Execute your strategic plan – don’t ignore it
By Eric Westover
The success of a strategic plan cannot be measured in how much time you spent preparing for the planning retreat. And it is not proportional to how much fun and good feelings arose at the retreat. Success is dependent on the steps you take after the strategic planning session has ended to ensure its effective execution.
The most common factors negatively impacting a plan’s effectiveness include the familiar adage, “out of sight, out of mind” in which the plan collects dust on a shelf. Similarly, a plan of 20 to 100 pages isn’t likely to be reviewed often because of its length and complexity. Finally, having too many goals can cause the process to come to a screeching halt.
Here are five ways to increase the chances of a successful implementation of a strategic plan. Consider how you can apply them within 30 days of wrapping up your planning retreat:
1. Adopt the Plan as “Official” – This avoids having an in-coming president, who might not have been involved in the planning retreat, from negating its value. It also discourages him or her from developing a personal agenda rather than working to advance the existing, official strategic plan.
2. Create a Brochure – This serves to inform stakeholders (members) about the organization’s affirmed mission, goals and projects. By including in the brochure a list of board or the planning committee, you create leadership’s accountability for setting and advancing the plan.
3. Appoint a “Plan Champion” – Appoint a volunteer who agrees to monitor progress and acts as the “cheerleader” to keep the board and committees on task. Another method is to appoint “Goal Champions” – board members responsible for reporting on the progress of individual goals. These directors would be accountable to liaison between committees and staff to ensure goal advancement.
4. Draft an Action Plan – Translate the board’s broad goals into a business or action plan to guide committees and staff. Consider a staff retreat to discuss the board strategic direction and how to accomplish it. Set performance indicators, accountability objectives, and timeframes for completion – keeping in mind that the plan covers three or four years and not everything has to be completed in year one. The action plan most often takes the form of a matrix or spreadsheet.
5. Include Strategic Planning and Mega-Issues on Agendas: By including a strategic plan update on the board’s agendas, the organization is sure to focus on the plan and to monitor its momentum. Also consider identifying a “mega-issue” at each board meeting to ensure the focus of the board to support the most significant items in the plan.
Using these five methods, your organization will increase the likelihood of success for achieving significant outcomes.
Eric Westover is the executive director of the UpperEx National Outreach Coalition, a national foundation serving upper extremity amputees. He is a below-elbow amputee and shares his passion with nonprofits around the country through board orientation, strategic planning sessions, and speaking engagements. Contact him at eric@not4profitplanning.com or visit http://www.not4profitplanning.com for free resources.
Note: HANO provides expert strategic plan facilitation services. In January, it will also provide training in strategic plan implementation for Aloha United Way agencies on Oahu. For more information, contact Lily Bloom Domingo, (808) 529-0465 or lbdomingo@hano-hawaii.org.
