A Strategic Plan in One Day

Imre Andrew Pattantyus
President
Strategic Modularity, Inc.

The challenge. Many clients expect a strategic plan in one day. This is especially true for clients that do not do strategic planning. They do not know what is impossible. Rather than tell them that producing a strategy in a day is impossible, why not seize the moment and accomplish as much as possible? Can something useful be developed in a day? The answer is yes, but only with advance planning and a properly run meeting.

The Result. What can be the result of a one day planning session? Will it be an actual strategy? Practically speaking, this is not realistic. However, it is possible to develop an outline plan that features 3 to 4 bundles of strategic alternatives, which gives the client an excellent basis for establishing an in-house planning process.

The Methods. A one-day strategic planning meeting does not allow any extra time for facilitation mistakes that would allow the meeting to get sidetracked. The attendees naturally come with a mindset that would derail the meeting, if allowed. They are often thinking one level too low, and usually tactically as opposed to strategically. They also have a poor understanding of roles and values (their own and those of their organization). These are common problems, so must be factored into meeting content. A very well planned and tightly run meeting elicits the essential information from the attendees. The facilitator must control the meeting, running it fast and tight such that there is no opportunity for any of the attendees to co-opt the meeting. The results must be immediately compiled into useful information that supports the next round.

The Facilitator. The meeting facilitator develops the plan and the process, brings it to the meeting, and thus runs the meeting very tightly. There are some predictable obstacles that must be overcome, so the facilitator must plan ahead for an effective meeting. The facilitator must ALWAYS focus on the process, and NEVER on the solution, which will come entirely from the participants. However, with proper preparation, the facilitator can ask the right questions, to elicit the necessary information. The members of the organization know best the harsh realities of their business, so it is their job to develop a workable strategy.

The Day After. What can be done in more time? The information in the draft plan will be presented to the organization and challenged. More work will yield more refined information, which will support additional decisions, which then require additional planning, decision making and communication. Between meetings, each of the players has assignments to do research, think about the possibilities, produce information, and create additional plans.

The presentation covers: 1) Planning, 2) the meeting Structure, Content and Flow, and 3) the proper use of the Results in the days and weeks following the One Day Strategy session. A detailed agenda for a one day strategic planning session is reviewed. Facilitation methods that work well are presented, and techniques that do not work well are also mentioned. The next steps after the one day meeting are summarized.

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