Implementing the Plan
By Michael Wilkinson, CMF, CMP
Why do so many plans fail in implementation? See if the following sounds vaguely familiar:
· 
You and your team put together a compelling vision, with measurable outcomes, and specific, prioritized strategies.
· The direction is clear.
· The way to achieve the direction is focused and practical.
· You have the resources to make it happen.
· You have the buy-in of all involved.
· You have all the ingredients for success. Or so you think.
But, for whatever reason, the plan is never implemented. It sits on the shelf, gathering dust. Despite all the effort that went into its creation, a great plan lies dormant.
Why does this happen?
At Leadership Strategies, we believe there are three phases in strategic planning.
· In Phase I, Preparing for the Plan, the organization gathers the information needed for developing the strategic plan. This data gathering phase includes gathering information related to customers, competitors, employee views, industry trends and internal trends.
· In Phase II, Developing the Plan, the organization reviews the information from the data gathering phase and develops a clear vision of where it wants to be and the strategies necessary for achieving that vision.
· In the final phase, Implementing the Plan, the organization takes the steps to make the plan a part of its ongoing operations.
It is in this last phase, that many organizations fall down. Many organizations never take the steps necessary to ensure that the plan becomes a part of its ongoing operations. The organization never answers questions such as:
1. How do we best organize to implement the plan?
2. What changes are necessary in the way we operate?
3. What do we need to stop doing in order to free up resources to invest in the new priorities?
4. How do we get buy-in from our staff and other key stakeholders in making the plan of reality?
5. How do we make sure we focus on the plan on a regular and ongoing basis?
6. How do we make sure any new projects for consideration are evaluated against the plan?
To help guarantee success and implementation, we believe the organization must carefully consider each of the steps below. While for some organizations, especially smaller entities, a few of the steps may be unnecessary. For the most part, however, consider each step carefully to ensure that your plan is successfully implemented.
Implementation Steps
1. Hold a briefing for the entire staff on the plan.
q Review the plan for the staff.
q Assign action planning teams.
2. Develop action plans, including budgets; review plans for approval.
3. Identify activities to cease and a transition plan for each.
4. Identify changes needed in the organization structure to better implement the plan.
5. Identify changes in policies and infrastructure to better implement the plan.
6. Develop and implement a communications plan for communicating the plan to other stakeholders.
7. Formally launch the plan.
Monitoring Steps
1. The executive management team reviews the status of priority strategies at least monthly.
2. The executive management team reviews performance against objectives quarterly or every six months.
q Objectives are reviewed; adjustments are made as appropriate.
q Completed priorities are replaced with new strategies.
q Lagging strategies are addressed as needed.
3. The executive management team reports progress of strategies and objectives to staff and other relevant stakeholders quarterly or every six months.
4. The executive management team evaluates all proposed initiatives in terms of impact on the strategic plan and the strategic priorities.
5. Annually, the planning team updates the strategic plan.
q The team grades progress on each objective based on the likelihood of success given current progress.
q The team reviews progress on strategies based on percentage complete.
q The team identifies new barriers and reviews current trends for potential impact.
q The team verifies continued relevance of each objective, adjusts targets and adds new objectives as needed.
q The team verifies continued relevance of each strategy, adds new strategies as needed, reprioritizes strategies.
If you would like to speak with a member of the Leadership Strategies team about strategic planning, contact us at 770-454-1440. How can we help?
· We can provide a professional facilitator to lead your strategic planning effort.
· We can provide one or more hours of coaching to advise you on leading your own effort.
· You can have us assess your existing strategic plan to identify its strengths as well as specific areas for improvement based on our 20-point assessment
· You can take Springboard Online!, our on-line workshop that you can take at your own pace to build your skills in strategic planning. Springboard Online! includes a final exam to certify your knowledge of the concepts.
Michael Wilkinson is the Managing Director of Leadership Strategies and a much sought after trainer, facilitator and speaker. As President of the Southeast Association of Facilitators and a boardmember of the National Institute of Facilitation, Michael is a national leader in the facilitation industry.
