Starboard Leadership Consulting, LLC

One of the biggest time variables in any planning process is the amount of stakeholder involvement you choose to have (see our earlier blog entry, "Who to involve in the strategic planning process"). With limited or no stakeholder involvement, a smaller organization with a limited scope of work might be able to measure the length of their planning process in weeks rather than months (dependent upon an aggressive meeting schedule and strict deadlines along the way). However, it is not unusual for larger organizations, or those with many active stakeholders, to anticipate a planning process that might stretch over six months or more. Colleges, universities, and school systems often find that engaging all of the stakeholders and getting them on board takes time and can't always be hurried.

Recognizing the inefficiency that often comes with committee processes, it can be tempting to think that you could develop a strategic plan in short order by just getting the "right people" in the room to power their way through this. Tempting? Yes, but what it ignores is the importance of getting buy-in and a shared sense of ownership from those who can play an essential role in the plan's success: your board, staff, volunteers, donors, and community members.

We worked with a client where all of the key players indicated that they wanted a strategic plan, but when we started asking questions, we found they each wanted something really quite different at the end of the planning process. For example, while the executive director saw the primary outcome to be the development of a "to do" list for the organization, the board chair was hoping for a process that would bring greater focus to its programs (and perhaps even eliminate one or more of them). If we had not taken time to get them to agree on a shared set of desired outcomes, it is likely that everyone would have been disappointed with the results.

There are lots of reasons that are given for deferring planning to later:

· We have too much going on right now

· We need to add some new board members before we start planning

· We need to wait for our new board members to get up-to-speed

· We need to know what to expect from the Governor, from the Legislature, from the budget negotiations, etc.

The list can go on and on, but if you wait for the "perfect" time to embark on planning, you'll eventually realize that there is no perfect time and find that your organization is always reacting rather than taking control of its destiny. Don't spend time developing reasons not to plan—start planning and you'll quickly find that the obstacles disappear and opportunities take their place.

Nonprofit leaders always have a lot on their plates, and while they often want to have a strategic plan, there are plenty of obstacles that can get in the way of launching a strategic planning process. What follows are our thoughts on why there is value in removing those obstacles and moving ahead: