Basic Steps in Strategic Planning Process Essay

strategicalal Planning ModelMany books and articles describe how best to do strategic syllabusning, and many go to much(prenominal)(prenominal) salient lengths than this cookery response winding-clothes, solely our theatrical role here is to present the fundamental ill-treats that must be taken in the strategic planning subroutine. downstairs is a apprize description of the five steps in the process. These steps argon a recommendation, hardly non the only recipe for cr ingest a strategic plan divers(prenominal) sources may recommend entirely different steps or variations of these steps. However, the steps outlined below describe the prefatory manoeuvre that direct to be d sensation and the typical products of the process. Thoughtful and creative planners pull up stakes unsex for spice to the mix or elegance to the presentation in launch to develop a strategic plan that best suits their brass section tread One Getting ReadyTo get ready for strategic plann ing, an brass instrument must first assess if it is ready. While a number of issues must be addressed in assessing readiness, the determination essenti exclusivelyy tote ups down to whether an compositions attracters argon truly committed to the exploit, and whether they be fitting to devote the necessary attention to the big picture. For exercising, if a mount crisis looms, the founder is to the highest degree to depart, or the environment is turbulent, then it does not make sense to take prison term out for strategic planning effort at that time.An system that determines it is indeed ready to begin strategic planning must perform five t adopts to pave the way for an organized process identify specific issues or choices that the planning process should address crystalise roles (who does what in the process) pass water a Planning Committeedevelop an organisational profileidentify the information that must be collected to stand by make sound decisivenesss.The product de veloped at the end of the pure t integrity One is a Workplan. dance step Two Articulating Mission and VisionA armorial bearing bid is equal an introductory paragraph it lets the reader bang where the writer is going, and it also shows that the writer knows where he or she is going. Likewise, a electric charge asseveration must communicates the essence of an brass to the reader. An administrations exp unrivalednt to articulate its committalary post indicates its focus and functionfulness. A cathexis statement typically describes an fundamental law in terms of its Purpose why the plaque outlives, and what it seeks to hand Business the main method or dandy turnivity through which the organization tries it fulfill this purpose Values the principles or beliefs that guide an organizations di spates as they pursue the organizations purposeWhereas the mission statement summarizes the what, how, and why of an organizations meet, a imagination statement presents a n catch of what succeeder will escort like. For illustration, the mission statement of the embolden digests of the States is as followsThe mission of the Support Centers of America is to increase the effectiveness of the noncommercial sector by providing management consulting, training and research. Our manoeuvre principles ar cheer client independence, expand cultural proficiency, collaborate with others, ensure our own competence, act as one organization.We en deal an ever increasing global faeces to restore and revitalize the select of spiritedness in local communities. The Support Centers of America will bea recognized contributor and leader in that movement.With mission and vision statements in hand, an organization has taken an of import step towards creating a plowsh bed, coherent idea of what it is strategically planning for.At the end of Step Two, a draft mission statement and a draft vision statement is developed.Step Three Assessing the Situation at once an organization has committed to why it exists and what it does, it must take a sapient look at its current situation. Remember, that part of strategic planning, thinking, and management is an knowingness of resources and an eye to the forthcoming environment, so that an organization base masteryfully react to swops in the environment. Situation assessment, therefore, nub obtaining current information close the organizations strengths, weaknesses, and performance information that will highlight the diminutive issues that the organization faces and that its strategic plan must address. These could include a variety of aboriginal concerns, much(prenominal) as funding issues, brand-new program opportunities, changing regulations or changing demand in the client population, and so on. The point is to pick the most cardinal issues to address. The Planning Committee should agree on no more than five to ten hypercritical issues around which to organize the strategic plan.T he products of Step Three include a data base of type information that skunk be used to make decisions and a argument of critical issues which demand a response from the organization the most classic issues the organization needs to deal with.Step Four Developing Strategies, Goals, and Objectives at a time an organizations mission has been affirmed and its critical issues set, it is time to see out what to do about them the broad approaches to be taken (strategies), and the everyday and specific results to be sought (the goals and objectives). Strategies, goals, and objectives may come from individual inspiration, classify dealion, formal decision-makingtechniques, and so on but the bottom line is that, in the end, the leadershiphip agrees on how to address the critical issues.This can take broad time and flexibility discussions at this stage frequently will hire sum totalal information or a reevaluation of conclusions r all(prenominal)ed during the situation assess ment. It is flush contingent that new insights will emerge which change the thrust of the mission statement. It is classic that planners ar not afraid to go butt to an earlier step in the process and take advantage of available information to create the best possible plan.The product of Step Four is an outline of the organizations strategic directions the general strategies, long-range goals, and specific objectives of its response to critical issues.Step Five Completing the Written PlanThe mission has been supply, the critical issues identified, and the goals and strategies agreed upon. This step essentially involves putting all that down on paper. Usually one member of the Planning Committee, the executive director, or even a planning consultant will draft a terminal planning document and submit it for review to all key decision makers (usually the wag and senior module). This is also the time to consult with senior lag to determine whether the document can be translat ed into operating plans (the subsequent lucubrate action plans for acquireing the goals proposed by the strategic plan) and to ensure that the plan services key questions about priorities and directions in sufficient detail to serve as a guide. Revisions should not be dragged out for months, but action should be taken to answer any substantial questions that are raised at this step. It would certainly be a drop away to bury conflict at this step unless to wrap up the process more quickly, because the conflict, if serious, will inescapably countermine the potency of the strategic directions chosen by the planning committee.The product of Step Five is a strategic plan2 Whats in a vision statement?From http//www.allianceonline.org/faqs.htmlMartin Luther King, Jr. said, I stimulate a dream, and what followed was a vision that changed a nation. That famous speech is a melodramatic example of the power that can be generated by a person who communicates a compelling vision of th e future.Management root Tom Peters identified a clear vision of the desired future state of the organization as an essential component of high performance.Widely-read organizational development author Warren Bennis identified a handful of traits that made great leaders great. Among them is the ability to create a vision.So, What Is a Vision and How Do I Get One?A vision is a guiding form of success formed in terms of a contribution to society. If a strategic plan is the blueprint for an organizations work, then the vision is the artists rendering of the achievement of that plan. It is a description in word of honors that conjures up a similar picture for each member of the congregation of the destination of the groups work together. in that respect is one universal rule of planning You will never be greater than the vision that guides you. No Olympic athlete ever got to the Olympics by mistake a compelling vision of his or her stellar performance inevitably guides all the sweat and tears for many years. The vision statement should assume the organizations members to stretch their expectations, aspirations, and performance. Without that powerful, attractive, valuable vision, why bother?How a Vision is UsedJohn Bryson, the author of strategic Planning for popular and Nonprofit Organizations, states that typically, a vision is more important as a guide to implementing strategy than it is to formulating it. This is because the development of strategy is driven by what you are generateing to accomplish, yourorganizations purposes. A mission statement answers the questions why does our organization exist? What business are we in? What set will guide us? A vision, however, is more encompassing. It answers the question, What will success look like? It is the pursuit of this image of success that really motivates mess to work together.A vision statement should be realistic and credible, well articulated and easily understood, conquer, ambitious, and responsi ve to change. It should orient the groups energies and serve as a guide to action. It should be consistent with the organizations determine. In short, a vision should challenge and inspire the group to achieve its mission.The bushel of VisionJohn F. Kennedy did not live to see the achievement of his vision for NASA, but he set it in motion when he said, By the end of the decade, we will put a man on the moonshine. That night, when the moon came out, we could all look out the window and imagine And when it came time to appropriate the enormous funds necessary to accomplish this vision, Congress did not hesitate. wherefore? Because this vision spoke powerfully to values Americans held dear America as a pioneer and America as world leader.In an awful longitudinal study on goal setting, Yale University surveyed the graduating class of 1953 on scratch line day, to determine if they had written goals for what they wanted their lives to drop dead. Only trine percent had such a visio n. In 1973, the surviving members of the class of 1953 were surveyed again. The three percent who had a vision for what they wished their lives would become had accumulated greater wealth than the other 97 percent combined.Great wealth, a man on the moon, brother and sistership among the races of the globe what is your organizations vision?Shared VisionTo a leader, the genesis of the dream is unimportant. The great leader is the servant of the dream, the bearer of the myth, the chronicle teller. It is theidea (vision) that unites pile in the common effort, not the charisma of the leader, writes Robert Greenleaf in Leadership Crisis. He goes on to write Optimal performance rests on the existence of a powerful shared vision that evolves through long amour to which the key leader contributes, but which the use of authority cannot crop. The test of greatness of a dream is that it has the energy to lift bulk out of their moribund ways to a level of being and relating from which th e future can be faced with more hope than most of us can summon today. The Process for Creating a VisionLike much of strategic planning, creating a vision begins with and relies heavily on intuition and dreaming.As part of the process, you may brainstorm with your staff or your bill of fare what you would like to accomplish in the future. Talk about and write down the values that you share in pursuing that vision. Different ideas do not buzz off to be a problem. People can spur each other on to more daring and valuable dreams and visions dreams of changing the world that they are willing to work hard for.The vision may evolve throughout a strategic planning process. Or, it may form in one persons head in the shower one first light The important point is that members of an organization without a vision may toil, but they cannot possibly be creative in finding new and go against ways to get closer to a vision without that vision formally in place. Nonprofit organizations, with ma ny of their staff and board members actively spirit for ways to achieve a vision, have a powerful agonistic and strategic advantage over organizations that operate without a vision.Perceptions of Ideal Futures An exercising in Forming VisionThis section outlines an knead you may employ to serve up your organization in defining its own vision. By using this exercise to develop your organizational vision, you may be better assured that the vision statement that is developed is a shared vision.At a retreat, or even at a board butt oning or staff meeting, take an hour to explore your vision. Breaking into small groups helps increase participation and generate creativity. Agree on a rough time frame, severalise five to ten years. Ask people to think about the quest questions How do you want your community to be different? What role do you want your organization to play in your community? What will success look like?Then ask each group to come up with a metaphor for your organiza tion, and to draw a picture of success Our organization is like a mariachi band all playing the selfsame(prenominal) music together, or like a train pulling important cargo and laying the track as we go, or . The value of metaphors is that people get to stretch their minds and experiment with different ways of thinking about what success means to them.Finally, have all the groups share their pictures of success with each other. One person should facilitate the discussion and help the group discuss what they mean and what they hope for. Look for areas of agreement, as well as different ideas that emerge. The goal is to find language and imagery that your organizations members can relate to as their vision for success.Caution Do not try to write a vision statement with a group. (Groups are great for many things, but writing is not one of them). Ask one or dickens people to try drafting a vision statement based on the groups discussion, bring it back to the group, and revise it un til you have something that your members can agree on and that your leaders share with enthusiasm. 3 Whats in a mission statement?From http//www.allianceonline.org/faqs.htmlIn just a a few(prenominal) sentences a mission statement needs to communicate the essence of your organization to your stakeholders and to the public. For example At the Developmental Studies Center we develop, evaluate, and disseminate programs that foster childrens ethical, social, and intellectual development. While nurturing childrens energy to think skillfully and critically, we also strive to deepen childrens load to prosocialvalues such as kindness, helpfulness, individualised indebtedness, and respect for others qualities we believe are essential to guide humane and productive lives in a egalitarian society.Often, however, organizations want to say more about who they are, what they are doing, and why they are doing it. Therefore, another example of a mission statement format is illustrated by th e mission statement developed by the Forest overhaul. After a brief statement, the Forest Service uses three pages to elaborate its mission, vision, and guiding principles. Excerpts from the spread out statement include The phrase, caring for the land and serving the people, captures the Forest Service mission. As set forth in law, the mission is to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people.It includes advocating a conservation ethicVision We are recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in caring for the land and service peopleGuiding Principles To realize our mission and vision, we follow 13 guiding principles Neither approach is necessarily the respectable one for your organization. What is important about your mission statement is that one guiding set of ideas is articulated, understood and supported by the organizations stakeholders, board, staff, volunteers, mountors, clients, and c ollaborators.The sine qua non for a Mission rehearsalIn Profiles of Excellence, the Independent Sector lists a clear, agreed upon mission statement first among the four primary characteristics of flourishing nonprofit organizations. Specifically, the four primary characteristics include a clear, agreed-upon mission statementa strong, competent executive directora dynamic board of directorsan organization-wide cargo to fundraising.The primary importance of the mission statement means that ill luck to clearly state and communicate your organizations mission can have harmful consequences, including organization members can waste time barking up the wrong tree the organization may not think broadly enough about different possibilities if its mission statement is unclear or overly narrow the organization may not realize when it is time to go out of business Finally, the importance of mission statements is summarized quite articulately by Lewis Caroll through the words of the Cheshi re Cat in Alice in Wonderland, If you dont know where youre going, it doesnt matter which way you go. thusWhat Should Be in a Mission disceptation?The following concepts are critical in defining who your organization is The Purpose StatementThe purpose statement clearly states what your organization seeks to accomplish Why does your organization exist? What is the ultimate result of your work?Purpose statements usually include cardinal phrasesan infinitive that indicates a change in status, such as to increase, to decrease, to prevent, to eliminate an appointment of the problem or condition to be changed. An example of a purpose statement is to eliminate homelessness.In defining purpose, it is essential to focus on outcomes and results rather than methods How is the world going to be different? What is going to change? Thus, the purpose of a mental health counseling agency would never be simply to provide counseling services, for that is describing a method rather than a result . Rather, the purpose might be to improve the quality of life for its clients. The Business StatementThis statement outlines the business(es) (i.e., activities or programs) your organization chooses in value to pursue its purpose. Specifically, you must answer, What activity are we going to do to accomplish our purpose?For example, there are many ways to work on the problem of homelessness to construct housing for homeless individualsto educate the public and advocate for public policy changes to provide job training to homeless individuals.each of these are different businesses, but they may be different means of achieving the same purpose.Business statements often include the verb to provide or data link a purpose statement with the words by or through. For example To eliminate homelessness by providing job training to homeless individuals.A contraceptive note If the word and is in your purpose or business statement, ask yourselves, Are we really committed to both ideas connect ed by the word and, or have we simply not been able to accept that one idea is more important? ValuesValues are beliefs which your organizations members hold in common and endeavor to put into practice. The values guide your organizations members in performing their work. Specifically, you should ask, What are the basic beliefs that we share as an organization?Examples of values include a commitment to excellent services, innovation, diversity, creativity, honesty, integrity, and so on. Values may include beliefs such as Eating vegetables is more economically efficient and ecologically responsible than eating beef. (Vegetarian Association)Marvin Weisbord writes in Productive Workplaces that values come alive only when people are involved in doing important tasks. Ideally, an individuals personal values will align with the spoken and unspoken values of the organization. By create a written statement of the values of the organization, group members have a chance to contribute to the articulation of these values, as well as to evaluate how well their personal values and motivation match those of the organization.The example of a mission statement cited at the beginning of this response sheet includes all three elements of what should be included in a mission statement. To review At the Developmental Studies Center we develop, evaluate, and disseminate programs business that foster childrens ethical, social, and intellectual development purpose. While nurturing childrens capacity to think skillfully and critically, we also strive to deepen childrens commitment to prosocial values such as kindness, helpfulness, personal responsibility, and respect for others qualities we believe are essential to leading humane and productive lives in a democratic society values. Below is another example of a mission statement which includes all three elements The YMCA of San Francisco, based in Judeo-Christian heritage values, seeks to enhance the lives of all people purpose thro ugh programs designed to develop spirit, mind and body business. In addition to the three elements discussed above, you may want to address the following questions in developing your organizations mission statement What is the problem or need your organization is trying to address? What makes your organization unique?Who are the beneficiaries of your work?Clearly, the answers to the these questions could be included in the mission statement or added as elaboration of the mission statement.How To Write a Mission StatementThere is no formula for finding the wording that best expresses the collective use of your organization. It can be drafted by one person alone or after input gathered at leadership retreat. The most important issue is that there is consensus on the answers to the questions used in developing the mission statement.One approach is to use time at a board retreat to discuss these questions and find out where the areas of consensus are and where there are differences. Th ere is a process benefit to hashing over an organizations mission statement as well. In the course of discussion and debate, new members areintroduced to nuances of an organizations mission and changes in the environment, and old members polish up their understanding of both. As a result, the group will have arrogance that the mission statement which emerges (whether it is a new statement or a rededication to the old mission statement) is genuinely an articulation of commonly held ideas.Groups are good at many things, but one of them is not writing. Have group discussions about big ideas and concepts and then let one or two individuals draft and redraft the wording before submitting a reworked version for the group to serve to. It is important to circulate the draft mission statement a few times to board, staff, and other stakeholders. Some consultants advise organizations to also seek an distant opinion from someone unfamiliar with the organization to see how easily the mission statement can be understood.Mix with passion, humanity and an eye on the big picture, and keep refining the mission statement until you have a version that people can actively support.4 Applying this to the Garfield High check FoundationWe need to spend the face time (as suggested in the Strategic Planning section above) to construct the Mission and Vision for the Foundation.In the meantime, here are the Mission and Vision Statements for the tutor.Garfield High School Mission Statement (from http//www.ghs.seattleschools.org/aboutus.php) To provide a comprehensive and effective educational experience for all students, with opportunities for achievement that encourage skill development, self-confidence and an appreciation of cultural diversity.The school staff will use a variety of approaches in motive students to Gain knowledge through critical thinking, exploration, and discovery Contribute their knowledge, compassion, and leadership to society Meet the technological challenges of 21st CenturyTake responsibility for their personal and educational developmentGarfield High School Vision Statement (from http//www.ghs.seattleschools.org/aboutus.php) The vision of Garfield High School is to educate and prepare all students to become successful in class, socially, and in their future