Strategic Planning Development

Strategic planning has become the common language of the workplace. "What is our vision for the organization? What are our goals? How can we measure success?" Organizations of all shapes and sizes use strategic planning to guide decision-making and plot strategy.

Although it has changed over time – and periodically morphs into new lingo – the need to plan in a thoughtful way remains relevant. In fact, we have more clients who want to do strategic planning today than ever before, but they want to do it more quickly and with fewer meetings, less paper, shorter retreats and as little travel as possible.

Our clients continue to challenge us to devise even more creative models for planning, but every planning process includes a few essential components:

• A fast, flexible and collaborative process to get the work done quickly while still providing ample opportunities for participation.
• A method for gathering information about the marketplace and identifying important trends.
• A structure for making choices about which strategic direction makes the most sense.
• A solid working document that continues to develop as the group does its work, and a final plan that clearly communicates the organization's vision, mission, goals and key strategies.

The goal of strategic planning is to develop a shared "road map" that identifies the long-term direction and goals of the organization. For CHP&M, the first step in this process is the "Plan to Plan," an initial 1 to 3 hour meeting that results in a clear, written plan that will be used to guide the strategic planning process (complete with time and cost estimates).