Team-Based Strategic Planning: A Complete Guide to Structuring,

Facilitating, & Implementing the Process

Part I: The Strategic Planning and Change Process

Figure 1-1 Planning Process Flow (p. 4)

Objectives

Where do we want to be?

Strategies

How will we get there?

Delegated Objectives

Delegated Programs

Who must do what?

Reviews

How are we doing?

Figure 2-1 Planning Information Flow (p. 22)

Board

CEO/COOTop Team

Outside World

Inputs

Organization

FacilitatorFacilitation

Figure 3-1 Strategic Change Model (p. 34)

PRESSURE FOR CHANGE PRESSURES AGAINST CHANGE

EQU

ILIBRIUM

FINANCIAL DISASTER

COMPETITIVE THREATS

VISIONARY LEADERSHIP

THREATENED MARKETS

ORGANIZATIONAL PRESSURE

POOR BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE

ORGANIZATION INERTIA/COMFORT

FEAR

IGNORANCE/DON’T KNOW HOW

LACK OF SKILL

IT’S WORK/LACK OF PAYOFF

DAY TO DAY PRESSURES

ARROGANCE

Figure 3-2 Phases of Strategic Change (p. 36)

Organization Psychology

Elation/Recognition Unfreezing/MuddlingChange Refreezing

Facilitator’s Job Description (p. 45 & 46)

ISSUE FOCUS ENTREPRENEURIAL BIG COMPANY/COMPLEX

CHARACTERISTICS Turn arounds Obvious

barriers/problems

Small to moderate At transition Seeking management

professionals Sound but unfocused

business

Usually in transition

Needs to focus entire company & drive strategy into business units/functions

ELEMENTS Diagnostics SWOTs Priority Issues Programs

Diagnostic SWOTs Segmentation/strategy Mission Priority Issues Programs

Complete process Layered

throughout organization

STYLE Driven Heavy facilitation Leadership Fast

Informal Highly structured Complex Either initial top

down/bottom up Process

Installation

Figure 5-2 Three Process Types (p. 70)

Getting Buy-In & Developing Skills for Strategic Change…Do’s

• Structure and document the process• Train your people in planning• Involve the organization and encourage

feedback during the development process• Train people in process skills (facilitation,

team leadership, team-building, & teamwork)

• Perform quality assurance and control checks

• Be patient

Getting Buy-In & Developing Skills for Strategic Change…Don’t

• Don’t expect plans to just happen• Don’t turn planning into a

paperwork exercise

Part Two:Nuts and Bolts

Do’s• Conduct thorough and factual

organization and strategic diagnostic using internal or external professional.

• Get consensus on target markets and competitive strategy

• Give plenty of advance notice on planning schedule.

• Involve key managers heavily

Don’ts• Try to set all plans in one year.• Wait until the right team is in place to plan.• Get over enamored of fancy analyses.

Do’s• Use extended analyses sparingly and only

when key decisions cannot be made.• Use outside resources to conduct analyses

unless you have insiders with plenty of experience and tools.

• Look at your analytical needs every year as you make yearly plans.

Don’t

• Overdo analyses, only use what you need and only to the extent needed to make needed decisions.

Do’s• Customize the structure of

each meeting, pick the agenda and techniques.

• Be flexible • Configure the groups to the

right mix of personalities.• Liven the meetings. Tell jokes,

applaud after presentations.• Work into the groups very

quickly.

Don’t

• Allow too much discussion.• Let the meeting burn out on the first topics.• Allow personal agendas to take over.• Be negative, annoyed, or overly critical.

Do’s• Support the

functional heads of the organization.

• Train lower-level teams and individuals in how to write an action plan, operate as a team, and how to facilitate meetings.

Don’t

• Confuse issues by adding assignments or involving people in additional roles.

Do’s• Follow up the meeting to make sure that the

written plan and programs are followed out.• Communicate to everyone quickly• Quickly obtain needed input from lower

level leaders.

Don’t• Make a thick and unnecessary plan

Part Three:Implementing the Plan

Making the Plan

Operational…Do’s

• Focus on the few leverage managers, programs, functions and teams who will execute the plan

• Overcommunicate the mission, priority issues, and objectives to key people on every possible occasion to reinforce alignment.

• Check to make sure that programs and objectives have been delegated and accepted

• Install accountability systems early in the process if they’re not already in place. If they are in place, enforce them.

Making the Plan Operational…Don’ts• Hesitate to remove the losers who can’t

implement your plan.

Keeping the Plan on

Track…Do’s• Establish and publicize a

review mechanism, stick to it, and make it one of your immutable management mechanisms and calendar fixtures.

• Keep informally in touch with key plan executioners between reviews to anticipate problems and to help forward movement.

• Reward strategic success psychologically with money

Keeping the Plan on Track…Don’ts

• Assume that plans and programs will happen simply because people have committed to them and they’re in writing; they won’t. Implementation requires careful nurturing, review, and in-transit changes and resourcing.

• Hesitate to change plan or resources as soon as it’s evident that it’s needed. Don’t wait for reviews and for events to run their course

After the First Plan: Updating and Improving with Much Less Pain…Do’s

• Establish and publicize review mechanism, stick to it, and make it your immutable management mechanisms and calendar fixtures

• Keep informally in touch with key plan executioners between reviews to anticipate problems and forward movement.

• Reward strategic success psychologically and with money

After the First Plan: Updating and Improving with Much Less Pain…Don’t

• Assume plans and programs will happen simply because people have committed to them and they’re in writing; they won’t. Implementation requires careful nurturing , review, and in-transit changes and reresourcing.

• Hesitate to change plan or resources as soon as it’s evident that it’s needed. Don’t wait for reviews and for events to run their course.

After the First Plan: Updating and Improving With Much Less Pain…Do’s• Revise plan annually, focusing on changes in the

market and competition.• Look at outside world and redo plan from scratch

when there are significant structural changes.• Get all levels to focus on priority strategic and

operating issues. This is your most important recurring planning task.

• Simple annual process that addresses priority issues through concise, focused operating plans, budgets and individual accountabilities.

After the First Plan: Updating and Improving With Much

Less Pain…Don’ts• Make annual process paper-heavy and

cumbersome.• Focus on the planning process itself instead of on

the issues and actions that need to be taken.

Five Years of Planning:Benchmarks of Accomplishment…Do’s

• Recognize that planning takes years to develop a complete and effective process and to get strategic results.

• Plot where you expect to get to in the first three to four years, both in the process and in tangible results, so that your expectations are realistic. Use the change model as your guide.

Five Years of Planning:Benchmarks of Accomplishment…Don’ts

• Assume a straight path to success. The road is littered with detours and unexpected successes as you drive toward your goal. Use planning to react effectively to these unpredictable, sometimes welcome and sometimes not, distortions of your game plan.

Part Four: Team Processes

Effective Teams are characterized by:

• Open Communication

• Debate on Key Issues• Decision by

Consensus• Self-Monitoring &

Correcting of Behaviors

Do

• Use teams for complex tasks involving various functions

• Train first time teams and team members

• Go Slow• Give team members time to

perform team functions• Give the team time to get

organized• Reward members as a team

for team performance

Don’t• Follow fads (use a

team because it is popular)

• Use teams everywhere• Pull the team together

for minor issues• Force fit people into

teams

Facilitators’ Techniques for Team Tasks:

• Get information from the group• Address key issues and problems• Lead discussions to clarify issues• Develop solutions to problems• Gain consensus on actions to be taken• Ensure that critical decisions are made• Test to see if the group process is working

Do• Learn all the techniques• Fit the technique to the

situation as it develops• Invent new techniques,

combinations, or experiment

• Train the team to independently use the facilitation techniques

Don’t• Get bound up in

process so objective aren’t accomplished

• Hesitate to confront the situation if meetings get off track

• Force people into a spotlight role if they are uncomfortable

Failures happen when:

• Organizations pay lip service to planning

• The planning team is process bound, and not pursuing results

• The CEO is not a visionary or committed

• Those to execute the plan are not committed or held accountable

• The plan is not reviewed• Barriers to progress are

not removed

Success requires:• Successful planning processes• Successful plans• Successful implementations