How to Implement a Strategic Plan
Learn how to implement a strategic plan, so your big ideas don’t live on a shelf.
As a strategic planning consultant, there is one phrase that I can’t bear to hear: “The plan lived on the shelf.”
Creating a thoughtful strategic plan, only to have it shelved and gathering dust, is the worst outcome after an organization makes a significant investment in generating new ideas and initiatives.
Why is this so common? One reason is that a team exhausted by the work it took to create the plan returns to business as usual, and those big-picture ideas and initiatives get abandoned alongside day-to-day activities.
In other words, urgent tasks end up taking precedence over important ones.
So, how can you prevent this from happening to your organization? How can you implement a strategic plan and ensure its success?
The successful implementation of a strategic plan requires commitment, communication, monitoring, and accountability. In particular, there are three steps you can take to ensure your organization achieves its strategic planning goals.
Three Steps to Achieve Your Strategic Planning Goals
Get Your Leadership’s Commitment to the Plan
Your employees are ultimately going to do the work that brings your strategic plan to life. That’s why it’s crucial for leadership teams and boards of directors to work together to gain employee buy-in. If you’re operating a nonprofit organization or corporation, this starts with your board of directors voting to adopt the plan formally.
Not only should this create initial momentum, but it’s also a signal to your staff that the initiatives in the plan must now work themselves onto each person’s day-to-day task list.
Leaders must commit to regularly monitoring and tracking progress toward goals and objectives, and key performance indicators are the metrics to use in pursuit of your goals.
Sometimes, leaders need to be reminded of the importance of their organization’s big goals, which is why I always suggest establishing a strategic planning committee or a quarterly planning review with a larger team. Some organizations find that annual retreats keep the strategic planning spark alive. Find what works for your organization so you’re always working towards your goals.
Create Cascading Goals for Everyone
Cascading goals begin with your big-picture goals and are established in the strategic plan. From these big goals flow a series of supporting goals created for every team and individual within the company. Because everyone can see the role they play in the plan’s success, cascading goals generate a powerful connection between the goals of the organization and its employees.
The process for creating your cascading goals is straightforward. Start by breaking down the strategic goals into specific objectives. Then, develop an action plan for each department or team within the organization, showing them how to reach their goals. Leadership must ensure that each team understands its role in achieving the overarching strategic objectives.
Next, establish clear accountability mechanisms by assigning roles, responsibilities, and deadlines for each action item in the strategic plan. Hold individuals and teams accountable for their performance.Know How You’ll Get the Work Done Before You Get Started
The new goals and initiatives born from your strategic plan are just that—new. And that can mean new resources, new internal processes, or even new team members.
Before you formally adopt a strategic plan, clarify how you’ll do the work and how you’ll pay for it.
At Beam Consulting, we’ve seen this challenge time and time again, and it was the inspiration behind our support model: providing aligned strategic planning, fundraising, and marketing and communication services. Because we’re experts in all three areas, we always have one eye on establishing the strategic plan's goals and priorities while also considering how an organization can pay for the plan’s implementation and how to communicate the plan’s objectives to its stakeholders.
This model allows us to uniquely address the resource allocation gap that so many nonprofit and for-profit organizations face when they embark on their strategic planning journey.
I developed this model after working with clients and seeing how they lacked the resource allocation and communications muscle needed to set their strategic plan up for success.
Whether you work with us or another firm to craft your plan, be sure you’re ready with all of the resources you’ll need—financial, human, and technological—to fully implement your plan and share it with your key stakeholders.
Your Organization Isn’t Static. Your Strategic Plan Shouldn’t Be Either.
Your strategic plan is never truly ‘done.’ Yes, the goal is to work to a point where the implementation of your big ideas propel the organization forward. Go into the process knowing, though, that just like your organization, your plan must be nimble and willing to adapt as the world changes.
Once your plan is written, you may find that a brilliant initiative doesn’t bear fruit. Or that a tactic no longer aligns with a goal once you get started. All of this is okay. A smart strategic plan is a living document. As your organization evolves, so too must your plan.
Some activities may get abandoned, and new opportunities may arise and need to be added to the plan. The leadership team must monitor the process and make adjustments as needed based on feedback and new information.
For all of these reasons, I urge organizations to celebrate milestones. Implementing planning initiatives can feel draining when you’re in the thick of it, and it’s far easier to focus on the work that’s left after you’ve acknowledged how far you’ve come.
Many times, strategic plans add work to already full workloads, so it’s especially important to reward your team members. Recognizing and celebrating milestones keeps team morale high and helps everyone maintain momentum for all of the goals yet to be reached.
Progress Happens One Step at a Time—Keep Working Toward Your Strategic Goals
You’ve already done the hard work of developing a strategic plan. So, don’t stop now! Keep your organization moving forward using these tips, and you’ll quickly begin to see the impact of your efforts.
We know change is hard. If you need some help bringing your plan to life, our team of strategic consultants, fundraising experts, and marketing pros are here to lend a hand.
About The Author
For the past 25 years, Dani has helped nonprofits at local, regional, and global levels find sustainable solutions to tricky growth and funding issues. She works with leaders and teams to optimize their approach to fundraising, strategic planning, marketing, and more! Dani is passionate about helping motivated people build vibrant and effective nonprofit organizations—so they can make a meaningful impact in the world!