top tips for effective strategic planning meetings 2015 strategic planning christianson...

Top Tips for Effective

Strategic Planning Meetings

ACE Conference 2015 Connie Lindstrom—Benchmarking

Jonathan Olmscheid—Assurance & Advisory Svc.

Jamey Cline—Business Development

Christianson & Associates, PLLP

Top Tips for Strategic Planning Sessions

• Background: Goals & Basics of Strategic Planning

• Planning Before You Plan

• Ideas for Conducting the Session

• Follow-Up—Making the Session Worth the Time

• Group Discussion & Ideas


Why Strategic Planning?

“…But we have lots of good specific goals already!”

“…But we developed a good strategic vision last year!”




If this is your company, strategic planning helps by:

• Putting the short term goals in context of long-term

goals: easier to prioritize projects, allocate

resources effectively, and stay on target.

• Getting an “aerial” view of your business in

historical and industry context: better-informed

day-to-day choices and management.




If this is your company,

strategic planning

should provide an

overview of direction.




If this is your company, strategic planning helps by:

• Identifying gaps between vision and reality: where

are the potholes in your road to success?

• Closing up reporting and resource problems.

• Realigning priorities based on new information.




If this is your company,

strategic planning

should provide

specific action items.


Why Strategic Planning? No matter where you are in the planning cycle, strategic

planning sessions encourage:

• Sharing ideas: more time, more free-form

opportunity to move beyond the formula of

1) old business 2) new business 3) lunch.

• Better communication: everyone gets a chance to

talk; board and management team learn each other’s

communication styles.

• More active participation moving the organization

forward: coming up with ideas=higher buy-in.


How Often? Points to Consider

Board and management turnover rate

• Lots of new people=good idea to provide context and get everyone on the same page

• Stable teams=good agreement and understanding, but is everyone too complacent?

Urgency

• Is there a big change or crisis looming? Better buy-in for the need to set aside time to plan if you can identify (or create) a “burning platform.”


How Often? The overall goal of any business

is profitability—so find the

right balance between

conducting business as usual

and creating passion for

improvement.


Pre-Planning=Effective Planning

Who’s Attending?

• Essential: board members, CEO

• Good idea: management team (CFO,

general manager, plant manager)

• Maybe: HR executive, former board/advisors

More= Fewer=

Diversity Efficiency



Where Are We Going?

• Consider: Will we be interrupted onsite? Will everyone

take it seriously if they can “run out for a few minutes”?

Can key people attend if we are off site? Can we afford

the perception of being “removed” from reality?

Off-site= On-site=

Commitment/Focus Convenience/Cost



How Long Is This Going to Take?

• Consider the goals of communication and

understanding: time to “digest” ideas and info presented

is key to developing good action plans.

• Suggestion: One day to cover material, evening to relax,

next day to map out takeaways and strategy.

Longer= Shorter=

More Ideas More Engagement



Who’s Leading the Discussion?

• Remember the goals: pick someone who will:

• Encourage everyone to talk

• “Ask dumb questions”

• Keep things on track

• Take good notes

Internal Help= Outside Help=

Knowledge of Business Knowledge of Process


Pre-Planning=Effective Planning What Are We Talking About?

Initiator/Driver of the Session and Facilitator

work together to:

1. Articulate a high-level goal (reason for meeting)

2. Develop an agenda

3. Conduct a survey of attendees


Why A Survey?

• Maximizes diversity of opinions

• Maximizes effectiveness of the agenda

• Encourages “quiet” participants to feel their ideas

are part of the conversation

• Encourages people to think and question others

about the big issues BEFORE the meeting starts

• Helps show contrast between perception and reality


What to Include In a Survey

• Assessment of business concerns

• SWOT analysis questions

• Quantitative questions (multiple choice, ranking,

etc. to show averages and relative importance)

• Open-ended questions on topics to include/cover


How to Build and Conduct the Survey 1. Find examples and tailor to your needs

2. Survey all attendees (and maybe more…)

3. Consider web-based survey tools

4. Keep it short and make it easy to complete

5. Assign a contact who can answer questions

6. Allow plenty of time for answers and analysis


Building the Agenda & Running the Meeting

1. Articulate the high-level goal (why are we here?)

1. Is this a general “five-year plan” meeting?

2. Are we addressing a problem? Ex: a) Are we diversified enough?

b) Do we have a succession crisis?

3. Do we already have a specific objective? Ex: a) Be prepared to increase production

b) Become a community-integrated bio-refinery

c) Minimize cost of production

d) Sell the plant


Building the Agenda & Running the Meeting Even if answering “why are we here?” IS part of the high-level goal,

there should be some discussion at the start of the meeting. None of

the rest of the conversation makes sense without this context.



2. Provide industry context A. Industry performance and analysis

B. Forecasts—markets, etc.

C. Important trends, policies, and regulatory issues

West Central East



3. Review company performance A. Historical performance—big wins, failures, historical

performance of strategic planning efforts?

B. Benchmarks against comparable organizations

C. Frank assessment of committee structures, policies,

procedures, communication and trust issues

D. Assess survey results: is there a divide between the

perceptions on the survey, and the reality of benchmarks and

historical reporting? Is there a gap between board and

management? Is this a problem?



4. Do a SWOT analysis: combine survey results with

other reporting to get a realistic picture.

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats

Internal

Factors

Negative

Positive

External

Factors



5. Review the mission statement.

• Use this moment to think back on all the data

you’ve just reviewed—that’s where you ARE.

• Mission statement informs where you WANT

TO BE. • Now you can jump in and….



6. Tackle the topics!


Plan for Action and Follow Up

1. Take a breather first! Discuss the details of your plan after a break (Day 2?), when

everyone’s had a chance to think over all the information.

Tip: Your facilitator should organize and be ready

to present recap and notes at the beginning of the

new session.


Plan for Action and Follow Up

2. Set the goals. Remember: where are you now versus

where do you want to be? The gap informs the goal.

Types of Goals Examples

ORGANIZATION Specific: Create board recruitment committee

General: Draft a mission statement

COMMUNICATION Specific: Management send weekly board update

General: Brainstorm ways to improve trust

FINANCIAL

Specific: Meet KPI targets

Specific: Set KPI targets

General: Figure out what our KPIs are!

PRODUCTION

Specific: Reduce labor cost

General: Investigate yield improvement technology

RISK MANAGEMENT

Specific: Create risk management education for board

General: Research procurement changes


Plan for Action and Follow Up 3. Create the roadmap.

• Identify specific actions

• Set a timeline

• Assign resources

Critical Issues

Or Goals

Action Items Timeline Resources

Required

ORGANIZATION

COMMUNICATION

FINANCIAL

PRODUCTION

RISK MANAGEMENT

?

?

?


Example of a Simple

Strategic Planning Document Critical Issues and Goals Action Items Timeline Resources

Required

Organization Goal –

Hire CEO

1. Empower committee to :

a. determine if search firm needed

b. Define responsibilities

2. Launch search

Jan 1 2016 Committee,

Search firm fees

Communication Goal –

Follow Robert’s Rules of Order

1. President requires meeting to following Robert’s Rules

of Order

2. Provide board with copy of Robert’s Rules of Order

Next Board meeting Communication,

book with Rules

Financial Goal –

Be a profitability leader

1. EBITDA – between average & leaders in peer group

a. Compare with no WDGS plants

b. Make one factor in bonus compensation

c. Measure on a 4 quarter rolling average

Measure at fiscal year end Reports, staff to

interpret reports,

change bonus

goals (HR)

Risk Management Goal -

Review risk management

policy

a. Review and provide detail to policy

b. Revise authorization limits of staff

c. Verify reporting & segregation of duties

d. Prepare training plan for risk policy

e. Review annual audit requirement to verify

compliance

Jan 1 2016 Time,

Budget for

outsourcing, risk

management

committee time


Great! We Have a Strategic Plan!

Now What?

1. Update and review the plan quarterly at least. Reporting

and follow-up should be included in your action plan.

2. Everyone’s plan and method for documenting progress

and changes will be different; do what works for you.

3. Does part of the plan need to include goals or performance

reviews for senior management/CEO? This is one way to

keep goals front of mind.


Group Discussion

• How often do you hold strategic planning sessions?

• Regular intervals – i.e. every other year, etc.

• As needs arise?

• Who attends the sessions?

• How do you plan for it?

• Who plans?

• Who runs it?

• Do you use an outside facilitator?


Group Discussion

• Onsite or offsite?

• Include recreation or all business?

• How long does the meeting go?


Group Discussion

• Was your session successful?

• If so: why do you think yours are successful?

• If not: What would you do to change them? Or

what would you do instead?

• How will you put the outcomes into action?

Questions?

Jamey Cline [email protected]

Connie Lindstrom [email protected]

Jonathan Olmscheid [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



top tips for effective strategic planning meetings 2015 strategic planning christianson...

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