Services

Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning is an organization's process of defining its direction, and making decisions on how to allocate resources in pursuit of the desired path. Strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next year or two, how you are going to get there, and how will you measure success.

There are many paths to developing a Strategic Plan. The focus of a strategic plan is usually on the entire organization, while the focus of a business plan is usually on a particular product, service or program. There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan is developed depends on the nature of the organization's leadership, culture of the organization, complexity of the organization's environment, size of the organization and expertise of planners.

There are a variety of perspectives, models and approaches used in strategic planning. Goals-based planning is the most common option, and it starts with a focus on the organization's mission and values, vision, strategic goals, and action planning.

Regarding benefits of strategic planning, the time and energy you invest through the strategic planning process will answer mission critical questions about your organization:

  • How to clearly establishes priorities.
  • How to keep the organization as a whole focused, while your team members on the same page.
  • How to force the organization to ask tough questions, tackle complex issues, and develop short and long term solutions.
  • How to help the organization leverage each opportunity to its fullest potential.
  • How to look at the organization with a fresh eye.
  • How to build a structure that engages your leadership, boards, stakeholders, staff, membership, and volunteers.

Although many organizations value a clearly defined and communicated strategic plan, others continue to operate without a strong vision and mission. Organizations where strategic planning does not take place may confront some of the following difficulties:

  • Major decisions are made without a focus on the organization's priorities and strengths.
  • There is a lack of adequate resources to fund short-term and long-term projects.
  • Impulse supersedes sound strategy when developing key services/programs or attempting to capture greater market share.
  • There is a shortage of human and capital resources to plan for new products and services.
  • Anecdotal information “describes” success instead of quantitative measurements defining success.

VMG Service Offerings
Strategic Planning

VMG is committed to working with organizations to develop a strategic planning process that:

  • Focuses the organization on its mission, vision, and goals.
  • Results in a plan that will maximize all resources within the organization.
  • Identifies needed resources to carry-out the plan on both a short and long term basis.
  • Engages the entire organization around a common set of values and priorities.
  • Helps everyone (from board members to volunteers) understand their role in fulfilling the mission.
  • Minimizes failure and allows for appropriate course correction based on solid evaluation.