Blog: Strategic Planning

In the previous post (Part 3), we covered questions 7-9 of the 15 questions to address in the “plan for a plan.”  This post (Part 4) explains questions 10-12.

10.  What Materials Will Be Needed?

For example, think about:

• Materials (books about strategic planning, flipcharts, markers, etc.)
• Equipment (overhead projectors, flipchart stands, white boards, etc.)
• Facilities (conference rooms, retreat centers, etc.)

11.  What Terms/Titles Will You Use?

For example:

• Will the top-level priorities be called “goals” and subordinate priorities (associated with the goals) be called “objectives”?
• Will the objectives, and the responsibilities and deadlines to achieve them be called “action plans”?
• Will you refer to “mission”, “vision” and “values” or are there more culturally compatible terms?
• What other terms are unique to your culture and organization that you want to use in the planning process, e.g., “trust advisor” rather than facilitator or “team members” rather than planners?

12.  How Will You Train the Planners?

Far too often, people jump in to the planning process, expecting to learn about the process along the way.  That’s like handing someone a map that the person has never seen before, not saying a word to them about the trip or how to get there, and then expecting the person to efficiently navigate you to your destination.  Participants in the planning should get an overview of:

• The basic purposes of the strategic planning process.
• The planning model being used.
• The schedule to produce the plan.
• Any special terms being used in the planning and their interpretations in the process.
• How decisions will be made during the planning process.
• Their role in the process, along with the role of the Planning Committee.

An upcoming post (Part 5) will explain questions 13-15.

What do you think about the “plan for a plan” in the planning process?