strategic planning is intelligent practice.
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Our team will help your team develop an effective strategic plan includes input from community, staff, students, and parents. Your plan should ensure clarity and consensus among all stakeholders and effectively communicate a common vision for the future. Effective facilitation will help you get the most out of your strategic planning process from preparation to implementation. Call to set up a complimentary needs assessment and preliminary conversation.
“Dr. Miller’s expertise in strategic planning was critical in engaging our community to face our long-term strategic issues. In the end, with Dr. Miller’s guidance we developed a thoughtful plan that communicated to the public and included performance management through use of the balanced score card.” — John Albright Deputy Chief of Staff Denver Public Schools “Dr. Miller is especially gifted in strategic system-wide design, school improvement and accountability, and communication and relationship building. He is keenly aware of how system changes and strategic initiatives have the ability to reach a critical mass that ultimately impacts a school community or even a district. Without his support our school would not have gone from the lowest performance category in Colorado to the highest in two years.” — Nelson VanVranken, Director of Early Childhood Education Adams 12 School District Think_Strategy_trifold_2014.indd 1
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contact think strategy office: 603-795-4493 mobile: 303-618-2531 joe@think-strategy.net www.think-strategy.net 28 Shoestrap Rd Lyme, New Hampshire 03768
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strategic planning facilitation The Think Strategy strategic planning process occurs in three phases with seven steps: Preparing, Planning, and Implementing. Preparing includes assessing organizational readiness, organizing teams, and developing an ambitious and achievable timeline. Planning includes needs assessment, issue identification, and plan development. Implementing is the longest phase during which the organization acts on the strategic priorities outlined in the plan.
preparing Step #1 - Readiness The following should be achieved during this step: •• Create a timeline including dates for important events and deliverables •• Determination of what reports are required and when (e.g., retreat summary report, survey summary, mid-project, final project) •• Determine who primary contacts will be •• Determine membership for strategic planning steering committee and broader strategic planning team •• A basic idea of how stakeholders will be engaged (e.g., focus groups, community forums, surveys, interviews)
planningStep #2 - Mission and Vision Step #2 - Mission and Vision During the Mission and Vision step of the strategic planning process the organization clarifies its mission and vision, which is a description of future success.
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Step #3 - Organizational Assessment
Step #5 - Strategy Formulation
An essential component of planning for the future is to take stock of the challenges the organization is likely to face in achieving its mission and realizing its mission over the next five to ten years. To effectively take stock the strategic planning team must organize available data and do a comprehensive assessment. These data may include test scores, demographics (e.g., changes in student population) financial, discipline, attendance, survey, or organizational (e.g., organizational charts, staff turnover, application rates). A comprehensive and collaborative organizational assessment is a necessary step before identifying the priority issues.
Strategies are the bridges from the organization’s current reality to its imagined future. Strategic issues (identified in step #4) identify where new approaches are required to reach the organization’s vision. During this step the organization is encouraged to investigate new ideas, explore cutting edge innovation, and collaboratively agree on the best approaches to ensure that the critical challenges are addressed and the vision is achieved.
Step #4: Strategic Issue Identification A strategic issue is any critical challenge that must be addressed to ensure the organization achieves its vision. Issues are those challenges that may impact the district’s mission, approach to delivering education, or management and cost structures just to name a few examples. Strategic issues may be thought of as internal or external forces that would prevent the organization from taking advantage of its strengths to reach its goals or vision. Strategic issue identification is the key to effective strategic planning. Without identifying issues it is hard to know how to plan for the future.
Step #6 - Plan Development A written plan is organized around strategic issues and the strategies proposed to address these issues. Goals are developed. Outcomes identified. Finally, the plan must be vetted through the decision-making body (e.g., school board). The decision-making body must have an opportunity to discuss, debate, and come to consensus about the decisions proposed in the plan.
implementing Step #7 - Develop Implementation Plan During this final step the staff of the organization (outline the steps required to achieve the strategic plan. It is vital that this plan include: timelines, expected outcomes, reporting method, assignment of personnel, and cost. 8/21/14 7:08 AM