Strategic Planning Consultant

 

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strategicplanmenu

 

Consultant On-demand applications are setup as an automated meeting Agenda and runs like software’s Main Menu. Use the task Go buttons to link to the right questions to ask and tools to use.

 

Agenda

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Task 6

 

Strategic Planning (overview)

[Meeting Name]

 [Day of week; Date; Time]

[Location]

 

Meeting Purpose Statement - (?)

 

 

 

Attendees - (?)

 

 

 

 

Agenda Items

GoTo

Leader/

Presenter

Time

Opening the meeting.

Go

 

 

Task 1: Describe your business/organization’s current purpose and mission.

Go

 

 

Task 2: Assess the current business environment, market trends, and strengths & weaknesses.

Go

 

 

Task 3: Decide where you want your business to be in 2-5 years and write a Strategic Goal Statement.

Go

 

 

Task 4: Develop alternative strategies to reach your Strategic Goal

Go

 

 

Task 5: Pick the strategic alternative you want to implement.

Go

 

 

Task 6: Map out action plans for: alignment with current organizational work efforts, and, movement towards strategic goals.

Go

 

 

Text Box: Should you choose to use this automated agenda during your meeting, below are common meeting productivity tools, if you need them.Closing the meeting.

Go

 

 

 

 

Meeting Productivity Tools (Use as needed)

Meeting Communication Style

Go

Parking Lot and Idea Notepad

Go

Progress Check & Key Facilitator Questions

Go

Movements, Silence & Incubation

Go

Creative & Innovative Thinking

Go

Participation -Nominal Group Technique

Go

Meeting Decisions and Actions

Go

Team Games & Exercises

Go

Manage Conflict

Go

Brainstorming with Note Cards

Go

User Tool #1

Go

User Tool # 2

Go

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H8

Agenda

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Task 6

 

Strategic Planning

Task 2:  Assess the current business environment, market trends, and strengths & weaknesses.

 

Why Use It

The value of looking at trends only becomes known after the fact. Maybe nothing new  ….

 

Thinking Workspace

(Use this space to record ideas or meeting notes.)

 

Key Facilitator Questions to Ask

Facilitator Questions

  • What trends are driving our future? What if the trend stops?
  • Over the past couple years what changes have you noticed in your customers?
  • How have products and services evolved? How will they continue to evolve?
  • Text Box: If you had the professional consultant attending your meeting, these are the likely questions they would ask and tools they would use. Note 1: Only use the questions and tools that fit your meeting. Note 2: The Thinking Workspace is used during your meeting to record information. What situation can most directly control and influence our future?
  • Etc. ….

 

 

 

 

 

Facilitator Tools to Use

Go

Observing Market Trends: Organizations that thrive analyze trends and prepare for changes.

Go

Customer Observation: Knowing your customers is the cornerstone of strategic planning.

Go

Voice of the Customer: The VOC is used to capture customer needs or requirements.

Go

SWOT: Identify your Strength-Weaknesses-Threats- Opportunities.

Go

Etc. …..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

z7 customer

 

Agenda

Task2

 

 

Customer Observation Thinklet

 

Why Use It

Customers are the foundation of organizational strategy and planning.  Without customers/clients, a business or organization has no real purpose. Companies and organizations that thrive are the ones that best satisfy client/customer needs.

 

How to Use It

If you think you know your customers, get to …..

 

Present Customer State

(Customers today?)

Future Customer State

(Likely future customer state?)

How many customers do you have?

How many potential future customers do you expect?

 

 

 

 

What are the characteristics of the people who currently buy your products or services?

 

 

Text Box: This s a typical example of a new thinklet. It uses a template with embedded facilitator questions. Will these characteristics differ in the future?

 

 

Who are your most important customers?

Who do you expect will be your most important customers in the future (2-4 years)?

 

 

 

 

How many customers have you lost over the past year? Why?

 

 

How can the loss of customers be prevented?

 

 

Over the last couple years, how have your customers changed?

 

 

How might your customers continue to change?

 

 

Do customers see your products/services as a need or a luxury?

 

 

What luxury might become a necessity?

 

 

Etc.

 

Etc.

 

 

<<< End of Thinklet >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

swot

 

 

Agenda

Task2

 

SWOT Analysis

(Strength-Weakness-Opportunity-Threat)

 

Why Use It

A S-W-O-T (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) (Weihrich, 1982) analysis is a simple way of putting together ….

 

How to Use It

 

Step

Action

1

List ….

 

2

Analyze …

 

3

Develop  …

 

 

SWOT Facilitator Triggers

 

Strengths

These things are done extremely well and provide competitive advantage. Use the following areas to help identify strengths.

 

  • Management (goal setting, recruiting, decision making, production, planning, administration)

 

  • Work Force (skills, morale, motivation, creativity, loyalty, flexibility)

 

  • Products and Services (market leadership, profit margins, sales force, marketing, productivity, demand)

 

  • Customers (customer relations, customer base, loyalty, accurate market knowledge and prediction)

 

  • .Production (facilities, equipment, work flow, suppliers, inventory, quality, cost controls)

Text Box: The difference between a typical SWOT template and this MindSights SWOT thinklet is having embedded facilitator triggers to help stimulate thinking … like having the human consultant working with you.
 


  • .Financial & Legal (cash flow, net income, balance sheet, credit, patents, intellectual property, prediction and planning)

 

 

Weaknesses (Problems)

These things are done poorly and can be improved. It is best to be realistic and face any unpleasant truths at this stage in the planning process.

 

Look to find weakness in the same areas listed in strengths. Look at any areas in which your competitors might do better for weaknesses that can be exploited by them.

 

 

 

 

Opportunities

Internal & External changes can provide opportunities that well managed businesses can turn to their advantage. Look at changes and trends in areas like:

 

  • Customers:  buying behavior, demographics, global growth, demand, niches

 

  • Economic & Technology trends:  broad and industry specific, emerging.

 

  • Personnel: new hires, happy, loyal, 360 feedback, training, experience, leadership.

 

  • Social and personal lifestyle trends.

 

  • Political, legislative or regulatory changes.

 

  • Organization: mergers, franchise, new branches, profit centers, process integration.

 

  • Marketing & Sales Configuration

 

  • Competitor performance or errors

 

  • Product: new distribution channels, quality, price, market size, new products, R&D.

 

 

Threats (Problems)

Threats can be minor or can destroy the business. Look for negative trends and changes. What obstacles might your business face? Look at all threats but particularly those that threaten your business strengths. 

 

Look to find threats in the same areas as opportunities, but take extra effort to look for internal people threats including:

 

  • Personnel: anxious, unstable, self-interested, inflexible, afraid of failure and non-action.

 

  • Skills: outdated, lack of observation ability.

 

  • Education: lack of training, coaching, mentoring.

 

  • Rewards: people compensated for real worth, dismissing bottom 2-3% of poor performers.

 

  • Any common source for problems.

 

 

 

S-W-O-T Analysis Template

 

 

 

 

 

Strengths

Internal Organization or Self

 

Rank

Weaknesses (Problems)

Internal Organization or Self

 

Rank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External

 

External

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opportunities

Internal Organization or Self

 

Rank

Threats (problems)

Internal Organization or Self

 

Rank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

External

 

External

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<<< End of Thinklet >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

voice

 

 

Agenda

 

 

Voice of Customer ‘CTQ’ Requirements

 

Why Use It

Text Box: This is typical thinklet example and follows this structure: 1. Why Use It: Short paragraph describing the purpose of the thinklet. 2. How to Use It: A table with “how to use” steps. 3. Facilitation Questions: Critical trigger questions to stimulate thinking. 4. Template: Guides thinking and provides a workspace to record ideas. Quality can be defined as meeting and exceeding customer requirements. The VOC “voice of the customer” is the term used to describe customer needs or requirements. The VOC can be captured in a variety of ways: direct interviews, questionnaires and surveys, focus groups, etc. For any process improvement project to be successful, the project must convert the voice of the customer into approved Critical to Quality CTQ requirements. Note: The term customer can refer to both internal and external customers.

 

How to Use It

 

Step

Action

1

Use the trigger questions to capture the “voice of the customer” requirement information.

2

Convert the VOC information into the CTQ “Critical to Quality” requirements form.

3

Use the Scope Creep form to help minimize the addition of nonessential requirements.

 

VOC Facilitation Questions

 

VOC General Questions

 

What is it that is important to your our customer?

 

What causes you the most satisfaction? Exceeds expectations?

 

 

What are things that are done extremely well but could be done better?

 

 

What causes you the most dissatisfaction?

 

What are your expectations for the future?

 

What do you see as new future requirements?

 

What things might not exist in the future?

 

What would be your ideal future requirements?

 

What opportunities are envisioned to be in an ideal future?

 

What are the biggest challenges to reach the ideal future?

 

VOC Performance Metrics Questions

 

What are your critical measurements or metrics?

 

Text Box: The “brains” of MindSights is delivering the right questions at the right thinking time (content within context). Extensive research was done on what key questions skilled consultants would ask. Note: It is not expected all questions would be answered; only the ones that fit specific needs. What are the input metrics?

 

What are the process metrics?

 

What are the output metrics?

 

What is the importance of each metric?

 

What is the current metric performance?

 

How does current performance compare to requirements?

 

What is the reason for the gap between current and specified performance requirements?

 

What metrics data are missing and needs to be acquired?

 

What new metrics might need to be developed?

 

What intangible requirements are important?

 

Of all the metrics, which ones can be considered CTQ “Critical to Quality”?

 

 

Critical to Quality ‘CTQ’ Requirements

[Project Name]

Rank

MANDATORY (Must be included in any proposed idea or solution)

Metric Used

Client Approved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOP PRIORITY (Very beneficial to be included)

 

Client Approved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOW PRIORITY (A want rather than a need)

 

Client Approved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOT REQUIRED (Must NOT BE included in proposed idea/solution)

 

Client Approved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<<< End of Thinklet >>>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

conflict

 

 

Agenda

 

Manage Conflict

 

Why Use It

Many times conflict in meetings is simply a matter of misunderstanding. Try these techniques:

  • Set the conflict aside if not relevant to the meeting.
  • Check everyone’s understanding of the conflict.
  • Clarify meeting objectives to ensure participants are not working at cross-purposes.
  • Identify substantive differences versus work style, personality or values differences.

 

How to Use It

Use this technique to open conflict discussion that may lead to resolution.

 

 

Step

Description

1

Person 1 states their position without interruption. If team conflict, one person represents a team.

2

Person 2 restates what he/she heard Person 1 say – Without adding anything.

3

Person 2 asks Person 1 questions to get a full understanding of Person 1’s position.  Note: Person 2 does not challenge but simply asks questions to clarify understanding.

4

Switch Roles. Person 2 states their position.

5

Text Box: Now there is no longer the need to have everything memorized. Smartbooks are like having an extended memory … with tools at your fingertips.Person 1 restates Person 2’s position.

6

Person 1 asks Person 2 questions to clarify understanding of 2’s position.

7

Develop a Conflict Difference Chart of the key points of disagreement.

8

Discuss differences to identify possible resolutions.

 

Conflict Difference Chart – Major Differences

Person 1’s Position

Person 2’s Position

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resolution or Mutual Agreement:

 

Remaining Areas of Disagreement:

 

 

Adapted from National Coalition Building Instituted.

 

 

 

Agenda