Strategic Planning Made Simple

Kim Collins, Executive Director

MBRF

Planning. Doing things today to make us better tomorrow. Because the future belongs to those who make the hard decisions today.

-Eaton Corporation

What is Strategic Planning?

A disciplined effort to produce decisions and actions that guide and shape:

• what the organization is • what it does• why it does it.

Results of strategic planning process: An organization will have a clearer idea of:

• what it is • what it does• what challenges it faces

Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.

- (unknown)

Strategic Planning Steps

Step One: Getting Ready

Step Two: Articulating the Mission and Vision

Step Three: Assessing the Situation

Step Four: Developing Strategies, Goals

and Objectives

Step Five: Completing the Written Plan

Step One: Getting Ready

• Commitment for strategic planning from the board

• Resolution of major crisis

• Commitment of resources

• Willingness to question the “status quo” and look at new approaches

Ideal Settings for a Strategic Planning Retreat

• Off-site (away from cell phones, beepers, etc.)

• Ample space to break into small groups or be in the larger group.

• An impartial facilitator.• An agenda (but allow flexibility here).• Make it fun!!!

Who should you include?

• Board Members

• Staff

• Stakeholders

(i.e., PI’s and other VA personnel)

Strategic Management/Thinking

• Asking “Are we doing the right thing?”

– Formulation of the organization’s future mission

– Development of a competitive strategy – Creation of an organizational structure

Purpose

• Set goals

• Answer: Why does this organization exist?

• Achieve the mission.

Step Two: Articulating the Mission and Vision

A mission statement must communicate the essence of an organization to the reader.

MISSION: A simple, focused statement of why the

organization exists.

Articulating the Mission and Vision

A vision statement is a picture of what is possible, a somewhat idealized state.

VISION: presents an image of what success will look like.

Examples of Mission Statements• To support and facilitate innovative VA research and

education in a search for new treatments and cures for human disease and illness.

• Our mission is to facilitate the medical research and education programs conducted at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle and American Lake Divisions.

• Brentwood Biomedical Research Institute, Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of medical research and research education through the efficient and effective management of research funds.

• The mission of the Palo Alto Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (PAIRE) is to facilitate research and education activities conducted at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS).

Mission Statement

Continuously remind your board of the Mission Statement

Suggestions: – Place on agenda– Letterhead– Business cards

Simple Rules for Success!!• Be realistic about the strengths and

weaknesses of your organization

• Analysis should distinguish between where your organization is today and where it could be in the future

• Be specific. Avoid grey areas.

• Keep your SWOT short and simple. (Avoid complexity and over analysis)

• SWOT is subjective.

BrainstormingBrainstorming is an excellent way of developing creative

solutions to a problem. It works by focusing on a problem, and then coming up with many solutions.

Some guidelines include:• Try to get as many ideas out quickly• Generate or spin off on another idea• Do not criticize, either through comments or body

language• Do not “justify” or explain• Have the mindset that there are no “bad ideas”

We always plan too much and think too little.

Joseph

Schumper

SWOT Process

• A SWOT analysis is used to identify and analyze the Strengths and Weaknesses of your organization as well as the Opportunities and Threats revealed by the information gathered on the external environment.

Definitions

• Strengths:- A strength is a successful application of a competency or exploitation of a critical factor to develop competitiveness.

• Weaknesses:- A weakness is an unsuccessful application of a competency or the non-exploitation of a critical factor that diminishes competitiveness.

Definitions (cont.)

• Opportunities:- An opportunity is an external condition that could positively impact critical performance and improve competitive advantage provided positive action is taken in time.

• Threats:- A threat is an external condition that could negatively impact critical performance and diminish competitive advantage provided positive action is not taken in time.

  

 

SWOT Analysis 

Positive Negative

Internal Strengths Weaknesses

External Opportunities Threats

SWOT Matrix

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities S-O Strategies

W-O Strategies

Threats S-T Strategies W-T Strategies

SWOT Matrix (continued)• S-O Strategies pursue opportunities that

are a good fit to the organization’s strengths.

• W-O Strategies overcome weaknesses to pursue opportunities.

• S-T Strategies identify ways that the organization can use its strengths to reduce its vulnerability to external threats.

• W-T Strategies establish a defensive plan to prevent the organization’s weaknesses from making it highly susceptible to external threats.

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

-Sun Tzu

Developing Strategies, Goals and Objectives

Strategies: Overall priorities or directions adopted by an organization.

Goals: Outcome statements that define what an organization is trying to accomplish both programmatically and organizationally.

Objectives: Precise, measurable, time-phased results that support the achievement of a goal.

Setting Goals and Objectives

The difference between where we are (current status) and where we want to be (vision and goals) is what we do (target objectives and action plans).

The Goals Grid

Do we have it?

NO

YES

I. Achieve

II. Avoid

III. Preserve

IV.

Eliminate

YES NO

Do we want it?

Writing the Strategic Plan

1) Executive Summary

2) Authorization

3) Organizational Description

4) Mission, Vision and Values Statements

5) Goals and Strategies

Writing the Strategic Plan (cont.)

• Appendices– Action Planning– Description of the Strategic Planning Process Used– Strategic Analysis Data– Goals for Board and Chief Executive Officer– Budget Planning– Operating Plan– Financial Reports– Monitoring and Evaluation of Plan– Communication of Plan

Communicating the Strategic Plan

• Every board member and staff member (management) should receive a copy of the plan.

• Consider distributing (at least highlights) to all members of your organization.

• Post your mission, vision and value statements in high visibility areas.

• Publish portions.• Train board members and staff on portions of the

plan• Include portions of the plan in policies and

procedures.

CASE STUDY

• Will be distributed in class.

“Just thinking……………”Winnie the Pooh