Conscious Chief Executives E-zine - Issue #010

I've Got My Strategic Plan, Now What Do I Do With It?

Steven Bowman
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So, congratulations, you have a completed strategic plan for your organization… now what?
(See Back Issue#9 Why Strategic Plans don't work and what to do about it.. Click here for back issue >>>)

Firstly, now that your plan has been completed, your Board needs to approve it. The strategic plan is the primary accountability mechanism for the Board, and truly belongs to the Board, not the staff. Only the Board should approve the strategic plan, they should regularly monitor it at every Board meeting, and should be the only ones who approve any recommended changes to the strategic plan. In return, they need to hold themselves accountable for the achievement of the strategic plan.

Click here >>> for a short video (1min39secs) that explores a different view on strategic planning.

There are a number of techniques to make your strategic plan work, once the Board has approved it. Here are some of the most effective:

• Formally launch the plan internally to staff, committees and to stakeholders. Have the CEO and the operational manager (eg team leader, Divisional Director etc) go to each of the teams or Divisions and stakeholder groups and spend a half hour or so launching the plan. The CEO should describe how the vision was developed, how it led the strategic planning process, how the stakeholders were engaged, the key issues for the next 2 or 3 years. The operational manager should then explain how the annual business plan is to be developed and what the strategic plan will mean to staff generally. Staff want to hear the visionary side of the plan from the CEO, and the “What does this mean for me and what do I have to do” from their operational manager. This sort of format should also be videotaped and made available on the web site for stakeholders

• Highlight the timelines and success measures. When making the plan public, focus on the timelines and success measure, not all the other material in the strategic plan. This is what most people are most interested in: When , and what will the outcome be.

• Restructure performance management system to reflect strategic priorities. All staff KPIs and position descriptions should be revised to reflect the new strategic initiatives. Each staff person should have at least 2 KPIs that reflect their impact on the strategic plan.

• Restructure committees to support the implementation- ensure all committees revise their terms of reference and their composition to reflect the strategic priorities.

• Develop a culture of strategic awareness where the Board and staff are functioning from continuous monitoring of the environment, rapid response and fast adaptation.(See Back Issue#8 Creating Strategic Awareness with your Board. Click here >>> for details of how to create that culture.)

• Measure the implementation of your strategic plan monthly. There should be monthly reports to the Board against the timelines and success measures for each strategic action due to have started under the strategic plan.

• Recast the Board agenda to reflect the key strategies and the outcomes from those key strategies. Most of the Board agenda should be focused on the progress and the decisions required to drive the strategic direction.

• Develop “Changes to Strategic Environment” as a standard Board agenda item, where staff and Board are invited to highlight any industry “gossip”, changes they have heard about, or anything that may have an impact on the assumptions behind the strategic plan.

• Align reports from staff to reflect the strategic plan and any strategic issues the Board should be aware of.

• Facilitate external presentations about the changing environment in which the organization works.

• Develop an operational plan that reflects what each Division or section of your organization will implement in the next 12 months.

• Develop a Gantt chart to visually monitor the progress against the strategic plan.

• Develop the revenue and cost implications of each action plan and recast your budget.

For a more detailed learning program, go to  - "Foundations of Strategic Planning” for more details or to download a copy. 

What's New?

1 day Intensive Workshop in Advanced Nonprofit Strategic Planning , Melbourne, Australia, Karstens at CQ, Tuesday 26th May 2009.

This workshop aims to provide excellence in debate and implementation in the Strategic Planning field encompassing stages from future potentials, through to execution and on to impacts, results and accountability. It is particularly relevant to Nonprofit organizations.

This one day intensive workshop will cover

• Creating Awareness & Exploring Possible Plausibles through environmental scanning
• Establishing Strategic Planning Frameworks that work
• Creating Decisions that are truly Strategic
• Embedding Your Strategic Plan into the organization

Click here >> to download details and registration form for Workshop.

Strategic Plan Facilitation

Contact Steven Bowman for an invitation to work with us to create your strategic plan that is truly strategic with embedded project action plans: in 1 day, involving key stakeholders, with fully accountability to the Board, staff and stakeholders.

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Available NOW to the Australian Nonprofit Sector.

Australian Scholarships Foundation (ASF) has over $470,000 of scholarships available from major universities and private education providers across Australia for a variety of programs including:

* Company Directors’ Course

* CPA Program

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Take the first step to broaden your skill set and make your organisation more effective NOW.

Visit ASF  on www.scholarships.org.au. Don’t miss out - applications close the 15th May.

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Previous Issues Topics

Issue #001 -- When Board members step over the line

Issue #002 -- How can the Chair and the CEO work together productively?

Issue #003 -- What are the Powers of Members vs Nonprofit Boards?

Issue #004 -- How can we improve attendances at Board meetings?

Issue #005 -- How do we remove unproductive Board members?

Issue #006 -- Creating Strategic Awareness from your Vision Statement

Issue #007 -- Are you a Board-Savvy CEO?

Issue #008 -- Creating Strategic Awareness with your Board

Issue #009 -- Why Strategic Plans don't work-what to do about it

Click here for links to back issues

Next Issue Topic

Next issue will focus on nonprofit Board remuneration (should we, shouldn't we, and why), a very emotive topic that has arisen more frequently in the past few months. (Mind you, I might change the topic if something even more topical comes in. Let me know what you would like to see!)

Please send us any of your feedback, or any questions that you might like to see in the e-zine. All communications are confidential.
Happy reading
Steven Bowman

Contact Us

Contact us if you would like more information on any of the following:

Board and Governance audit and review Our Strategic Governance review is a comprehensive independent review of Board processes, including Board strategic processes, Board structure, Board and stakeholder communication, Board compliance responsibilities and strategic operational issues that directly affect the governance of your organization.

Strategic Planning facilitation Our Strategic Planning process encapsulates the most robust, time-efficient planning techniques to provide a focused, vision driven strategic plan, with value added components that embed the strategic plan into the Governance and operational framework of the organization. Powerful success measures, a unique ethics filter, strategic reporting frameworks and strategic thinking processes are end results of our Strategic Planning process.

Strategic Plan annual review facilitation Is your strategic plan on track? Our strategic plan review facilitation provides a focused forum for reviewing your existing strategic plan, with four key questions explored?1. What has worked with our strategic plan 2. What has not worked with our strategic plan 3. What has changed in our environment 4. What do we need to add or take out of our strategic plan

Telephone (61)3 95099529
Mobile 0438 325 782
Email us steven @ conscious-governance.com
Conscious Governance website www.conscious-governance.com
Physical address: 17 Gordon Grove, Malvern Australia 3144