a handbook for strategic planning

8/8/2019 A Handbook for Strategic Planning

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The TQL Office provides technical advice as well to a number of organizations inside and

outside of govern men t. It has respon sibilities in six key areas: TQL edu cation and

training; consultant services; new technologies; assessment; networking and liaison; and

information and comm un ication.

The mission of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) Office, Office of the Un der Secretary of

the N avy is to assist the Department of the Navy leaders in their qualify-focusedimprovem ent efforts through ed ucation, consultation, information sharing, networking,

and technical adv ice.

Education and TrainingThe TQL Office is responsible for man aging

the technical and conceptual content of theDepartm ent of the Navy (DON) TQL

curriculu m. This work involves designing

and developing courses as well as training

instructors. The staff advises the DON on

integration of TQL material into the

training pipeline.

Consultant ServicesTQL Office members provide technical

advice to the Under Secretary of the Navyand other senior Navy and Marine Corps

leaders on the application of TQL principles

and m ethods within the DON and on

strategic plann ing. Advice may also take

the form of recomm endations on policy as

well as on Defense Performance Review

initiatives.

New Technologies

Technology can provid e critical sup port toDON quality imp rovement efforts. The job

of the TQL Office is to assess new

technologies related to organ izational

change and p rocess improvem ent and

translate them into app lications for the

DON.

AssessmentSystems are needed to assess the way in

which TQL implementation is enhan cingmission accomp lishment in DON

organ izations. The TQL Office is designing

and developing feedback mechanisms for

that pu rpose as well as developing

innovative app roaches to imp rove overall

organ izational effectiveness.

Networking and LiaisonThe TQL Office has much to share w ith

other organizations, both government andprivate, and mu ch to learn from them. Staff

mem bers p articipate in TQL-related

networks and professional organizations.

As resou rces perm it, the TQL Office

sponsors TQL conferences and seminars.

Information and CommunicationThe TQL Office educates the DON about

TQL policies and initiatives through a

newsletter (TQLeader), articles and reports,and presentations at conferences and

meetings. It is developing a

comp uter-based qu ality information

network to facilitate comm un ication w ith

DON organizations.

About the TQL Office


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Foreword i

Foreword

This hand book was w ritten for Departm ent of the Navy (DON) comm and ing officers, TQL

coordinators, and strategic plann ing facilitators in response to the m any questions about

the strategic plann ing process and how it should be condu cted w ithin the DON . It is not

intended to teach th e intricacies of strategic plann ing, but is merely p rovided to answ er

process questions. While we cannot an ticipate every question, the handbook details one

way to do strategic plann ing that is consistent w ith the strategic plann ing mod el presented

in the DON Senior Leaders Seminar and ap proved by the DON leadership throu gh its

Executive Steering Grou p. While this is not the only method ology, it is the one we use

wh en working w ith N avy and Marine Corps organizations.

To be successful, strategic planning requ ires comm itment on th e part of three peop le: the

leader (comm and ing officer) of an organization, the TQL coordinator of that organization,

and a strategic plann ing facilitator. This handbook attempts to delineate the roles and

responsibilities of each and suggests a process by which the three, together, can point th e

organization toward its futu re. Strategic plann ing is a continu ous consulting process that

mu st be tailored to accomm odate the climate of an organ ization. Our experience has

proven that strategic plann ing benefits both pu blic and p rivate organizations.

Words ofCAUTION an d ADVICE are interspersed throughou t the document and are

based up on our experience with DON organizations. We hope you find it valuable as you

begin your strategic planning efforts.

A Handbook for Strategic Planning is envisioned as the first of a series of han dbooks

designed to assist mem bers of the quality comm un ity in their efforts to implement TQL.

The authors extend a special thanks to Mr. Pat Malone, formerly of this office, and Ms.

Mary Jones, an organizational development consultant, for their valuable sup port an d

encouragement throughout this project.

Denise L. Wells Linda M. Doherty, Ph.D.

Director, Information Resources Center Director

DON DON

TQL Office TQL Office


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Forewordii


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Contents

Benefits of Strategic Planning 1

Role of the TQL Coordinator 3

Getting Started 5

Checklist of Supplies and Equipment 6

Who will be our strategic planning facilitator? 7

What will the facilitator do? 7

Who should be on the strategic planning team? 8

Should we invite some of our customers to be on the team? 8

Where will we do this? 9

How long will this process take? 9

Proposed Agenda 10

What can th e organization expect to get out of this investment

of time and effort? 11

Preparing for the Off-Site: Role of the Facilitator 13

What about the rest of the strategic planning team? 13

Who conducts the interviews? 13

What questions shou ld th e facilitator ask the strategic planning

team members? 13How does the facilitator conduct the interviews? 14

What is done with the information collected? 15

How are the interview data an d executive summary shared

with the team? 16

Are there other ways to assess the organization? 16

Selecting the Leadership Team: Advice to the Boss 19

Size 19

Community 19

Position in the Hierarchy 20

Knowledge Level 20

Abilities 20The Strategic Planning Session 21

Opening Remarks 22

Administrative Remarks 22

Strategic Planning Overview 22

Ground Rules 24

The Decision-Making Process 25

What is consensus? 25

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Which decision-making method works best? 26

Planning Assumptions 27

Vision 27

But shouldnt we develop the mission first? 27

Shouldnt we do the mission next? 28

Guiding Principles 29

Mission 29

Why are we doing strategic planning? 29

How do you define a system? 29

How can I do strategic plann ing when someone above me in

the chain of command isnt doing it? 30

Why is systems thinking important to strategic planning? 30

We already h ave a m ission statement d ictated by ExecutiveOrd er, law, instruction, or some other formal

document. Why do we need another one? 31

Gap Analysis 33

Strategic Goals, Strategies, and Objectives 33

Next Steps 35

Updating the Strategic Plan 37

How do the team and the facilitator know wh en to start the

cycle over? 37

How will the team and the facilitator know wh en the planning

assumptions change? 37

Are there other reasons for the strategic plan to change? 37Will the process be the same or d ifferent the second time around? 38

Should the facilitator do the interviews again? 38

What is d ifferent about the strategic planning process? 39

What is a SWOT analysis? 39

How is a SWOT analysis done? 39

What is meant by opportunities and threats? 40

Why is a SWOT analysis important? 40

Should customers be invited to participate this time? 40

How is the strategic planning process d ifferent this time? 41

How is the process the same? 41So, strategic planning becomes an iterative process? 41

Read-Ahead Materials for the Planning Team 43

References 45

About the Authors 47

Contentsiv


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Benefits of Strategic Planning

Strategic plann ing is the process by which the gu iding m embers of an organ ization

envision its futu re and develop the n ecessary procedures and operations to achieve that

futu re (Goodstein, Nolan , & Pfeiffer, 1992). It is an iterative p rocess, with no clear

beginning or end ing point. It can be viewed much like a merry-go-round . What an

organization does first depend s upon where it gets on.

The purpose of strategic plann ing is to transform th e organization. Strategic plann ing

helps leaders to:

Create their own organizations future

Provide a framework and a focus for improvem ent efforts

Optimize organ izational systems

Provide gu idance for day-to-day d ecisions

Provide a learning opportu nity for top leaders

Build a critical mass

Provide a m eans for assessing p rogress

Benefits of Strategic Plann ing 1


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Benefits of Strategic Plann ing2


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Role of the TQL Coordinator

The DON Senior Leaders Seminar teaches that strategic planning is the responsibility of

the top leadership in the organization. It should not be delegated or staffed ou t to others.

However, it is reasonable to expect the senior leaders to ask their TQL coordinators for

support.

ADVICE

The TQL coordinator should not act as the strategic planning facilitator.

Strategic planning seem s to be most successful when the process is facilitated

by someone from outside the organization. However, regardless of whether

or not the TQL coordina tor acts as the strategic planning facilitator, he or she

should kn ow as much about the p rocess as the other players to fun ction in the

role ofprocess consultant.

The TQL coord inator m ay be expected to act as both a process consultant and a process

facilitator. As a process consultant, the TQL coordinator shou ld be the person w ho helps

the senior leaders answer the following qu estions:

Who shou ld be ou r strategic planning facilitator?

What will the facilitator do?

Who shou ld be on the strategic plann ing team?

Should w e invite some of our customers to be on the team?

Where will we do th is?

How long will this process take?What can the organ ization expect to get out of this investment of time

and effort?

(Answers to these questions follow in the Getting Started section.)

Role of the TQL Coord inator 3


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Getting Started

What the senior leader d oes next depends upon whether the organization is just beginning

the strategic planning process or is upd ating an existing plan. Below is a checklist of

things to do.

Consultation

Leader and facilitator meet and negotiate:Expectations

Agenda

Ground ru les

Strategic planning m ethodology

Leader selects p lanning team

Facilitator conducts interviews

Facilitator compiles interview data

Facilitator prep ares executive su mm ary

Facilitator br iefs lead er

LogisticsSet da tes

Select p lace

Arrange for sup plies and equipment

Set up interviews

Prepare read-ahead material

Distribute read-ahead and interview package

CAUTION

Once the leader has d ecided to do strategic planning, too often wheels are set

into motion without a clear un derstanding of how mu ch u p front work

needs to be done.

Getting Started

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Checklist ofSupplies and Equipment

Supplies

Easels-at least 2

Flip chart paper

Marking p ens

Transparencies

Transparency marking pens

Dictionary

Thesaurus

The Power of V ision video by Joel Barker

Paper, p ens, pencils

Post-it notes

Nam e tents

Equipment

Computer

Word processing software

Printer and p aper

Disks

Overhead projector

Screen

VCR with monitor

Copy machine and paper

Fax machine

Getting Started

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The following questions shou ld be considered by the senior leader

and the TQL coord inator before further d ecision making.

Who will be our strategic planning facilitator?

This may be th e most important d ecision of the prep lanning p rocess. It is often

possible to borrow someone at no cost, from outside the command but inside the

government, to be the facilitator.

CAUTION

Facilitating strategic plann ing is not the sam e as facilitating a Quality

Management Board (QMB) or a Process Action Team (PAT) even th ough

many of the skills are transferable. If possible, the TQL coord inator should

select a facilitator wh o has strategic plann ing experience and who is

comfortable working with senior leaders. The facilitator should be brough t

into the p replann ing activities as soon as possible.

What will the facilitator do?

Once the facilitator is selected, the senior lead er and the facilitator shou ld m eet for

the pu rpose of negotiating a contract. During th is meeting, which should take

about an hour, the leader an d the facilitator discuss su ch elements of strategicplann ing as the methodology they will use, who the p lanning team m embers will

be, what they expect to accomp lish, what the agend a will includ e, and w hat the

groun d ru les will be. It is helpful, though n ot necessary, to write dow n these

decisions, but it is imp ortant that they agree on a strategy.

Getting Started 7

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Who should be on the strategic planning team?

It depend s. If an Executive Steering Committee (ESC) alread y exists, it may serv e

as well as the strategic plann ing team.

CAUTION

If there is no ESC, the peop le selected to participate in strategic plan ning w ill

probably want to continue some sort of ongoing effort. They may self-select

as the ESC.

ADVICE

The decision abou t wh o is asked to participate should be though tfully

considered . It probably should n ot be all the department heads or all the

colonels, for examp le.

The team should num ber between five an d nine mem bers. For a comp lete

discussion of this question, refer to the section en titled Selecting th e

Leadersh ip Team: Ad vice to the Boss.

Should we invite some of our customers to be on the team?

Maybe not. For the first cycle of plan ning, the team is learn ing to function as a

team. The members may not, as yet, have reached consensus among themselves

about w hat to do and what their strategies should be. Besides, if there is no ESC

and the strategic planning team evolves into the ESC, there is the real question of

wh ether the team w ould w ant its customer(s) to continue to meet with it in thatcapacity.

Maybe so. On the other hand , if the planning team has already been meeting

together and is ready to act on customer feedback, customer pa rticipation can be

mutually beneficial.

Getting Started8

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Getting Started 9

Where will we do this?

The site is not as imp ortant as the fact that it shou ld be aw ay from the regu lar worksite. This allows participants to concentra te on the strategic plan ning effort with a

minimu m of interrup tions. In making the arrangements, the TQL coordinator w ill

want to consider a meeting room break-out rooms if the group is largeand

rooms wh ere the team can work into the evenings and have their meals (together,

separate, special d iets) and social gath erings. The TQL coordinator shou ld also

consider th e availability of exercise rooms and the need for transportation to an d

from the site.

How long will this process take?

It depend s upon what the team expects to accomplish. A team that is committed

can norm ally d raft a vision, a mission statement, gu iding p rinciples, goals, and

outline some stra tegies and objectives in a 3-day off-site.

TOOL

A sample agenda follows. The times are approximate and a re

provid ed to give the team an idea of what can be d one in a 3-day off-site.


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Getting Started10

Proposed Agenda

Strategic Planning(Name of Organization)

Day 1

0800 Opening remarks Leader

0830 Introduction of participants TQL coordinator

Administrative remarks TQL coordinator

0845 Strategic planning overview Facilitator0930 Break

0945 Ground rules Facilitator

0950 Planning assumptions Facilitator

1050

The Power of Vision videotape

1120 Vision exercise Facilitator

1200 Lunch

1300 Recap/ refocus Facilitator

1315 Guiding principles exercise Facilitator

1415 Break

1430 Customer identification Facilitator1500 Mission exercise Facilitator

1700 Summary Facilitator

Day 2



0830 Small groups meet to draft vision,

guid ing principles, and mission1000 Break

1015 Small groups brief first d rafts

1200 Lunch


1315 Small groups meet to finalize

vision, guid ing pr inciples, and mission

1430 Small groups brief final d rafts

1700 Summary Facilitator


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Day 3



0830 Gap analysis Facilitator

1000 Break

1015 Identify strategic goals

1200 Lunch

1300 Identify strategies and objectives

1500 Next steps Facilitator

1700 Closing remarks Leader

ADVICE

This is hard work. Every leader thinks his or her team can accomp lish more

than this in a 3-day off-site. The TQL coordinator, working w ith the

facilitator, should try to p revent the team from setting u nreasonable

expectations for itself. But . . . the team mu st develop goals du ring the

workshop. Without goals, there is no imp lication for action in theorganization.

What can the organization expect to get out of this investment oftime and effort?

The purpose of strategic plann ing is to transform the organization. The team can

expect p rodu cts (outp uts)a p lan which features a vision, mission, gu idingpr inciples, goals, strategies, and objectives. But the team w ill also get by-products

(outcomes)teambu ilding among the top leaders of the organization,

organizational alignm ent, consensus of the leadership, an d a focus for the futu re.

Getting Started 11


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Getting Started12


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Preparing for the Off-Site:

Role of the Facilitator

The strategic plann ing off-site will be more p rodu ctive if everyone par ticipating h as an

idea of what to expect. So far, only the leader , the TQL coordinator, and the facilitator

have assessed th e situation and reached agreement.

What about the rest of the strategic planning team?

One way to get them to think about the plann ing session and the future of the

organization is for the facilitator to interview each of them pr ior to the off-site. The

interviews help the leader, the TQL coordinator, and the facilitator to und erstand

the current environment in the organization.

Who conducts the interviews?

The facilitator . . . in p rivate. At the time of the interv iew, the facilitator shou ld

explain to the par ticipant tha t the answers to the questions will be shared with the

group , but that the sources of the answers will remain anonymou s.

What questions should the facilitator ask the strategic planningteam members?

1. What is the main function or mission of (your organization)?

2. Who are the important customers that you serve?

3. What are the key products and/ or services that (your organization) delivers

to these customers?

4. Describe (your organization) of the future. Do you see any change of focus?

Emerging m issions?

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5. What are the operating values and/ or guiding principles that should guide

behavior in (your organization) to attain this vision? What current

behavior(s) need to be modified?

6. How must the (your organization) change and evolve in order to realize your

vision of the futu re? (What are the fears or barriers?)

7. Which major processes or systems should be targets for improvement to help

you better serve your customers?

8. How are reorganization and resource reductions going to affect your

organization? What need s to be done to ensure that core missions continu e to

be done w ell?

9. If you could change just one thing to improve (your organization), what one

thing would you change?

10. What are the things you would make obsolete?

11. What are your expectations about the strategic planning session? What

concerns do you have?

12. What question should I have asked you that I didnt?

ADVICE

The questions above are not to be considered all inclusive. These shou ld be

reviewed by the facilitator and tailored to fit the organization.

How does the facilitator conduct the interviews?

The facilitator shou ld schedu le one-hour interviews w ith each strategic plann ing

participan t. Some interviews may conclud e in 30 minu tes; others may take 90

minutes. It is best for the facilitator to start with the leader, because once that

person has made the comm itment, the other team mem bers will do the same.

Some plann ing team members may ask to have the questions provided prior to the

interview.

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CAUTION

While providing the qu estions prior to the interview sounds like a good idea,

the facilitator should be aw are tha t some of the par ticipants w ill staff them

out to be answered and then read the answers during the interview.

ADVICE

It seems to work best wh en the participan ts hear the questions cold. The

facilitator should give them time to think, and repeat the qu estion if

necessary.

What is done with the information collected?

Two things. First, the facilitator should p repare a docum ent that simp ly dum ps

the d ata, listing questions and all the answ ers to them from all the participan ts,

without attribution. This allows everyone to see how his or her answ ers compare

with those of the rest of the group . Participants w ill be able to get their issues on

the table and to see where there is consensus or d iversity amon g themselves.

Second , the facilitator prepares an executive summ ary from th e interview da ta.

Normally, this is a strawman vision, guid ing principles, mission, and a set of

plann ing assump tions. Each of these terms is d iscussed and d efined in the pages

ahead.

CAUTION

In preparing the executive sum mary , it is extremely imp ortant that thefacilitator not w rite the vision, guiding principles, or mission for the team,

nor should the facilitator make any value jud gments about w hat d ata are

includ ed and what are exclud ed. The strawman is merely a set of bullets that

reflect the issues, positive and negative, as verbalized by the team members.

The final version will be ham mered out and consensus reached at the

strategic planning off-site.

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How are the interview data and executive summary shared with theteam?

The interview process itself provides the strategic plann ing team mem bers with a

sense of what top ics w ill be covered d uring the off-site.

The facilitator should provid e the interview d ata and executive sum mary to the

leader so that he or she has an opportu nity to review the information and see wh at

the issues are in advance. Copies of this package should be p rovided to the TQL

coord inator for d istribution prior to the off-site.

CAUTION

Because the packages can sometimes contain sen sitive information, they

should not be distributed u ntil a day or two before the off-site. Sometime

du ring the off-site the team members shou ld d iscuss and agree on wh ether or

not they wish to share the data packages with anyone else when they return

home.

ADVICE

The source of all data must be kept confidential. The facilitator should not

share the source with either the TQL coord inator or the leader.

Are there other ways to assess the organization?

Yes. There are man y, and the organization shou ld use the ones that best suit its

needs. However, these instruments should be used to sup plement, not replace, theinterview process because the interview p rocess provides organizational inpu t for

the strategic plann ing process. For example, the Defense Produ ctivity Program

Office, through a contract with General Research Corp oration, has d eveloped a

Quality and Productivity Self-Assessment Guide for Defense Organizations (1990). This

guid e assesses climate, processes, tools, and ou tcomes. It was d eveloped and tested

for DOD organizations with quality and prod uctivity improvem ent as its main

focus.

Prep aring for the O ff-Site: Role of the Facilitator

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The DON has two evaluation instruments: The Total Quality Implementation Survey

(TQIS) and the Total Quality Leadership Climate Survey (TQLCS), both d esigned to

assist comm and s in implementing TQL. These surveys provide insight into the

organizations internal environment, includ ing commun ication, cooperation, trust,

commitment, teamwork, and innovation.

ADVICE

The facilitator shou ld always ask the lead er if any of these instruments or

others have been ad ministered. If so, and if the leader is willing to share the

results, having access to the da ta can help th e facilitator und erstand the

environment of the organization.

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Prep aring for the O ff-Site: Role of the Facilitator18


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Selecting the Leadership Team:

Advice to the Boss

The boss has just told you to pu ll together some of the key p eople in the organization to

do strategic plann ing. In fact, the boss wants you to take care of everything. What d o

you do now?

Besides th e obvious ad ministrative and logistic details that n eed to be taken care of, one of

the first things that m ust be d one is the selection of the strategic plann ing team. There is

no right or w rong w ay to make the selection, but a s a consu ltant to the boss, you should

encourage him or h er to consider the m any alternatives.

Size

What size should the strategic plann ing team be? Some COs think they have to includ e all

their departm ent heads even wh en they num ber over 30 people. It is true that a large team

maximizes organizational inpu t, but it is also much m ore d ifficult to reach consensus on

the issues. Group s this large limit participation by the ind ividua l members and , therefore,

encourage offline d iscussion of the issues. They almost always require that su bgroup s be

formed to work the issues.

Smaller teams reach consensus m uch m ore easily because the whole team can work the

issues together. The d isadvantages are that they limit the amou nt of inpu t and tend to be

perceived by others as elitist. With prop er dep loyment, however, these perceptions can be

overcome.

Community

Should both military and civilian commu nities be represented? Perhaps the militarymembers should come from both the active and reserve forces. Are wom en and minorities

adequately represented?

Not everyone should be included , but everyone should be considered . Ultimately,

selection should be based on w hat the individu al can contribute to the strategic plann ing

effort.

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Position in the Hierarchy

A persons place in the hierarchy of the organ ization is also imp ortan t. Occasionally, and

for a variety of reasons, a CO is temp ted to include one or more junior people. It is well to

remember that jun iors often acquiesce to the real or perceived w ishes of their seniors.

Having jun ior members on the team tend s to encourage senior members to delegate the

work to them, thus d iluting leadership resp onsibility.

Knowledge Level

Members shou ld be selected for the know ledge they bring to the team, particularly

organizational know ledge. They should u nd erstand the organizations mission and

functions as well as the value of system optimization. A thorough grou nd ing in TQL ispreferred, but not necessary, although it certainly helps to und erstand th e philosophy.

Abilities

Consideration should also be given to an individu als abilities. Is the person capable of

innovative thinking? What are his or her comm un ication skills, both written and verbal?

Is this person flexible? Will this person listen to the ideas of others and consid er various

options? Is he or she willing to learn?

Selecting the m embers for the strategic plann ing team m ay be the single most imp ortant

step in the strategic plann ing effort. The quality of everything that follows h inges on this

decision, which ultimately belongs to the boss.

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The Strategic Planning Session

Now that the prep lanning and assessment activities are comp lete, the team is ready to

begin to develop th e initial strategic plan . This section explains the plans essential

elements and h ow they can be developed . It also provid es some ADVICE, CAUTIONs,

an d TOOLs for the conduct of a strategic plan ning off-site.

Conducting the off-site is a challenge for the leader, the TQL coordinator, and the

facilitator. The leader h as comm itted the organization to an expensive investment of time

and money an d m ay be anxious abou t the outputs and the outcomes, especially if this is

the leaders first experience with strategic planning or first association with the facilitator.

The facilitator can help th e leader (and the team) be more comfortable with th e process by

explaining the p rocess as they work throu gh it and by checking with the leader, off line, to

ensure tha t things are going well.

ADVICE

Since the facilitator is on stage, it is critical that the TQL coord inator beresponsible for all adm inistrative and logistics activities. It is too difficult to

facilitate the p rocess and be called aw ay, for example, to deal w ith hotel staff

about the arrangements for lunch or the temperatu re in the room.

Dur ing the next 3 days, the facilitator will probably wan t to alternate between some m ini-

edu cational sessions an d the actual facilitated exercises used to d evelop the strategic

planning produ cts. How mu ch edu cation the team needs will be determined by thefacilitator, based on the information derived from th e interview p rocess.

The previous section presented a proposed agenda. While the times are approximate, the

activities listed p rovide a gu ide of what needs to be accomp lished an d in w hat general

order.

So, lets get started . . .

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Opening Remarks

The leader shou ld open the session, welcome the pa rticipants, and introdu ce anyonewho is new to the group . The leader should express personal comm itment to the process,

thank the members for their participation in the interviews, and provid e the team with an

idea of what is expected of the off-site.

Sometim es, a leader has an item of business which is non-negotiable. That is, it is not open

for discussion . . . perhaps because it has been discussed at length an d decided a t some

previous p oint in time, or perhap s because the leader has been given ord ers from someone

higher in the chain or comm and . If this is the case, non-negotiables should be laid on the

table. It is unfair to allow the team to d ebate an issue for several hours or days an d th en

tell them its too late to do anyth ing abou t it.

Administrative Remarks

The TQL coordinator shou ld p rovide information about h otel accomm odations, telephone

messages, meals, sched ules, etc., and should introdu ce the recorder, explaining that the

recorders pu rpose is to prod uce drafts of the outpu ts, not to record the d eliberations and

conversations of the team.

Strategic Planning Overview

This time is set aside for the first mini-edu cational session. The facilitator shou ld d iscuss

with the team the d efinition of and the pu rpose for strategic planning and perhaps

comp are strategic plann ing with other types of plann ing.

Strategic Planning Other Planning

Top-down Bottom-up/ Staff-generatedCreates future Extends present

5- to 20-year horizon 1- to 5-year horizon

Gu id es m an agem en t beh avior Little or no gu id an ce for man agem en t beh avior

External customer focus Internal customer focus

Effectiveness Efficiency

Emphasizes the process Emphasizes the plan

Proactive Reactive

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ADVICE

The facilitator shou ld emphasize that other p lanning is not bad ; it has itsplace, but it is not strategic.

The facilitator may w ant to review the ou tcomes and benefits that result from strategic

plann ing. Strategic plann ing is driven by the futu re and th rough it the leaders try to bring

that future about. The plan talks about w hat w ill be different in the organization.

Transformation takes time, which is why a strategic plan has a 5- to 20-year horizon.

The facilitator may also explain th e strategic plann ing model and the fact that the team will

be working on the strategic framework .

The Strategic Plannin g Session

Strategic Planning Model

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He or she should d efine the vision, mission, guiding principles, and planning assump tions

in their simp lest terms. They can be d iscussed in more d etail as each is developed.

Vision

An idealized view ofwhere or whatan organization w ould like to be in the futu re.

Mission

An endur ing statement of pu rpose. Describes what the organization does, who it

does it for, and how it does it.

Guid ing Principles

The values and ph ilosophy of an organ ization that guide the behavior of its

members.

Planning Assumptions

A belief based up on past experience and know ledge about how current and

future events, both internal and external to the organ ization, are likely to affect the

achievement of desired resu lts.

Depend ing on what the facilitator gleaned from the interview d ata, he or she may

want to d iscuss other aspects of the strategic planning p rocess or to provid e other

definitions. The facilitator will, of course, need to remain sensitive to the needs of the

team, to have question-and -answer sessions, and to take breaks as needed .

Ground Rules

So far the team has been in the listening mod e. Unless the team alread y has a set of

groun d rules, the facilitator should p robably propose and obtain agreement on a set of

ground rules before going to work.

TOOL

A set of groun d ru les is provid ed below. They can be presented to the group

on a overhead tran sparency, but it is also helpful to have them d isplayed on

flip chart pap er and hu ng on th e wall for all to see. The facilitator may ask

for d iscussion of, add ition to, and consensus on th e ground rules.

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Ground Rules

H ere and now no sea (war) stories

E xplore the possibilitiessuspend disbelief

R espect and responsibility for the group

O penn essspirit of inquiry

Energy

Strategic thinking an d listening

P articipation without side conversations

A ttack challenges, not each other

C onfidentiality

T imeliness

CAUTION

Some groups want to develop their own ground rules and can spend hours

(or even days) writing th em. Since this is not the purpose of the off-site, it is

best to have some ground rules prepared in ad vance.

The Decision-Making Process

There are many w ays to arrive at decisions. Because w e work in a m ilitary organization,

some participan ts will expect the boss to tell them w hat to do. Those who think strategic

plann ing shou ld be d ifferent, more p rogressive, expect the issues and priorities to be

decided by voting, with the majority ruling. Another w ay to make group d ecisions is

through consensus.


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What is consensus?

It means that everyone on the team may n ot be in 100

percent agreement, bu t they can live with the d ecision of the

group . The fact that th e boss has agreed to the strategic

plann ing process with the other leaders of the organization is

an ind ication that th e boss is willing to share decision-

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making au thority with the others. The boss wants ideas and op inions

from the rest of the group about how to shap e the organization of the

future. It is often the participan ts, rather than the leader, who are

un comfortable with this notion.

Which decision-making method works best?

Each method h as its advantages and d isadvantages. Voting is

a cleaner process. It allows the team to move forward mu ch

more qu ickly, but it sets up a perception of winners and losers.

Consensus is messier. Issues mu st be d iscussed , analyzed , and

discussed again, until the group finds a solution that everyone

can live with. While it takes more time, it allows the w hole teamto buy into the d ecision.

ADVICE

The facilitator shou ld explain to th e team which process

will be used and use it consistently. The facilitator shou ld

not try to reach consensus on one issue and vote on

another.

CAUTION

Some team s fail to make progress because they allow a

member to exercise veto power.

Even unan imity does not ensure that a decision is a good one. Alfred P.

Sloan, former chairman of General Motors, is quoted as saying,

Gentlemen, I take it we are all in complete agreement on th e decision

here . . . Then I propose we postpone fur ther d iscussion of this matter

un til our n ext meeting to give ourselves time to d evelop d isagreement

and perhaps gain some un derstanding of what the decision is all about

(Jan is, 1972).


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Planning Assumptions

By now the group is probably ready to go to work. The facilitator should review thedefinition of planning assum ptions.

If the facilitator has prepared an executive sum mary , he or she should ask the team to refer

to the section on planning assump tions and explain that these are not the facilitators

plann ing assump tions; they are the teams plann ing assump tions, taken d irectly from the

interview data. In fact, the participan ts should recognize their own w ords. The facilitator

may w ant to give team mem bers an opportu nity to brainstorm ad d itions, changes, or

mod ifications to the planning assum ptions they have d eveloped . As in any exercise of this

type, these should be captu red on flip chart pap er.

If the facilitator is not working from an executive sum mary , he or she may want to lead thegroup in a brainstorming session to identify the planning assump tions. One of the benefits

of iden tifying plann ing assum ptions is that it allows team members to get whats bothering

them off their chest and onto the table. It is a warmup exercise that establishes a baseline

for the plann ing team.

Vision

But shouldnt we develop the mission first?

It depend s. From the preplanning and assessment

activities, the facilitator should be able to determine

whether or not the organization has a fairly clear sense

of its mission.

ADVICE

If it does, it is best to develop the vision first, to

stretch the thinking of the team. However, if the

organ ization is a fairly new on e or if it has been

recently reorganized, the facilitator may w ant to

start with the mission statement. If the

organ ization doesnt have a clear sense of its

mission, it will be very difficult to develop the

vision first.

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Guiding Principles

The facilitator shou ld review th e d efinition of gu iding p rinciples.

Guid ing p rinciples reflect the valu es of the organ ization. They are a set of statements

about h ow p eople in the organ ization relate to each other an d to their external customers

and su pp liers. All organizations develop values and beliefs that guide their behavior. In

many cases, they are not explicit, but they do exist. Behaviors that are consistent with

these values and beliefs are usua lly reward ed and perp etuated . They are part of the

organizations culture.

As w ith the visioning exercise, the facilitator will probably w ant to brainstorm the inpu ts

for the guid ing principles, adding, changing, and modifying those provided in the

executive sum mary.

The planning team needs to spend some time discussing the implications of the new

guid ing principles on day-to-day behavior. They need to und erstand these implications

and mu st be willing to commit to them before they are deployed. If the leaders espouse a

certain philosophy bu t d o not p ractice that ph ilosophy, they will lose credibility w ith the

workforce.

Mission

Before starting to work on th e mission, the facilitator should lead a mini-edu cational

session on systems thinking to help the grou p focus on issues facing the organization. The

discussion m ight includ e the following:

Why are we doing strategic planning?

The purpose of strategic planning is to improve the qu ality

of todays d ecisions in light of futu re d evelopm ents

(Hersh ey, 1992). We also want to optim ize the organizat ion

and its systems.

How do you define a system?

A collection of parts that interact with each other to

function as a w hole (Kauffman, 1980).



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The Strategic Plann ing Session

. . . a network of indep endent comp onents that work together to

try to accomplish the aim of the system [organization]

(Deming, 1993).

Strategic plann ing considers the entire organization as a system.

Top lead ership is responsible for improving the p erformance of

the whole organization, not just part of it. Integrating TQL with

strategic plann ing prov ides a strategic framework for optimizing

system performan ce.

How can I do strategic planning when someone above me inthe chain of command isnt doing it?

In theory, you shou ld have strategic plann ing guidance from

your superior. In reality, you may not get that guid ance for a

variety of reasons.

ADVICE

The facilitator can say, If you dont have that gu idan ce,

pu t a stake in the grou nd . You can still influence the

qua lity of your d aily decisions by having your

organization focused and aligned .

Why is systems thinking important to strategic planning?

The facilitator can say, As you begin to think about yourvision and mission an d develop you r strategic goals, you should

be working on those systems within your organization that will

have the most impact on taking you w here you want to go.

Many organ izations already have a mission statement d ictated by

Executive Ord er, law, instruction, or some other formal docum ent.

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We already have a mission statement dictated by Executive

Order, law, instruction, or some other formal document. Why

do we need another one?

Maybe you dont. But if you d ont look at it, how w ill you

know ? Existing mission statements are often outd ated or changed

by reorganization, but because it is too hard to change the

formal docum ent, they are kept in a d rawer.

There is at least one recent notable success. After comp aring the

real mission of naval shipyard s with the documented

mission, the DON Shipyard Advisory Board was able to convince

the Secretary of the Navy that the documented m ission had to

be rewritten.

The exercise to d evelop a m ission might follow th e same format

used to develop a vision and gu iding principles. When the

facilitator interviewed the team m embers p rior to coming to the

off-site, he or she asked them to identify their customers, both

internal and external, and to identify the prod ucts and services

they p rovide to those customers. In effect, these responses answ er

the questions What do you d o? and Who do you do it for?

Now, the facilitator might w ant to lead a brainstorming session toidentify additional customers and additional products and

services. When th e list is comp lete, the group is ready to start

d rafting its vision, mission, and guid ing pr inciples.

Divide the group into three subteam s. One subteam can now

draft the vision statement, while the second d rafts the mission,

and the third drafts the guiding p rinciples.

ADVICE

They should be told to use the inpu t of the whole group, to

consider all the though ts and ideas. If the recorder has

been captu ring this data on the compu ter, he or she can

prep are a printou t for the teams to work with. The teams

should be given sufficient time to d raft their statements and

prep are overhead transparencies. Usually, the recorder can

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type and prep are transparencies for the teams.

Sometimes, the team simp ly wr ites their statements on

blank transparencies. In either event, the subteams are

tasked to brief the whole team at the end of the allottedtime.

If the facilitator divides th e team into subteams, the

leader should probably not be assigned to any of them.

Instead, the leader shou ld float among the

subteams, making sure they are on track and

providing ad vice as necessary.

The TQL coordinator and other sup port p erson(s) may serve as

facilitator(s) for the subteam s. This gives the pr imary facilitator a

break, and allows him or h er to consult w ith the leader on theprogress of the group wh ile the subteams are working on their

assigned tasks.

When th e drafts of the vision, guiding p rinciples, and m ission are

comp lete, each su bteam briefs the others, getting comm ents and

additional inpu t, and reaching consensus that the d raft reflects the

wishes and ideas of the whole team.

ADVICE

The facilitator should probably call these statements

final drafts. This allows the planning team the

latitud e of clarifying and defining their statements as

they move throu gh the remainder of the process.

Some innova tive ideas are generated during off-line breaks, lunch,

and d inner. The facilitator should h elp the team members recapture

these ideas after such breaks, giving them a chance to share th eir

insights.

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Gap Analysis

Once a final draft of the vision, mission, and gu iding p rinciples is available, the team is

ready to begin d evelopm ent of strategic goals. This is what everybod y has been waiting

for, the chance to get some atten tion focused on their particular problem.

The recorder should p rovide each team mem ber with a copy of the final draft of the

vision, mission, and guid ing pr inciples. The facilitator should ask the m embers to look at

the current state (where they are now) and the futu re state (where they want to be). Th e

current state is defined b y the organizational assessmen t, the drafted m ission

statement, and the k nowledge of the organization that the p lanning team m embers

brin g to the plann ing process. The future state is defined by the drafted vision and

guid ing principles. The difference betw een the two is the gap .

Strategic Goals, Strategies, and Objectives

Strategic goals define the changes required to move the organization toward its vision.

They are long-range performance targets that are consistent w ith an organizations

mission, usu ally requ iring a substantial comm itment of resources and achievement of

short-term and m id-term supporting p lans. Achievement of strategic goals moves an

organ ization closer to realizing its vision. A strategy explains how the goal will be

achieved, and an objective describes who w ill do w hat by w hen.

The team shou ld identify no more than five or six strategic goals for the en tire

organization. This is very difficult to d o, because there is a tend ency to want to lay all the

problems out on the table.

ADVICE

The facilitator should lead th e group in a brainstorming session. He or she

asks the question, What is the change needed to m ove this organization

from its current state toward its futu re? The answers to that question

should be captured on flip chart paper and compiled as the input for the

strategic goals. In reality, the facilitator will be cap turing strategies and

objectives as well, but it is best to captu re all the ideas first and sort them out

later. One w ay is to let each member w rite his or her ideas on Post-it notes

and then d o an affinity diagram. This sorting automatically leads to

the identification of some strategies and objectives.


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CAUTION

There is a tendency to think of strategies (how you will accomp lish the goal)

and objectives (wh o does w hat by w hen) as less importan t than goals, and

some team m embers will protest having their goals turned into strategies or

objectives. The facilitator shou ld stress that they are not less importan t.

The strategies and objectives may be m ore narrow ly focused than goals, but

the fact is, when it comes to accomp lishment, the objectives are

accomplished first, then the strategies, and finally the goals.

Sometimes a team fears identifying a goal that they d ont know how to

accomplish.

ADVICE

The facilitator shou ld stress that strategic planning by its very n ature does

not have all the answers. One of the teams strategies may be to sponsor

research in an area of interest. In fact, if the team already has all the

answ ers, it probably is not doing strategic plann ing.

Once the team agrees upon the strategic goals, they need to compare them with the

guid ing pr inciples to make sure that they can accomp lish the goals (what needs to bedone) through the behaviors espoused (how people will act). After they have validated

that these two are consistent, they can begin to identify (additional) strategies and

objectives to accomp lish the goals.

CAUTION

As objectives and strategies are outlined , the team shou ld not fall into the

trap of thinking that there is a 1:1 or a linear relationship betw een them all.

Sometimes the accomplishment of an objective may lead to the

accomp lishment of more than one strategy and the accomplishment of one

strategy may affect two goals. Sometimes, accomp lishment can have a

positive effect on one goal and a negative effect on another.


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ADVICE

As the facilitator works throu gh the pr iorities and relationships, he/ she

may w ant to consider the seven managem ent and plann ing tools detailed inThe M emory Jogger Plus+ by Michael Brassard . However, the team will almost

certainly not reach this level of detail in its first stra tegic plann ing off-site.

Next Steps

There is at least one other activity that shou ld occur at the strategic plan ning off-site. The

facilitator should lead the team in a d iscussion of:

What w ill we do next?

How do w e treat the interview data and the executive summary?

How do w e treat the prod ucts from this session? Do we share them or

keep a close hold?

Should w e form an ESC (if we d ont already have one)?

Should w e assign goal groups (or QMBs) to continue to w ork on the

goals?

Should we meet again? When?

Do we have the right people?

The facilitator may also want to d o an evalua tion of the strategic plann ing process. Were

expectations met?

Lastly, the leader shou ld make app ropriate closing rem arks.

The team m ay expect to be interviewed again. After all, interviews are part

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39

of the process as the team m embers know it, and anonym ity allows the

par ticipants an opp ortun ity to get their frustrations out and lay any new

ssues on the table for consideration.

What is different about the strategic planning process?

The organization is d ifferent . . . or shou ld be. The strategic planning team has a

comm on un derstand ing of what strategic plann ing is and wh at it can do to help

focus an d align the efforts of the entire organization. The organization is ready to

stretch.

What is a SWOT analysis?The facilitator m ay choose to d o a SWOT analysis, an analysis ofStrengths,

Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Usually, strengths and weaknesses are

d iscovered by looking internally, wh ile opportu nities and threats are defined as

external d rivers.

How is a SWOT analysis done?

Since strengths and weakn esses come from w ithin the organization, the strategic

plann ing team m embers w ill be able to identify them in the interview p rocess or

perhaps in a brainstorming session set up for that pu rpose. The facilitator may

choose to ask the mem bers to iden tify strengths and weaknesses directly, or may

choose to simp ly pu ll them from the interview d ata and list them as p lanning

assumptions in the executive summary.

Opportu nities and threats are harder to identify. Ideally, the leader shou ld ask

few subject matter experts to add ress the strategic plann ing team on relevant

subjects prior to the off-site. A relevant subject is one pertaining to the

organizations strategic goals. The reason this is not d one dur ing the initial

plann ing session is because the p lanning team has not yet iden tified what isimp ortan t, i.e., their stra tegic goals.

Upd ating the Strategic Plan


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Upd ating the Strategic Plan40

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What is meant by opportunities and threats?

Theoretically, anything outside th e organization that impacts its futu re, such as

actions by Congress. But, unless they are limited to th e vital few, the group may

never get past the analysis stage. The vital few op portu nities and threats are those

that directly relate to the business the organization is inthose that, if changed

today, would alter the way it does business, i.e., create a parad igm shift.

Why is a SWOT analysis important?

Once the team reaches consensus on its strengths, w eaknesses, opportun ities, andthreats, they will want to develop n ew goals that will allow the organization to

maximize its position relative to each.

Should customers be invited to participate this time?

The quality of the organizations produ cts and services is defined by its customers.

It is essential, therefore, that it develop systems of communication that allow it to

stay in constant touch w ith its customers (not just wh en it is doing strategic

plann ing). However, the leader may wan t to have a special session with the

customers and the team p rior to the off-site just as he or she d id w ith the speakers

add ressing the vital few op portu nities and threats.

CAUTION

If the leader invites speakers to the strategic planning session, they may w ant

to remain for the rest of the session an d participate in the p lanning p rocess.

Thus, the leader m ay be introdu cing variation into the team plann ing

process. Ad ditionally, the time set aside for planning m ay be eaten up by

long speeches or by long question-and-answer sessions.


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ADVICE

The team needs to specify wha t kind of inp ut or feedback it wan ts from its

customers before inviting their participa tion. The customers time is

valuable. Also, the customer should n ot be left with the impression that the

team is wasting its own time.

How is the strategic planning process different this time?

Normally, the vision, guiding p rinciples, and mission will not change. The

interview process will have allowed the facilitator to validate them or to determ ine

whether changes are needed . Assuming they are still current, the planning team

can move d irectly into up da ting goals, strategies, and objectives and developing

new ones.

On th e other hand , if the vision, mission, or guiding p rinciples need u pd ating, time

to do the u pd ates should be bu ilt into the off-site and the plann ing team shou ld

reach consensus on th e changes before they w ork on the goals, strategies, and

objectives.

How is the process the same?

The tools that the facilitator usesinterviews, brainstorming, affinity diagrams, the

groun d rules, consensus d ecision making, etc.are exactly the same. The planning

team is more mature now an d is fun ctioning as a more aligned , purp oseful

organization . They begin to self-facilitate.

So, strategic planning becomes an iterative process?

Yes. And th e planning group becomes indep end ent from the facilitator as m embersbecome a cohesive team an d become m ore familiar with the p rocess and the

available tools. Each iteration moves the organ ization closer to its tran sformation,

and that is the purpose of strategic plann ing.

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Upd ating the Strategic Plan


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42 Upd ating the Strategic Plan


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Read-Ahead Materials for the

Planning Team

Publications

Blackerby, P. (Winter Issue, 1994). An overview for comp lying with GPRA. Armed Forces

Comptroller, 39, 17-22.

Blackerby, P. (Winter Issue, 1994). History of strategic plann ing. Armed Forces Comptroller,

39, 23-24.

Departm ent of the Navy. (February 1992). Department of the Navy vision, guiding

principles, and strategic goals. Washington, DC: Au thor.

Hamel, G., & Prah alad , C. K. (May-June 1989). Strategic intent. Harvard Business Review,

67(3), 63-76.

Kotter, J. P. (May-Jun e 1990). What leaders really do. Harvard Business Review, 68(3)

103-111.

Rummler, G., A., & Brache, A. (Janu ary 1991). Managing the white space. Training, 18(1),

55-70.

Other

For the planning organ ization, its higher echelon vision, mission, and guid ing principles.

Curren t copy, if any, of the p lanning organizations strategic plan.

43Read-Ahead Materials for the Plann ing Team


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Read-Ahead Materials for the Plann ing Team44


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References

Barker, J. (Augu st 1990). The power of vision (videotap e, 38 mins.). Burnsville, MN :

Charthou se International Learning Corporation.

Brassard, M. (1989). The memory jogger plus+. Methuen, MA: GOAL/ QPC.

Dem ing, W. E. (1993). The new economics for industry, government, education .

Cambridge, MA: Massachu setts Institute of Technology.

Departm ent of the Navy. (1993). Total Quality Implementation Survey (TQIS). Washington,

DC: Author.

Departm ent of the Navy. (1993). TQL Climate Survey (TQLCS). Washington, DC: Au thor.

General Research Corporation. (19 April 1990). Quality and productivity self-assessment

guide for defense organizations (Contract MDA903-88-C-0267). Washington , DC:

Departm ent of Defense.

Good stein , L. D., Nolan, T. M., & Pfeiffer, J. W. (1992). Applied strategic planning: Acomprehensive guide. San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Co.

Hershey, C. (May 13-15, 1992). Strategic planning (course). Williamsbu rg, VA: Am erican

Management Association.

Janis, Irving L. (1972). Preven ting group think. Victims of groupthink. New York:

Hough ton Mifflin.

Kauffman , D. L., Jr. (1980). Systems 1: An introduction to systems thinking (The Innovative

Learning Series). Minneapolis, MN: Futu re Systems.

Wells, D. (Septem ber 1992). Strategic plan ning: Selecting the lead ership team . TQLeader,

1(3), 3.

45References


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References46


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47About the Authors

About the Authors

Denise L. Wells

Director, Information Resources Division

Department of the Navy

Total Quality Leadership Office

Denise L. Wells is the Director of the Information Resources Division in the Total QualityLeadership Office, Office of the Under Secretary of the Navy. Her prim ary responsibility

includ es sup porting the Departm ent of the Navy leadership in imp lementing Total

Qu ality Leadership (TQL). She has extensive experience as a strategic plan ning facilitator

and in-house consultant to senior civilian executives and military leaders in th e Navy an d

the Marine Corps.

Ms. Wells is a native of Pennsylvania who spent most of her life in South Carolina. After

graduating from Winthrop College in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, she began

her career with the Air Force, spend ing almost four years in ind ustrial engineering. In

1972, she retired to become the moth er of two children, Dana and Michael.

She re-entered government service in 1978 at Charleston Naval Shipyard , working first in

prod uction engineering and later on the staff of the Shipyard Command er. In that

position, she managed the first Model Installation Program within a naval shipyard ,

thereby establishing the prototype for others to follow. Relocating to Wash ington , DC, in

1987, Ms. Wells spent 18 months at the Naval Sea Systems Command and a year w ith the

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Shipbuilding and Logistics).

She accepted h er current position in the Office of the Und er Secretary in May 1990 and

received the Super ior Civilian Service Aw ard in 1993. She has completed var ious courses

toward a Master of Science in Administrative Science, specializing in Organizational

Management.


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TQLO Publication No. 9

2611 Jefferson Davis Highway

Suite 2000

Arlington, VA 22202-4016


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Linda M. Doherty, Ph.D.

Director

Department of the Navy

Total Quality Leadership Office

Lind a M. Doherty received her d octoral degree in qu antitative psychology from the

University of Southern California. She has taught statistics, measuremen t, and

psychological testing at universities in both Los Angeles and San Diego.

She joined the N avy Personnel Research and Developm ent Center as a research

psychologist, directing research efforts in the areas of man agement, tra ining, prod uctivity,

program evaluation, and the design and administration of organizational and customer

surveys using microcomp uters. Later, she became senior scientist for Total Quality

Managem ent/ Total Quality Leadership (TQM/ TQL), in charge of research and

developm ent focusing on qu ality-based concepts and method s in Depar tment of Navy

organizations.

Since Jun e 1990, Linda has served as the Director of the Dep artm ent of the N avys Total

Qu ality Lead ership (TQL) Office. The TQL Offices role is to assist Navy an d Marine

Corps leaders in their qu ality transformation efforts by providing ed ucation andconsultat ion. Specifically, the TQL Office (1) manages the techn ical and conceptua l

content of the DON TQL curr iculum , (2) acts as the Und er Secretary of the Navys agent in

sponsoring and supporting TQL activities, including special research efforts, (3) designs,

develops, and implements feedback mechanisms to enhance TQL imp lementation, and (4)

provid es techn ical ad vice on TQL to the Und er Secretary an d high-level policy grou ps.

a handbook for strategic planning

Documents