DIY STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic planning is critical to helping an organization focus its work and make choices that deliver on its mission. Strategic planning is often the realm of consultants, but this article looks at the process and offers tips on how you can take it on yourself.

If you are looking at an article about do-it-yourself strategic planning, you probably have a project or are in an organization that you are passionate about. Maybe you are at a place where you want some structure around this work, or have been told that you need a strategic plan. You may be new to strategic planning, or are looking to understand this process for yourself as you think about next steps.

If any of those are true (or if you are just curious) keep reading! 

This article looks at strategic planning as a process and suggests ways for you to use it to your advantage to strengthen your focus, relationships, and work. It also links to practical resources to help you on your way.

Here are a few high-level concepts to keep in mind about a strategic plan:

• It should be useful to you.

  There are lots of ways to put together a strategy, but the ones that really matter are the ones that help you make decisions to move your organization’s mission forward. In this sense, I often encourage clients to think more about the strategic framework that they need to make decisions in line with the values and goals of the organization. This can be more effective than spending a lot of time writing a list of tasks that won’t actually be used and are out of date as soon as you hit print.
  

• It should help you say “no” to things.

  Strategy is as much about saying “No” (or “Not now”) to opportunities as it is about agreeing to do things. A good strategy limits your choices in a way that you can clearly explain and focuses your energy on what matters most to your work.
  

• It is not a business plan.

  A detailed business plan should be its own separate document, with a focus on the income, expenses, and cash flow of your organization. Understanding your financial situation does play an important part in strategic planning though, because it will help you understand where your work is currently most sustainable and powerful. It will also help you understand what needs to change and where there may be opportunity to grow.
  

• It is about making time to ask questions together.

  Just because the title of this article is about “DIY” strategic planning doesn’t mean you should actually do it by yourself. Gathering a team responsible for driving the process, asking questions, and communicating about your progress will help you stay accountable as you do this work.