Implementing and Sustaining Your Strategic Plan: A Workbook for Public and Nonprofit Organizations

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xvii

The Authors xix

PART 1 UNDERSTANDING IMPLEMENTATION AND ASSESSING READINESS 1

Step 1 Understanding Implementation and Assessing Readiness 3

Worksheets

1 Interviewing People About the Upcoming Implementation Process 25

2 Implementation Readiness Assessment Questionnaire 32

3 Key Implementation Design Choices 44

PART 2 GETTING ORGANIZED 53

Step 2 Leading Implementation 55

Worksheets

4 Implementation Process Sponsors 71

5 Implementation Process Champions 73

6 Identifying Possible Members of the Implementation Coordinating Committee 75

7 Developing a Charge for the Implementation Coordinating Committee and Related Subgroups 78

8 Understanding and Linking Forums, Arenas, and Courts 82

9 Values to Sustain Innovation and Change 88

Step 3 Understanding How and Why the Strategic Plan Came to Be 91

Worksheet

10 Agenda for Follow-Up Meeting to Assess Results of Interviews of Strategic Plan Preparers and Adopters 95

Step 4 Clarifying Who the Implementation Stakeholders Are 99

Worksheets

11 Implementation Stakeholder Identifi cation 102

12 External Implementation Stakeholder Analysis 104

13 Internal Implementation Stakeholder Analysis 106

14 Power Versus Interest Grid 108

15 Implementation Support Versus Opposition 110

16 Creating the Supportive Coalition 111

17 Engaging External Implementation Stakeholders 113

18 Engaging Internal Implementation Stakeholders 116

PART 3 CLARIFYING STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL DIRECTIONS 119

Step 5 Articulating What the Organization’s Mandates, Mission, Vision, and Values Mean for Implementation and Alignment 121

Worksheets

19 Gaining Clarity About the Implications of the Organization’s Mandates for Implementation 124

20 Understanding What the Organization’s Mission Means for Implementation 125

21 Understanding What the Organization’s Values Mean for Implementation 127

22 Understanding What the Organization’s Vision of Success Means for Implementation 128

23 How and Why the Organization Creates Public Value 131

Step 6 Getting Clear About Strategies That Will Continue, Will Be Started, or Will Be Phased Out 133

Worksheets

24 Evaluating Priorities for Existing Strategies, Programs, Products, Services, and Projects 135

25 Evaluating Priorities for Proposed New Strategies, Programs, Products, Services, and Projects 136

26 Reconciling Priorities Among Existing and Proposed Strategies, Programs, Products, Services, and Projects 137

27 Strategy, Program, Product, Service, or Project Statement and Component Elements 139

PART 4 RESOURCING AND STRUCTURING IMPLEMENTATION, ALIGNMENT, AND ONGOING LEARNING 147

Step 7 Budgeting the Work 149

Worksheets

28 Developing a Budget for Strategic Plan Implementation 152

29 Developing a Summary Budget for Implementation 155

30 Developing a Strategic Annual Budget for Large, Complex Organizations 157

Step 8 Creating an Implementation Management Structure 159

Worksheets

31 Project Assignment 167

32 Assignment of Work to Project, Program, and Portfolio Categories 169

33 Assignment of Projects, Programs, Portfolios, and Other Work 170

Step 9 Developing Effective Implementation Teams 173

Worksheets

34 Creating Implementation Recommendation and Action Teams (I-Teams) 176

35 ICC and I-Team Tasks, Membership, Competencies, Roles, and Responsibilities 186

36 Team Leader Self-Assessment 190

37 Meeting Agenda 192

38 Meeting Summary 195

39 Meeting Evaluation 197

40 Team Self-Assessment 200

Step 10 Organizing Alignment and Learning Processes 203

Worksheets

41 Alignment Checkup 208

42 Designing Learning Forums 210

43 Facilitating Dialogue Guidelines 212

44 Identifying Needed Formative Evaluations 215

45 Employee Performance Self-Review 218

46 Performance Review and Development Plan Process 222

47 Coaching for Successful Implementation 228

48 Professional Development Request Form 231

Step 11 Putting It All Together in Strategy Maps and Action Plans 233

Worksheets

49 Board Action Plan 241

50 Action Planning 245

51 Action Planning for the Stop Agenda 248

52 Microsoft Project Schedule Template 251

53 Summary of Actions and Responsibilities 259

54 Strategy/Action Status Report Form 260

55 Implementation Communications Plan 261

56 Creating an Elevator Speech 263

PART 5 MAINTAINING, READJUSTING, OR TERMINATING STRATEGIES 265

Step 12 Staying the Course—Or Changing It 267

Worksheets

57 Improving Existing Strategies 269

58 Identifying Needed Summative Evaluations 270

59 Improving the Implementation Process 273

60 Improving the Strategic Planning Process 276

RESOURCES 279

A Brainstorming Guidelines 281

B Snow Card Guidelines 283

Glossary 285

Bibliography 289