WASAA STRATEGIC PLANNING PLAN OF ACTION

5/20/2015 By: Brian M Touray

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WASAAS Strategic Planning plan of action

Introduction:

Strategic planning is about making hard choices. Planning and approach of an intended pristine

management process is very essential to developing a good strategic plan. The process focuses on

activities out of the norm of day-to-day activities of the organisation. It provides the organization with a

roadmap of what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. Considering that a strategic plan is flexible,

it still provides an organization the ability and parameters within which to work. It is highly

recommended that WASAA base its strategic planning process on the external environment and its own

capacity. The fact that the process is cannot take place in an ad hoc way, at normal staff meetings, it

requires collaboration and the participation of management and board members, for a thorough and

comprehensive meetings. Recommendation is that, WASAA adapt a three-year strategic plan, rather

than a five-year plan. The process can take between three to five days, for management and board to

cover all topics of the process. The plan will enable WASAA to respond to the following questions:

Who are we?

What capacity do we have?

What can we do?

What problems are we addressing?

What difference do we want to make?

Which are the critical issues we must we respond to?

What are our priorities?

Where do we focus our energies and resources in the future?

Where should we invest our resources?

What should our immediate objective be?

How should we organise ourselves to achieve this objective?

Who will do what and when?

Are we ready for an honest and rigorous self-appraisal?

Do we understand what brings change, and are we ready for change?

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Who else should be involved in the process?

Recommended attendees: Because embedded in the framework is values and vision of WASAA, it is vital to involve some employees from each department, in at least a section or part of the planning process. Please see suggestion below:

Strategic planning phase Who at WASAA should be involved? Planning the process The management team of WASAA should sit down and

do a review of the work done across the organisation, including achievements against targets and indicators

Understanding the context

Administrative staff and Board members, to understand and discuss the organisations issues and problems

Vision, values and mission discussion WASAA staff and Board members to be present, because the discussion should provide a set of operating principles, which will make it clear on what is of people who work in the organisation and or on certain projects

Review of strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats

Management and Administrative staff should be involved this process, because it should include discussions around internal strengths and weaknesses

Discussion of strategic options and goals

Management and Board members should be part of this process

Organisational structure Management team with input from the rest of the staff

Timing: A factor in a Strategic Planning Process:

WASAA must ask and answer the following questions:

When do we need the strategic plan?

How often do we need to engage in strategic planning process?

At what point should WASAA or during a project cycle do we need to engage in a strategic

planning process?

How long should the strategic planning process be?

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Strategic Planning Framework:

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Preliminary Questions for a Strategic Planning Process:

This will help participants in the WASAA strategic planning process to prepare themselves so they can

each make a useful contribution to the process.

1. What has happened in the past three years in the external environment that could affect our work

as an organisation?

2. What are the challenges and threats facing us as an organisation/project in our external

environment?

3. What are the opportunities we should be taking advantage of in the environment in order to:

A Make us more sustainable as an organisation?

B Help us achieve our vision.

4. What information do you have that you think is important to share with others in the strategic

planning process?

5. What are the important strengths of our organisation?

6. What weaknesses are preventing our organisation from achieving its vision?

7. Do you think we are clear about our vision, values and mission?

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8. What challenges have we failed to meet in the past two to three years and why have we failed to

meet them?

9. What challenges have we met well in the past two to three years and what helped us to meet them?

10. What is the most important outcome that we would like to see emerging from this strategic

planning process, and why do you think it is so important?

Major Components of a Strategic Plan:

Mission Statement: Identify the organizations main purpose.

Vision Statement: Draw or formulate a picture of where you want to be in the next 5 years.

Values Statement: Clarify and steadfast on your principles.

Competitive Advantage: Identify what your organization can do better than others can.

Strategic Objectives: Prioritize the key activities that will lead to achieving your vision.

Goal Initiatives: Strategic objectives should be transformed into effective and realistic measurable goals.

Action Plans: Comprehensive and specific action plans must be in place, to help implement your goals.

Monitoring: Put in place performance measures to keep track and monitor whether or not you are achieving your goals.

Financial Assessment: Does your estimated output projections exceed your estimated input?

Reasons why some organizations do not implement their Strategic Plans: No Ownership: When there are no stakes and responsibility, and failing to make tough choices.

Poor or no Communication: Plan is not disseminated to staff, and hampers their ability to contribute.

Exclusion: Isolating plan by removing it from the management process.

Ignoring Implementation Plans: Not focusing much on implementation during the planning process.

Lack of Progress Report: When there is no consistent system in place, to track progress.

Limited or no Accountability: When visibility and accountability lacks enough to drive change.

Lack of Empowerment: When staff and those involved in project activities are not motivated and empowered enough to utilize available tools required to influence positive outcomes.

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Background Steps for Strategic Plan:

Background steps form the initial steps in the planning process and should cover the following:

Input from the initial discussions

Clarification of problems analysis, which will dissect and provide an understanding of

the issues being addressed, their cause and effects

Review of the organisation as a functioning system enables the organization pin-point

the internal system of the organization and how it really function (review of SWOT)

Clarifying the planning parameters allows the organization to draw a boundary line

which can limit what the organization can and cannot do, and which sector/s it is likely

to do well

Identifying critical issues that must be addressed during the strategic planning

process, because it involves core problems or issues which significantly affects the

organization as whole, including its stakeholders and beneficiaries

Synthesising putting together the key learnings for the organisation or project that

emerge from this background work

Conclusion:

A good Strategic Plan may be considered, by some as time consuming and difficult, however, it is not

beyond reach. A comprehensive plan is only possible when the architecture of the plan includes all core

components of foundation and building blocks, during the planning process. For simplification purposes,

strategic ideas can be illustrated using metaphoric images, as long as they are understand by the

participants. Even though, different organizations may encounter unique or similar situations, there is

no standard rule for a strategic document; regardless, some key elements still expected to be present.

Hurdles may surface in the planning process; nonetheless, there are benefits that will compensate for it.

Strategic planning helps organizations reduce the risk of ineffectiveness, and focus on their critical issues

and where they likely to make an impact.