Three Steps for Strategic Planning Consulting
Southcentral Foundation’s strategic planning process operates in a continuous, year-round cycle that involves all facets of the organization. SCF’s strategic planning process contributes to the smooth functioning of the organization, and is part of the reason SCF has twice received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance excellence. SCF’s Learning Institute is offering consulting services to other organizations to help them improve their strategic planning processes using lessons learned from SCF’s strategic planning cycle.
Our strategic planning consulting process is focused on building a relationship with the other organization to better understand their mission, vision, goals, and organizational culture. The exact process can vary based on the needs of the organization, but a typical consultation will follow a process similar to the following:
- The first step is for SCF’s subject matter experts to meet with the organization’s leadership and strategic planning personnel to understand the organization’s current strategic planning process. This is usually done by phone or video conferencing. SCF’s subject matter experts will also provide an overview of SCF’s strategic planning process, discuss buy-in and change management, prepare a project timeline and list of deliverables, and select key stakeholders and SCF attendees for an in-person or virtual site visit.
- Next, SCF delivers work sessions with organizational staff and key stakeholders. The goal of the work sessions is to ensure alignment of the organization’s strategic planning process with their mission and vision, review the organization’s committee structure, and study and recommend improvements to the organization’s current strategic planning process. SCF’s subject matter experts will outline the current and future state of the organization’s strategic planning process, and provide a timeline for implementation of improvements.
- SCF will also provide training as needed to organizational employees on the different aspects of the planning process. SCF’s strategic planning cycle forms the basis for these trainings, though they are customized based on the planning process arrived at through SCF’s consultation with organizational leadership and key stakeholders. Once the training and consulting process is complete, SCF provides virtual consultation to assess the overall experience and effectiveness of training.
SCF also offers custom strategic planning software to assist with the planning process. For more information about SCF’s strategic planning process, download the Strategic Planning White Paper. For more information about SCF’s strategic planning consultation, which is based on SCF’s READI model of consulting, feel free to contact the SCF Learning Institute!
