bible study for children.
- A path of classes for new believers.
- What will I see when I walk in 3 to 5 years from now that tells me that we Love God more?
What will I see when I walk in 3 to 5 years from now that tells me that we Make God known?
3. Underlying Contradictions
Underlying Contradictions are existing realities that inhibit or block progress toward achieving the practical vision. “What is blocking us from moving toward our vision?”
Patterns, policies, structures, beliefs, internal images, fears, perceptions, attitudes.
Look for root causes. Ask, “Why” 3 to 5 times. The underlying contradictions are grouped around similar root cause.
“Lack of”… is not allowed. “Lack of time” is usually caused by low priority. Tell us what is there, not what is missing.
These are often worded as adjective-adjective-noun phrases:
Typical adjectives for underlying contradictions:
4. Strategic Directions
Strategic Directions are broad directions or proposals that impact the future. They are generally aimed at overcoming the Underlying Contradictions, keeping the strategies related to the current situation.
This approach is called inverted planning. Normally, people think of ignoring the obstacles and moving directly to actions. Moving directly to actions almost always leads to problems later.
“What innovative, substantial actions will deal with the underlying contradictions and move us toward our vision?”
– “innovative” means new. Not the same thing you have been doing.
– “substantial” means impactful.
– “actions” mean things you can do. These are not principles or rules.
Actions begin with a verb. e.g. “Create more efficient office systems”
The actions are grouped around common intent. Common intent group names are strong and usually end with “ing.”
Possible Wording for Strategic Directions
Sometimes the common intent groups can be combined into strategic themes, but this is not always necessary.You now have strategies.
5. Focused Implementation
This is where the rubber meets the road (to use a cliché.)
All the strategy in the world is useless unless you actually do something with it.
The focus question is, “What will be our specific, measurable accomplishments for the first year?
Then we take the identified accomplishments, prioritize them, assign them, and schedule them.
First, list the major accomplishments for the first year. These are specific, concrete accomplishments that have an endpoint and can be completed in one year. You can tell if you did them or not. Some people call these goals.
Next, distribute the accomplishments by quarter for the next year. You should schedule some early wins, to keep the enthusiasm. You should also be realistic and not schedule all the accomplishments in the first part of the plan. Your schedule should reflect a balance of importance, feasibility, and urgency.
Finally, narrow the focus to the first 90 days, the first quarter. You assign responsibility for performance, boundaries are applied, and resources provided. This point is where you set the detailed implementation steps for each accomplishment.
6. Manage the Process. Ideally, the output makes up your Annual Operating Plan and is included in you budgeting process, with monthly reviews. At a minimum, some group, such as the board, tracks the resulting actions on a quarterly basis and reviews the whole package annually.
1This is based on the Top Strategic Planning process from The Institute of Cultural Affairs in the U.S.A.