VISUALIZING GROWTH IN A STRATEGIC PLAN E X P O N E N T I A L G R O W T H S TA R T S S M A L L
BY MACKEY SMITH
I
t has been a pleasure serving the UACPA this last year in the creation of a new five-year strategic plan. This plan is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work from many engaged members.
The Purpose Before we jump into the strategic plan, I want to share what the plan is not. It’s not meant to articulate the business as usual of the organization, nor map every single thing the organization will work on over the next five years. The plan is meant to articulate the priorities of the organization, and to provide structure for what the organization will work on to address the emerging (and already emerged) trends facing the profession. The Process Organizational leadership and the board wanted to include as many stakeholders from the profession as possible to ensure that the strategic plan reflects the priorities of its members. To lead stakeholder engagement, the board appointed a committee of dedicated volunteers to serve as
the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee. This committee engaged the various segments of the profession, conducting focus groups with CPAs in public practice at large and midsized firms, sole proprietors, CPAs in industry and nonprofits, local chapters from counties along the Wasatch Front and southern and rural Utah, and current accounting students who will soon enter the profession. The feedback received was used to identify opportunities and to inform strategic priorities. Participants in the process were open in sharing challenges they see, as well as opportunities to address emerging trends in the profession. A few major trends that emerged include the increased competition in recruiting students into the profession, the need to diversify the talent pool in Utah to reflect additional backgrounds and perspectives, the desire to continue supplying quality CPE trainings and policy support and advocacy, and the overall increasing expectations that clients have from their CPAs.
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