Creating Your Strategic Plan

Creating and Implementing Your Strategic Plan is the companion workbook to Bryson's landmark book, Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, a step-by-step guide to putting strategic planning into effect. Using revised, easy-to-understand worksheets, the authors provide clear instructions for creating a strategic plan tailored to the needs of the individual organization. With more material on stakeholder analysis, visioning, strategic issue identification, and implementation, this new edition is the best resource for taking leaders, managers, and students through every step of the strategic planning process.

Preface to the Third Edition vii Acknowledgments xiii The Authors xv PART 1 AN OVERVIEW 1 Introduction 3 The Context and Process of Strategic Change 15 Readiness Assessment Worksheets 1 Interviewing People About the Proposed Strategic Planning Process 28 2 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges (or Threats) 34 3 Barriers to Strategic Planning 38 4 Expected Costs of Strategic Planning 39 5 Expected Benefi ts of Strategic Planning 40 6 Thinking Strategically About Strategic Planning 41 7 Should We Proceed with the Strategic Planning Process? 51 PART 2 CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC PLANNING: TEN KEY STEPS 53 Step 1 Initiate and Agree on a Strategic Planning Process 55 Worksheets 8 Plan the Planning Effort 62 9 Strategic Planning Team Membership, Roles and Responsibilities, Reporting Relationships, Tasks, and Competencies 71 10 Meeting Agenda 73 11 Meeting Summary 74 12 Meeting Evaluation 76 13 Designing Learning Forums 77 14 Strategic Planning Process Communications Plan 79 15 Creating an Elevator Speech 81 Step 2 Clarify Organizational Mandates 83 Worksheets 16 Initial Compilation of Mandates 85 17 Background for Group Discussion of Mandates 86 Step 3 Identify and Understand Stakeholders, Develop and Refine Mission and Values, and Consider Developing a Vision Sketch 89 Worksheets 18 Stakeholder Identifi cation 94 19 External Stakeholder Analysis 96 20 Internal Stakeholder Analysis 99 21 Power Versus Interest Grid 102 22 Key External Stakeholder Engagement 104 23 Key Internal Stakeholder Engagement 106 24 Mission Statement 108 25 Values Statement 111 26 Vision Sketch 114 Step 4 Assess the Environment to Identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges 119 Worksheets 27 Internal Strengths 123 28 Internal Weaknesses 125 29 External Opportunities 127 30 External Challenges (or Threats) 129 31 Competencies, Distinctive Competencies, and Distinctive Assets 131 Step 5 Identify and Frame Strategic Issues 135 Worksheets 32 Individual Strategic Issue Identifi cation 139 33 Operational Versus Strategic Issues 143 34 Master List of Key Strategic Issues 145 35 Master Strategic Issue Statement 148 Step 6 Formulate Strategies to Manage the Issues 151 Worksheets 36 Some Key Questions for Identifying Strategies 154 37 Strategy Statement 157 38 Criteria for Evaluating Suggested Strategies 159 39 Checklist for Contents of the Strategic Plan 162 Step 7 Review and Adopt the Strategic Plan 163 Worksheets 40 Plan Review and Adoption Process 165 41 Plan Evaluation 168 Step 8 Establish an Effective Organizational Vision for the Future 169 Worksheet 42 Vision of Success 171 Step 9 Develop an Effective Implementation Process 175 Worksheets 43 Evaluating Priorities for Existing Strategies, Programs, Products, Services, and Projects 183 44 Evaluating Priorities for Proposed New Strategies, Programs, Products, Services, and Projects 184 45 Prioritizing Strategies, Programs, Products, Services, and Projects 185 46 Creating Implementation Recommendation and Action Teams (I-Teams) 186 47 Action Planning 196 48 Microsoft Project Schedule Template 199 49 Strategy/Action Status Report Form 207 Step 10 Reassess Strategies and the Strategic Planning Process 209 Worksheets 50 Improving Existing Strategies 211 51 Improving the Strategic Planning Process 212 RESOURCES 213 A Model Readiness Assessment Questionnaire 215 B Brainstorming Guidelines 225 C Snow Card Guidelines 227 D Strategic Planning Workshop Equipment Checklist 229 E Conference Room Setup Checklist 231 F Model External Stakeholder (or Customer) Questionnaire 233 G Model Internal Evaluation Questionnaire 245 H Analyzing and Reporting Results of Internal and External Surveys 265 Glossary 267 Bibliography 271