Strategic & Tactical Planning

Phase One: Environmental Assessment

Identify forces affecting the organization

IGS will meet with the organization’s Strategic Planning Steering Team to review past planning efforts, define the planning process and timeline and identify internal and external stakeholders that the organization would like to engage in the planning process.

Based on this information, IGS prepares a project plan for approval by the Board. Upon approval, IGS conducts an ‘Environmental Scan’ to identify internal and external forces affecting the organization over the next five years. The Scan typically includes:

• Reviewing past performance and key decisions
• Defining the current situation
• Forecasting future possibilities

As part of the assessment, IGS will interview key stakeholders to discuss their perspectives on the organizations:

• Strengths and core competencies
• Weaknesses or constraints
• Opportunities
• Threats or Challenges

Following stakeholder interviews, IGS prepares a summary analysis for review with the Steering Team. IGS then presents the analysis to the leadership of the organization and facilitates a discussion to identify key strategic issues for the next five years.

Deliverables for Phase One typically include:

• Project Plan and Timeline
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
• Summary Analysis of Environmental Assessment (including stakeholder input) to identify key themes for Board’s consideration and discussion

Phase Two: Organizational Direction

IGS will review results of the Phase One Assessment with the Steering Team to prepare for a planning retreat with the Board. IGS consultants will plan and facilitate the retreat to share results of the phase one assessment and to engage the Board in defining the future direction for the organization.

Retreat discussion topics often include:

• Review results of stakeholder engagement (‘environmental scan’)
• Review and refine the Mission Statement
• Picture the preferred future and develop a draft vision statement with a 5-year planning timeframe
• Identify critical issues and opportunities to address
• Define master strategies that will lead to the vision
• Identify major milestones to achieving the vision
• Brainstorm a first draft of key goals to guide the organization

Deliverables for Phase Two typically include:

• Retreat notes
• DRAFT Mission and Vision statements
• Master strategies

Phase Three: Strategy / Goal Formulation

IGS works with the Steering Team to further refine the Leadership’s work during the Phase Two retreat and to prepare supporting information for a second Leadership retreat to:

• Review and refine work completed in Phase Two
• Finalize goals and identify key actions to implement the goals
• Develop a first draft of a sequenced action plan for the five-year planning period

Deliverables for Phase Three:

• Finalized Mission, Vision and Goal statements
• Milestones and key goals
• Draft action plan

Phase Four: Implementation Plan

Based on the Board’s guidance, IGS assists the Steering Team in preparing an implementation plan for the Board’s review and approval. IGS also documents the planning process and prepares a strategic plan report, including recommendations for periodic evaluation during the planning period.

IGS then facilitates a meeting with the Board to review documents and recommendations and adopt the strategic plan.

Deliverables for Phase Four:

• Strategic Plan report, including implementation plan
• Recommendations for ongoing evaluation