Strategic PlanningJen Erickson, UW-Extension

*How do we monitor our progress?

Why Would Anyone Do This?

• "If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

- Lewis Carroll

• Increased efficiency and effectiveness

• Builds consensus – vision!

• Better understanding of organization

Why Would Anyone Do This Continued…

• Shapes the future of the community

• Mutually accepted goals and vision

• Defines purpose

• Balances goals with resources

• Metrics to measure success

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What You Can Expect from a Plan

• Identify needs and opportunities

• Specific goals to address needs and opportunities

• Available resources

• What strategies best utilize the resources to meet the goals?

Phases of Planning

Pre- Planning

• Stakeholders and diagnostics (1 month)

• Assessing the local economy (3-5 months)

• Analysis of information collected (4-6 months)

Planning • Develop the plan (2 months)

Post Planning

• Review, share and prepare for implementation (1 month)

Plan for the Plan or Pre-Planning • IT IS ABOUT EXPECTATIONS.

• Key Questions:

• Does a plan already exist?

• What issues should the plan address?

• Time commitment?

• Barriers we might encounter?

• Process champion?

• Final product?

• Steps needed?

Readiness

What are the underlying issues?

What the underlying issues are -- not just address the obvious symptoms.

Diagnosis is an Art

Stakeholder Analysis• Group, person or organization

that affects the organization OR is affected by the organization

• Purpose:

1.) Determine if/how stakeholders should be involved in the process.

2.) Identify gaps

Key Stakeholders:

Expectations they have of Smallville EDO:

Village Board • Measureable impacts• Fiscally Responsible• Consistent communication

For Smallville EDO…

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Chamber Director

Village Council

Empathy Map

What are the key stakeholders thinking and feeling, seeing, hearing? What are their pains and gains?

http://innovationgames.com/empathy-map/

Assessing the Environment

• Analysis of local economy, trends, demographics

• Industry structure, labor force, tax revenue, physical/cultural resources

• Positive and negative aspects of the current economy

• Forecasting future economic development growth

Developed by Matt Kures, UW-Extension

Assessing the Environment

Purpose:

• This exercise alerts an organization or community to conditions that may require a response.

• It provides a “systems view” of clues and prompts for possible issues, vision ideas and strategies.

Assessing the Environment

Mandates and By-Laws

1.) What mandates can we change? 2.) How do our mandates impact the future direction of the organization?3.) What programs are not affected by mandates?4.) Is our mission consistent with our mandates?

Mission, Vision and Values• Mission: Purpose or reason for

existence.

• Vision: What an organization wants to look like in the future.

• Values: What an organization believes, reflected in how it acts.

MISSION: The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

Mission:• What are we here to do?

Why?

• Brief

• Today focused

• Remembered

• Provides guidance

Values underpin how the organization operates

• How did your organization choose its core values?

• What do the core values mean to your organization?

• How does your organization demonstrate its core values?

• What actions, decisions, programs etc. are out of alignment with the organization’s core values?

The Fundamental Principles for The Red Cross

Humanity

The Red Cross, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavors—in its international and national capacity—to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.

Impartiality

It makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavors to relieve the suffering of individuals, being guided solely

by their needs, and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

Neutrality

In order to continue to enjoy the confidence of all, the Red Cross may not take sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.

Independence

The Red Cross is independent. The national societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with Red Cross

principles.

Voluntary Service

The Red Cross is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

Unity

There can be only one Red Cross society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

Universality

The Red Cross is a worldwide institution in which all societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties in helping each other.

Vision:A clear description of what the organization

(or community) should look like after it successfully implements it strategies and achieves its full potential.

- Bryson

Vision: Long & Short of It

• Brief Vision Statement - Can be short and sometimes slogany

• Vision Sketch – created throughout the plan

- More detailed, may be a step early in the planning process used to help identify issues.

• Full Blown ‘Vision of Success’

- Includes a detailed description of the future state for multiple aspects of a community/organization

University of Wisconsin-Extension • Cooperative Extension © 2009

Creating a Vision Sketch: HOPES & CONCERNS

1.) Describe the organization as it is today. 2.) What it could be like in the future?

MissionServices

Processes

External Support

People

Culture

Resources

Structure

University of Wisconsin-Extension • Cooperative Extension © 2009

Baraboo Economic Development Commission (BEDC)

The mission of BEDC is to encourage economic growth throughout the Baraboo region by strengthening the City's competitive position and facilitating investments that build capacity, create jobs, generate economic opportunity and improve quality of life.

BEDC’s vision for economic development…Vision for a Diverse Regional EconomyThe Baraboo area will have:

• A diverse economy recognizing its strengths in agriculture, advanced manufacturing, education, healthcare and natural resources.

• A supportive, catalytic, yet predicable environment for entrepreneurs and business expansions.

• A respected, reliable workforce with diverse skills that earn living wages.

• A targeted, proactive business recruitment program built on competitive advantages.

• A strong tourism sector based on exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities, a robust arts and culture scene, and a premier dining and shopping experience.

Identifying Strategic Issues:The Heart of Strategic Planning

MIS

SION

VALUES

SWO

CVISION

STAKEHOLDERS

MANDATES

STRATEGIC ISSUES/GOALS

...a fundamental challenge affecting an organization’s

mandates, mission, product or service, clients,

costs, financing, organization or

management about which something can be done.

Internal Weaknesses/External Threat Addressed

• Our endowment is too small

• We don’t have a good way to recognize donors

• We’re competing with other environmental organizations for resources

EXAMPLE STRATEGIC ISSUE:

How should we manage our revenue and investments so that we are able to fund long term priorities as well as provide for shorter term operational requirements?

Catherine Neiswender, UWEX 2009

• When will this issue affect your organization?

• What kind of an impact will it have on your organization?

• Is there major financial risk?

• Is the issue on the radar screens of powerful stakeholders?

• Will addressing this issue require a new service, product, staff, and/or significant increase in financial resources.

How Do You Know When You’re Strategic?

Strategy Formulation

Strategies are a pattern of purposes, policies, actions, decisions, and /or resource allocations that address a strategic issue.

• Strategy: Investigate and address the barriers to business startups (i.e. resources, training, policies, permits). This could include developing a physical and/or virtual small business incubator.

• Strategy: Develop a plan to reinvest in and better utilize existing spaces within the community for economic development.

• Strategy: Develop and keep current an inventory of all existing businesses.

• Strategy: Partner with educational entities and employers to ensure job training corresponds to employer needs. Communicate progress with local businesses and the public.

Baraboo’s Strategies

Identifying, Evaluating and Prioritizing

Strategies Criteria 1TIME

Criteria 2COST TOTAL:

Inventory of Businesses 3 3 6

ID Barriers to Start-ups 2 2 4

Targeted Recruitment Plan 5 5 10

Action Planning

• For each goal• Specific• Actionable• What, Who and

by When?• Explain

Deviations• On-going

Measuring Success: “Accountability and Results”

• If you don’t measure results, you can’t tell success from failure.

• If you can’t see success, you can’t reward it.

• If you can’t reward success, you’re probably rewarding failure.

• If you can’t see success, you can’t learn from it.

• If you can’t recognize failure, you can’t correct it.

• If you can demonstrate results, you can win public support.

---Tom Peters

Measuring Success – Outcome Based

What difference will this program / initiative make in the lives of those served?

Kolzow, 2012

“Never Confuse Activity with Accomplishment” – John Wooden

Measuring Success at 3 Levels

1. Monitor

2. Assess PerformanceAre you doing a good job?

3. Outcome and Impact Analysis1. Number of new businesses attracted2. Net gain in jobs3. Improved unemployment rate4. Improved real estate occupancy rates5. Improved local wage and income level

Adopt, Implement and Share

• Adopt

• Develop implementation process – CHAMPION

• Who should know about your plan?

Monitor, Evaluate & Retool

• Ensure strategies are effective

• Ensure goals are met

• Early detection of problems

• Celebrate success

Costs$15,000-$500,000

Consultants and RFPs

When not to do planning?

Common Problems

• Failure to involve broad spectrum of leadership

• Not involving the public in a meaningful way

• Don’t understand strategic planning

• Too much time spent on visioning

• No clear identification of priority issues

• Wish list of action items that don’t address key problems

• Failure to assign action items

• No means to evaluate performance

• Lack of commitment to keep the process going after the initial effort