Questionaire

Writing the Plan

The long planning process has resulted in various types of information. Some of the information will be extraneous to the final plan. This includes the wide range of participants who may have made the process quite arduous as personal preferences and experiences led some individuals toward results that differed from those desired by the organization. The committee should have been able to prioritize programs and services as well as goals and objectives while developing strategies for accomplishing them. Although time consuming, the participation of a wide range of individuals will strengthen the result.

The planning group must decide who will write the final strategic plan. This group must be different from the planning group. It is best to make only one or two people responsible for the actual writing of the plan. The writers are charged with integrating the planning group’s ideas, as well as essential input from participants in the process, into a well-written plan. The written plan must articulate the decisions made by the planning group. The final product must also ensure that the plan is congruent with the organization’s vision and that it will be supported by those responsible for implementing it.

Once people are selected to write the plan, a review process must be developed. The planning committee must decide the protocols for the review process before the process starts. This eliminates the problems of egos entering the process later on. The review process might include the planning committee, the executives of the organization, or the stakeholders. While some feel that everyone involved in the planning process should also be involved in developing the final document, this might not always be possible or practical. The decision about who reviews the drafts or the final draft is a judgment call by the committee. In some cases, a “town meeting” or an open forum may be held to obtain comments or affirmation of the plan.

The planning committee must take a leadership role in moving the process forward since there may be times when stakeholders want to keep rehashing the same issues over and over again. The committee has to set the parameters for when comments will be accepted and when it is time to move on. The committee also needs to ensure that appropriate individuals are involved in the process, that copies of the draft get to the individuals selected for the process, that there is opportunity for providing input, and that appropriate time lines are established for the process. The committee also must decide what the process will be for dealing with the input received. This includes if and how the feedback will be incorporated into the document.

The format for the strategic plan should be relatively simple. It is a summary of why the organization exists (its mission), what the organization expects to accomplish (its goals), and how it expects to accomplish its goals (its objectives and its strategies). The plan must be written for its audience as a way of guiding the organization toward the future. The audience includes the internal and external customers or stakeholders. The length of the plan will vary depending on the audience and the needs. It might be a short plan of less than ten pages that includes the mission of the organization along with long and short-term priorities for programs and operations and a short synopsis of core strategies. It could be a medium length plan of 10 to 12 pages that includes the items in the short plan as well as program and organizational goals and appendices that summarize the environmental assessment and summaries of any stakeholder surveys or input processes. It could also be a long plan of 12 to 40 pages containing the items in the medium length plan along with an executive summary, a brief history of the organization along with its organizational profile, identified strategic issues and the core strategies to address them as well as membership of the planning committee and other relevant groups.

Vision and Mission Statements

During various phases in the planning project, the organization’s vision and mission will be discussed and articulated. Once the plan is put into writing, it is necessary that both the vision and mission of the organization be translated into written formats. These can be developed by responding to a number of questions. In summary, they are:

Vision Statement

What is the vision of the program three to five years from today?

What is your ideal mix of products and/or services?

Given the product/service mix, can you prioritize these products and services? If yes provide them in priority order from the most important to the least important.

If you are successful, what will you look like as an organization?

Will there be changes in the area or industry if your organization is successful?

Mission Statement:

Why does the organization exist?

Is there a specific problem that it is established to solve?

Who is affected by the problem?

How are they affected by the problem?

Are there opportunities or needs that the organization resolves?

What is its business?

What is its primary service or product?

What are its basic values and beliefs?

Are there basic assumptions on which the organization provides its products or services?

Goals and Objectives

The planning committee worked on identifying goals and objectives. It is important that the organizational and program goals and objectives be included in the longer plans. As the goals are listed, the objectives can be listed as process objectives or outcome objectives. Process objectives relate to how the operations are conducted, whereas outcome objectives relate to what we want the program to do, which means what the program is designed to do for the external customer.

Organizations with multiple departments need to develop goals and objectives for the overarching programs as well as the management and support operations. Once this is completed, each department should develop goals and objectives for that department. These individual department plans should then be incorporated into the strategic plan of the larger organization.

In writing the goals and objectives, it might be advisable to provide the goal, some comments concerning the goal, subgoals that have been identified, and objectives. The comment section should clarify to the reader why the goal is important. It might be necessary to add additional information such as background or historical dates in this area.

Approval

The planning committee defined the protocols for approval of the plan. The circulation of the draft and feedback might significantly change the strategic plan, but usually the plan has only minor modifications. This type of open process allows for input, but frequently the stakeholders only want to know that they can comment and usually do not exercise their right to do so.

Once the prescribed process is completed, the plan is sent to the executives of the organization. In the case of a nonprofit organization, this would also include the Board of Directors. Once formally adopted by those authorized to do so, the planning committee should celebrate its success. This final document is the result of consensus building among a diverse body of people. That is not an easy task.

Implementation of the Plan

The strategic plan provides a long term direction for the organization. This can only be accomplished if the plan is implemented. It is necessary for the theoretical aspects developed in the planning process to be the framework for the annual operational plans and the annual budgets. The operational plans provide the specifics of what the organization will do to meet its goals. This includes action steps and a timeline for accomplishing the objectives. Identifying who has responsibilities for the action steps is also part of these plans.

Most organizations develop annual operating budgets but fail to develop annual operating plans. Annual operating plans should be completed for each program. Such plans need enough detail to guide the operations. The plans should not be so detailed that they are confusing or constrain the flexibility needed to get the job done. There is also a need for regular reports on how the operation is progressing toward the goals and objectives. Since the strategic plan is providing the framework for the operations, there is a need for the operating plans to be consistent with the priorities of that longer-term plan. The operating plans and annual budgets also need to be aligned. Many organizations need to know what the projected expenditures should be for the year of operations. Frequently, these expenditures are linked to specific levels of performance.

When annual plans are developed, there is a way of comparing expenditures and revenue for a given period as well as actual accomplishments. The organization may want to look at estimated numbers compared to actual ones for regular periods during the year. For some organizations, this should be done on a monthly basis. For others, a quarterly review might be appropriate.

As the organization progresses through the year, there may be times when decisions need to be made. The strategic plan should provide guidance for the decision process. This makes the annual operating plans the start of the implementation of the strategic plan.

Evaluating Your Strategic Plan

The planning committee’s responsibility should not end with the completed plan. The group should evaluate the completed plan and the process to determine what worked in the process and what needs to be done to improve the process in the future. How does the planning committee know if the strategic plan meets the needs of the organization? It might be necessary for a series of questions to be reviewed. They might include:

Does the plan provide enough guidance for short-term priorities as well as long-term priorities?

Does the plan provide for how resources will be allocated?

Do individuals who are responsible for the implementation understand the plan as written?

Does the plan address the external environmental issues?

Does the plan address the internal environment?

Is the plan the result of a consensus process?

Is there commitment from the organization’s leadership and members?

As the planning committee reviews the operating plans, it might want to respond to questions such as:

Did the individuals responsible for implementing the operating plans develop the plans?

Do the plans provide for the implementation of the programs?

Do the plans include monitoring or evaluation processes?

Are the operating plans aligned with the strategic plan?

Are specific process objectives provided?

Are outcome objectives specified?

Are the operating plans attainable and realistic given the current status of the organization?

As the planning committee evaluates the strategic plan, it is necessary to set milestones. At what point should the organization achieve a specific objective? If the goal is to increase participation in a specific program by 100% in five years, the milestones might be set at 10% by the end of year 1, another 20% by the end of year 2, an additional 25% by the end of year 3, another 35% by the end of year 4, and the last 10% by the year 5. The organization would know if it were on track by comparing actual figures with these projected numbers.

It is important to identify where the organization will be at specific times during the term of the strategic plan. The use of a time line with specific indicators of success may be the best way to visualize the movement toward the objectives and goals listed in the plan. Look at whether there have been changes in any of the assumptions on which the strategic plan has been based. There may also be new issues that are facing the organization that were not part of the original plan. As the assessment is completed, it may be necessary to modify milestones of performance as well.

The strategic plan is a dynamic document. The planning process is never completed. As the organization moves forward, its environment changes and the components of the plan must also change. The organization has to continue monitoring the plan and modifying it accordingly. This must be done on a regular basis, but no less than once a year. This will enable the organization to continue providing guidance for decisions and a direction in which employees can move.

Continuous Improvement

A critical component of organizational performance is the concept of continuous improvement. The concept of quality is not new, and as organization strive to be successful, it is important that this concept is included in the plans and planning process. The initial issue is defining quality. Quality can be defined as error-free and totally reliable products and services, but in reality, quality is related to expectations and price.

As the organization works to incorporate quality into its operations, there is a need for top management to demonstrate a commitment to quality, and in general to the concept of total quality management. This requires an organizational culture that nurtures innovation. There is a need to support risk-taking, and there must be resources available to work toward continuous improvement. Leadership should be the role model for these efforts.

In the strategic plan, there should be goals for attaining excellence in customer satisfaction. The plan should also focus the organizational activities on this concept of quality. A part of the plan must also consider training the workforce in any areas so that all employees have the skills needed to perform their jobs as well as meet the expectations of the customers. Since there is a need to focus on meeting or exceeding the expectations of the customers, the organization needs to have useful measures (data) that provides information on how the customers perceive the products and services. The data need to be continuously evaluated to ensure the organization is on track in this regard.

The process for assessing the level of customer satisfaction includes:

Collecting data

Developing measurement systems

Analyzing results

Developing processes to prevent errors from occurring

Some of the notable experts in the quality movement are W. Edward Deming, Philip Crosby, and Joseph Juran.

In addition to reviewing works of those individuals who are experts in the quality movement, it is important that the organization look at other quality efforts. This may involve a benchmarking process or engaging in quality processes (i.e., ISO and Baldrige Award). These will provide the organization with guidance in developing an improvement process.

It is important to understand that continuous improvement is just that. No process is ever finally completed. The process may need to be adapted to the times or to the customers’ desires. Think about the company Blockbusters. For a period of time, they were a market leader in video tape rentals, but the customers soon found that they could access videos on their TVs, have videos sent to their homes, or access them via the internet or through other providers. The failure of this company to keep up with the changes in the marketplace and technology resulted in the closing a number of its operations. The company had its peak earnings in 2009 and filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

The organization needs to maintain its focus on the customer. It is important to assess what the customers need and even what they want, although it is quite possible that the organization may not be able to give the customers what they want all of the time.

The employees must be included in the process. It is important that they evaluate the work they perform and that they identify potential solutions to issues that the organization may have. It is important to remember that the front line workers are more aware of what the customers’ concerns are.

Paradigm Shift

A paradigm shift is a change of thinking from one way of thinking and doing something to another. Paradigm changes are the result of change agents and their impact on the organization. As you recall the forces and trends that were reviewed in earlier units, you can see factors that force change to happen. When police started using cars for conducting patrol duties, there were changes in how the tasks were accomplished. This required some change in procedures. Another example is how firefighters will respond to fires in the future as a result on the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Towers and the resulting collapse of the buildings.

In many organizations, developing a strategic planning process is a change from a reactive nature to a more proactive operation. The organization needs to consider how the shift will be accomplished. It is critical that the organization look at the processed as a planned one, which fits with the concepts related to strategic planning.