Your Strategic Planning Process Needs a Plan

It's a good time to start thinking about your strategic planning now. Not the plan itself... but the plan behind the development of the plan.

Why consider planning for your strategic planning process? 

People often lose sight of the strategic plan a few months into the year, even after spending weeks or longer developing it. Perhaps you completely ignore the plan after its roll-out.

In my experience, most plans are ineffective or underutilized because of one (or more) of the following factors:

• Executive teams develop a singular focus on defining OKRs or KPIs without an actual supporting strategy.
• No clear understanding of the differences between a "strategy," an "objective," and an "action."
• Managers are often left out of the planning process. Those who are included tend to focus on what they do from a functional perspective and can find it challenging to focus on strategies that deliver value to the organization's key stakeholders and meet organizational objectives.
• Plans are not reviewed quarterly to ensure the project or program-level activities that drive the strategic objectives are met.

Furthermore, want to ensure your strategic planning is actually impactful? Read this short article from Graham Kenny, published in Harvard Business Review, you'll gain an understanding of how to correctly frame processes by focusing on system design.

Strategic planning should be iterative. As Graham Kenny says,
"strategic planning is a journey, not a project."

Certainly, you may kick start your planning with an offsite or executive retreat, but consider that the beginning... not the end. Then plan on regrouping quarterly to assess what's working, what's underperforming and needs attention, and what needs a total reboot.

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