Strategic Planning

Every company needs clear direction and a means to get there. The bulk of the brainwork involved in creating a plan for the future needs to be done by company leaders. As your strategic planning partner, we bring people-expertise to the task. We will help you keep the process:

focused
on track
relatively harmonious
goal-oriented
and fully participative.

The primary benefit is a clear, agreed-upon direction for the future and a map to get you there.

The strategic planning process we have designed will:

Provide a consistent vision for your organization that gets everyone heading in the same direction – providing employee alignment with organizational goals.
Assure that you address those issues that are important, but not urgent. These tend to smolder until fire breaks out. When smoke leads to fire, the typical results are lost customers and lost opportunities.
Build a culture of accountability and measurement where people have defined, measurable cross-departmental targets and dates by which they should be hit.
Build the organizational confidence that results when people know their work is tied to broader corporate goals.

We will help you through these ten phases:

Laying the foundation
Analyzing the current situation (SWOT)
Creating a Mission Statement
Creating a Statement of Values
Drafting a 5-year Vision
Setting near-term objectives
Creating an organization chart best suited to accomplish the desired objectives
Create score cards that assign responsibilities by monthly weighted targets in a dashboard format
Develop performance measures for each individual including strategic and operational responsibilities
Creating a follow up mechanism to assure that we're on track in accomplishing what we've set out to accomplish and to alter course where necessary.

Phase 1: Laying the Foundation
Guiding Question: Are we really a team?

First, we will select the team and determine the parameters of its involvement at a Foundation Meeting. Those selected to participate should be your most talented people – those who will impact your future and whose input you need to help create it. The Strategic Planning Team must be committed each other, your company and the effort.

At this initial meeting, we will discuss the parameters of the team’s involvement and what roles each person will play. We’ll address questions like, “What issues are off the table?” “What will we communicate to whom and when?” “How do we build trust so people can honestly engage?”

We will also determine which people evaluate which of the topics to be included in the SWOT analysis as outlined below.

Phase 2: SITUATION ANALYSIS - Strengths / Weaknesses / Opportunities / Threats
Guiding Question: How are we currently performing?

In order to cast a future direction, we have to first understand where your company has been and where you are now. The purpose of this is twofold. First, different important players in an organization often have different perceptions regarding past and present factors. Clarification of these perceptions is very important because without it, the efficacy of the strategic planning process is compromised before it gets started. Second, the clarification of where we are in a variety of key areas also makes clear what we have to change to get to where we want to go. It is valuable for all of the participants to get a full picture of the company at large. This will serve to inform and unify the participants regarding the pressures, constraints and possibilities of your company.

Each member of the selected Strategic Planning Team will individually put together a summary of their feelings regarding problems / opportunities / strengths and weaknesses for each of the issues below. Some will obviously be better qualified to evaluate specific areas than others. Additionally, we would select two participants to evaluate each area in reasonable depth - enough to give a brief (10-15 minute) presentation at the planning session. The two presenters should work independently on each issue and ideally would come from different departments or perspectives.

Participants would have at least 2 weeks to prepare before the first session would begin. As much as 1-1/2 days of the session will involve the discussion of these topics and the fostering consensus about current situation.

Topics to Evaluate - (and a few thoughts to get the process going, likely there are many more)

Customers - Who are they? How do they perceive us? Are our perceptions the same as our customers? What is our reputation? Is it different across markets? Do we meet our customers’ expectations?
Products / Services - Current mix, development areas, customer expectations, profit margins
Price - flexibility, competitiveness, profitability
Distribution - to what customers via what channels (direct sales force, reps, e-business, inside sales, etc.), speed to customer, are we meeting customer requirements, etc.
Marketing / Advertising / PR - to each customer base
Sales Teams - plans, effectiveness, coverage, talent
New Product / Market Opportunities - new product ideas, potential profitability
Staff / Organization / Talent / Training needs - management vs. hourly. Are we customer directed? Are we thin or fat? Where do we lack talent? What skills don't we possess? What will we need for the future?
Quality - product and delivery from each customer types perception
Competition - In each product area, across customer group, effect on profit
Computerization - Internal vs. external. Are we plugged in to our customer? Are we plugged in to each other?
Communication - Up, down, across. Is there synergy? What are costs? Where do failures occur? Why?
Operations - Are we as good as we can be at delivering what we promise? What are our impediments to increased volume? How do we stack up to competition?
Financing - Do we have the capability to finance growth? Are there cash flow concerns? Are there limitations known by few that need to be known by all?
Administration - Does our internal staff meet the needs of the organization?
Market - What's our share? What are trends? What markets are growing, which are contracting?
Regulations / Politics - Are there changes that could impact us? Do we have access to the latest, best government information that affects us? Do political changes impact us?
Vendor Relationships - Where are we vulnerable? Are we as active as we should be in evaluating new vendors?
Employees – What is morale like? How do employees feel about the company? Management? Do employees feel ours is a good place to work?

The primary focus of the discussion of each of these areas will be to achieve consensus of opinion regarding the current status of each topic. This SWOT analysis provides the underpinnings for all the rest of our discussions. It will elicit the objectives that we would hope to accomplish in each of these specific areas so that we may improve our strengths, compensate for our weaknesses, advantage our opportunities and overcome our threats.

One other note is that this is the hard part. We will try to get to the bottom of what's wrong with only some clues and no effort at this point as to how to fix it. This section is maddening and exasperating and necessary. It is the hard part because the focus, of necessity, will be more on what's wrong than what's right.

Phase 3: DEVELOPMENT OF A MISSION STATEMENT
Guiding Question: What is our value-add as a company?

A Mission Statement provides the common vision for the total organization. It should be developed with clear thinking and ample discussion in order to ensure that it represents a true statement of the basic present and future concept of the organization. It should serve as the touchstone by which alternative strategies, projects and programs are evaluated and selected. It is an operational statement of how a business will function.

We help you develop your mission statement via a series of proven exercises.

Phase 4: DEVELOPMENT OF A VALUES STATEMENT
Guiding Question: What do we collectively care about that guides our interpersonal business dealings?

A Values Statement is a description of who we are and what is important to us within the context of our business. What are the principals by which we operate? What are the behavioral benchmarks that guide us? What matters in how we treat others and each other?

Phase 5: DEVELOPMENT OF A VISION STATEMENT
Guiding Question: What do we want to accomplish as a company in the next 5 years?

A Vision Statement is a specific outline aiming at where we want our company to be 5 years out. It is a strategic target of growth, product, size, style of doing business. It lays out both the tangible and intangible measures of what we want to become. In essence, it is a picture of what we want our company to be in 2011.

Phase 6: OBJECTIVE SETTING
Guiding Question: Are we prepared to invest the time and energy required to be a great team who functions in concert to achieve the Vision according to our Mission and Values?

This is where we start to relieve the pains of the SWOT analysis. We are starting to see that the problems we have are fixable and the opportunities are within reach. All we need is a plan and a means of attacking the issues. Also required at this point is a “disagree and commit” mentality from all participants if 100% agreement has not been reached.

In this phase we will address each of the previously discussed situational issues in a logical, organized and purposeful fashion. The proposed solutions / objectives that flow out of this dialogue are measured against the original Mission Statement, Values Statement and Vision to ensure consistency. In this phase, we will merely flesh out the objectives we want to accomplish as aligned with our 5-year Vision.

Phase 7: THE ORGANIZATION CHART
Guiding Question: What is the design to achieve where we want to go?

Here we will design the best organizational chart to accomplish what we set out to accomplish.

Phase 8: THE SCORE CARD
Guiding Question: Who does what and when to accomplish our near term objectives?

Here we will take the previously established objectives, assign them owners and break them down into monthly targets of progress. Objectives will be prioritized, weighted and presented on an electronic document for ease of management.

Phase 9: KPR DEVELOPMENT
Guiding Question: How do the near term objectives mesh with day to day responsibilities of each employee?

Here we will establish Key Performance Requirements aligning strategic initiatives with day-to-day responsibilities for each employee. This will include weighting the importance of each activity while establishing minimum and goal levels of performance. We can train you how to do this in one full day or conduct the exercise for the whole organization or something in-between.

Phase 10: THE FOLLOW UP PLAN
Guiding Question: Are we doing what we set out to do?

This is a half day meeting set up with us and the strategic planning team to review progress at intervals of about every four months.