The Seven Most Common Pitfalls in Strategic Planning
The common pitfalls in strategic planning are:
- Producing a plan that is not actually strategic. The strategic plan may have a mission and vision statement that sounds great but unless it addresses the key issues facing the organization it is not useful.
- Getting caught up in the day-to-day or operational issues. Strategic planning is designed to address the big issues of direction for the organization and not the day-to-day issues.
- Internal focus. Unless consideration is given to the client, members at large or other key stakeholders, the plan risks becoming unrealistic.
- Trying to do it all with inside staff. Surgeons do not operate on themselves or their family, and lawyers maintain that, “he who represents himself has a fool for a client.” The dynamics are the same in a good planning process.The most common solution is to have an outside facilitator and outside (i.e. non staff) board members or other stakeholders attend.
- Developing a plan that is not meaningful. Unless the board, executive director and staff know, understand and support the plan – it won’t happen! For it to work, the plan must be effectively communicated and ”sold” both inside and outside the organization.
- Developing a wish list instead of a plan. No strategy is worth much until it’s implemented. The plan needs to be translated into measurable components and discrete individual activities. Plus there must be enough follow-up, rewards, and consequences to put teeth into the actions.
- Strategic planning is treated as an event. To be effective, your planning team must treat strategic planning as a process not an event. Reporting regularly against the plan helps participants realize when it is time to revisit the plan. The best strategies usually evolve: they seldom just happen over one weekend a year.
