Employment Industry News
7 Steps to Successful Strategic Planning Sessions
September 2011
It’s all-too-easy to get so caught up in putting out brush fires that you lose track of the need for long-range planning. Which is why strategic planning sessions can be vital: They prepare a path to the future you can follow with confidence.
Like any process, strategic planning must be well-planned and well-executed to ensure success. To conduct an effective strategic planning session, here are seven steps to follow:
1. Know Your Intended Outcome
Clearly specify the desired result. Three vital questions that should guide the strategic planning process are:
- Why are we conducting this session?
- What are we hoping to achieve?
- How will we hold ourselves accountable to ensure success?
2. Do Your Homework
The strategic planning session itself is just the final act of the strategic planning scenario. Much of the work occurs long before the group actually convenes. Rita Gunther McGrath, co-author of Market-
Busters: 40 Strategic Moves that Drive Exceptional Business Growth (Harvard Business School Press, 2005) prepares for strategic planning sessions using the “Five C’s of situation analysis” – developing insights about customers, competitors, “complementors” (potential allies), company and the context in which the company is competing.
In addition to knowing the desired outcome, you need to understand the situation and the background behind what led the organization, business unit or department to its current state. Find out what internal and external factors affect the team. Have a clear sense of who the stakeholders are, and know their preferences and potential biases.
3. Select the Right People
Not having the right people in the room can hinder strategic planning. Based on background analysis and research, you should have a solid understanding of who the players within your organization are and which of them need to be there to move strategic planning forward. It’s vital to ensure that those who will be accountable for execution of the strategic plan are at the session.
4. Prepare Participants
Participants should be prepared before they ever walk in the door. Provide them with an agenda and some coaching to encourage them to say what is on their mind. Their heads need to be in the game before the session begins.
5. Identify a Leader
Someone needs to make sure the resulting plan is implemented. He or she should be identified up front to ensure that participants are held accountable for getting to the agreed-upon ending.
6. Facilitate
Facilitating the session is essential. Facilitators should be inclusive and create an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable contributing and exploring even off-the-wall ideas.
Above all, facilitators need to be compulsive about documentation, including taking notes and recording action items.
One important point: Don’t expect, or even aim for, consensus. Instead, strive for commitment. The entire team must be committed to implementing the plan.
7. Follow Up
An effective strategic plan requires commitment to actions and accountability, as well as a clear, direct and measurable tie to the outcomes established in Step 1. Once participants leave the room their work is just beginning. It’s important to ensure that a process for accomplishing the plan through clearly identified objectives and scheduled follow-ups is embedded in the process. ▲
For more information:
Overview of Various Strategic Planning Models
http://managementhelp.org/strategicplanning/models.htm
How to Do Planning
http://managementhelp.org/planning/
Strategic Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
http://www.birnbaumassociates.com/planning-mistakes.htm