Category Archives: Corporate Strategy Planning

Left Behind: Authorship and Missed Opportunities for Professional & Business Growth

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Who has been left behind?

Mainly the English-speaking Caribbean Immigrant entrepreneur, professionals, and  young graduates, both Canadian and Caribbean.  But they are not alone; members of the African Diaspora, skilled artisans and tradesmen, and other newcomer Publishbirdentreprencaribbkwhiteentrepreneurs often fail to carve out time for holding the ball on their second role as entrepreneurs and professionals. That second role is authorship.

Immigrant professionals and entrepreneurs who studied and left behind their professional and social networks are also left behind. Second, third, and fourth generation Caribbean immigrants can also be left behind given, the gap in entrepreneurial experience of the Caribbean Immigrant Community compared to other groups.

Pursuing authorship can be difficult with all the other things to be done while growing your business.

We know it can get busy, crazy busy especially for the solopreneur or the consultant trying to reduce the faming cycle; while growing and extending the size of the harvest.

The decision to write and the time allocated to writing should be balanced against where you are in growing your business, the type of business you run, and the level of expertise you bring to your industry.

Part of the reason publishing seems so unattainable has to do with the perception that only authorship of a book represents substance and credibility as an author.   Failure to set and act on writing goals within pre-set time periods throughout the year is another drawback to getting the job done.  It has been said that a “published book is the new business card”.  But the key to success is also about knowing your situation and capacity.

If writing a book is too expensive or time consuming at this time you can publish articles, videos, stories, and other short pieces that can help you to establish your expertise and fulfill your role as the author.   Taking that route allows you to dedicate the chunk of your time to growing your business, while strengthening your brand and trust through authorship.  Peer-reviewed pieces provide even greater credibility and learning opportunities for you as entrepreneur and author. Besides, the short pieces you write may become the content for a book before you know it.

Whether you are pursuing social or commercial entrepreneurship The Noësis presents the right opportunity to balance authorship and growing your business.  For the young graduate and new researcher, you have an easy opportunity to publish. For the expert or academic, paraded before you is the opportunity to publish, or benefit and contribute by serving as editor or peer-reviewer of works. Our double-blind peer-review process gives both authors and reviewers a sense of ease and objectivity in selecting pieces as well as in providing reviews.

Submission deadline

The Noësis is a hybrid Magazine/Professional Journal geared towards C-level executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, practitioners, and consultants with an interest in strategy, marketing, evaluation, organizational assessments, international trade, entrepreneurship, and international development. It will be circulated to senior executives, business owners and libraries.

Publish secondjob of consultanbktSubmit an abstract, trivia, story, anecdote, cartoon or the best 3000 words from your thesis or research paper.

Submit your paper for the Fall Edition today!  Deadline: August 30, 2018.

Opportunities for reviewers and editors are still available. Submit your reviewer or editor’s profile today!

To submit your proposal, article, profile, CV, or query, please contact Meegan Scott by Email at: magatewildhorse@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

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Monitoring the Execution of Strategic Plans – From the IAF Interview

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Magate Wildhorse and I thank the Association for Strategic Planning, and the International Affairs Forum (IAF) for the opportunity to speak on the topic of Monitoring Strategic Plans ahead of the ASP Conference 2018. This year’s conference theme: “Bridging the Strategy Execution Gap”.

Below Meegan Scott shares with Dimitri Neos of the International Affairs Forum on the Magate Wildhorse approach to monitoring the implementation of strategic plans.  The pre-conference interview addresses the monitoring process for driving strategy execution.

Our approach to pre-implementation evaluation of strategic plans was shared in the previous post. And our post-implementation, plan evaluation approach will be shared in the post following this.

IA-Forum: What is your approach to Monitoring and Evaluation strategic plans?

The monitoring which happens pretty soon after planning as we progress along the strategy process supports evaluation and is part of the control function. Again, the approach that we’ll take depends on our role in the processes. Our work will focus largely on monitoring for results versus merely tracking implementation status.We tend to use a blended approach where we focus on utilization and empowerment of the client. We are proactive about our emphasis on learning from the monitoring and performance measurement process. The aim is to get the best in terms of correcting actions to avoid disaster, and also for learning and improvement—which helps with risk management and mitigation.

Those are the approaches and now let’s discuss the steps.

The first step would be to conduct a monitoring readiness assessment to decide why and what to monitor.
If we led the planning, the monitoring readiness assessment would not be an exhaustive process because we would have done that in the prior organizational assessment. In that case it would be more about knowing how ready the client is to take on the challenge, preparing them to use monitoring and reporting tools as well as tracking and reporting tools.

The next thing that we would focus on, is identifying the best tools for them. For that we consider the type, the level, and the quality of the monitoring and reporting experience of the organization.

We play the role of evangelist for performance management and measurement. That helps us, as well as the organization, and it makes planning easier. We ensure everyone understands the role of monitoring and evaluation, and its importance in demonstrating and ensuring accountability. We highlight its importance in providing data for getting stakeholder buy-in and ensuring relevance, as well as to validating and making a judgment about the effectiveness of their programs. It is always interesting when a group walks up and says, “we do well because we did this and that”. But when you begin to speak with founders, management, funders, and staff, they understand that what they were taking for doing well is a different story. Or maybe what they were beating themselves up for was not all that bad.

We also emphasize the importance of monitoring for providing information that may lead to winning more funding, getting messages for marketing, and for driving innovation. There’s also the possibility of using the monitoring process to strengthen resource mobilization. As you may gather evidence that you’re an attractive partner for another entity. So, you can collaborate, share funds as well as drive strategy success. It is part of the reason the often less vigorously pursued monitoring of the external environment is so important. When clients hear of these possibilities it makes them more eager to own performance management.

We deliberately include provision for monitoring and evaluation with every strategy planning engagement.

That lead us to the next two steps in the process, that is deciding together with the client what outputs and outcomes will be monitored. And developing or adapting indicators to monitor the delivery of those outcomes. Our plans are generally support by a performance management framework and systems, which would include key information for monitoring implementation such as the inputs, the outputs, the outcomes, the agreed impacts, and key performance indicators both for the organization in total as well as for funders and related accountability needs. This assists the organization with getting their angle and handle on its own results and for strengthening or advancing its overall strategy.

We can now look at the next step in the monitoring process — gathering baseline data.
This includes historical organizational performance data or program specific data. At times, we don’t have baseline data, especially if they are new clients or maybe the data gap is just for a particular program they’re just rolling out. If the organization doesn’t have baseline data, we might be able to gather data from other sources such as statistic from government departments, interviews or literature reviews and use that to start a baseline. We might even find some in a pre-planning organizational or environmental assessment. If not, they know that the monitoring and performance data that will be gathered further in the process will help to provide the baseline for going forward.

From there we move towards the heart of the matter —ensuring monitoring is planned and works to deliver improvement or desired impact. It means we have to lead the team into setting targets that are tied to the intended change or results if developing or adjusting the system in order to conduct the monitoring. This is done with the vision, desired results or end state in mind.

It involves a review of cost information, budgets, funding, infrastructure and technology capability, human resource, and the timing and frequency of collecting data, responsibility or data collection, levels of effort, method of collection, quality measures for indicators, and so on.
The format of data or evidence is also important. The information gathered is used in setting the monitoring targets as well as for tracking and analysis during monitoring. Targets are often set during planning, or during the quarterly reporting process. But it could also be for a specific assignment for a one-off result monitoring intervention, and the contracting organization is being left with guidance for continuing the process.

The process involves the integration of indicators, providing for intended user information needs and users, and desired impact from the global, national, organizational, customer, beneficiary or client, compliance and other stakeholder levels. Both long and short-term targets and indicator targets must be included. Data collect is verified, in some instances sources are verified, tools and methods may also be tested and adjusted, samples may also be tested etc.

We capture that kind of information to a large extent in our plan documents. We do so for each line item of the plan, allowing for expansion of those items to ensure that the strategy is broken out properly and supported by indicators and measures that support the strategy and the strategic plan and is trickled down to your operations plan. It makes monitoring or designing the monitoring process easier.

So, when we get to the monitoring activity itself and the creation of a monitoring system our plan documents can be tailored to create performance monitoring and management reports. They can be further adjusted to create the monthly report as well. In it, you have to input cumulative performance information that comes from the day-to-day activity processes that are suitable to be captured at a strategic level as well as higher level indicators.

We generally end up with something that can be adjusted easily for monthly, quarterly and annual reports. Each quarterly report displays cumulated data on performance for the next quarter and the final quarter; and the third quarter is adjusted to form the fourth or annual report.
That forms a key part of the monitoring system. A compendium of indicators with dictionary is also important in monitoring, so we generally give a complimentary compendium of indicators whenever, we develop a strategic plan or monitoring system.

The actual monitoring focuses on tracking progress, quality, standards and status on the performance targets and results. It is the Check that helps drive Improve in the (PDCA process). We will rise alarms or present greenlights, areas and opportunities for improvement in communicating the findings. The comparison to planned versus actual results is key to helping teams to understand their progress and level of urgency for making adjustments.

We combine the findings from the surveillance that we’ve performed, through reviewing reports, documents, and other sources. Here, we’re looking for consistency and truth, in terms of what is reported. We’ll perform surveys, interviews, samples and meetings to monitor the validity and reliability of information, as well as identify any problems. Because the team is busy performing management duties, they don’t have time to take on those activities. We do that and tie everything together and then develop a total analysis with recommendations.

Out of that process, we end up identifying any emergent strategies. We analyze problems, difference between plan theories and reality; deviations from planned activities; even deviations from how program logic said it would work. The information gathered is then used to come up with suggestions, recommendations or draw out corrective measures and follow ups. We identify gaps that may have been overlooked and new gaps that may arise out of the implementation process, and gain inside information for updating strategy plan.

Sometimes you may develop a business process improvement team or something to handle an improvement to make that change or to push through an initiative if you see it’s falling behind. It could be a business process improvement, but it could also be something for resourcing planned activity that’s not happening for some reason. That is an example of the Act. We look to see if the annual review was done; or if evaluation and reports were completed and submitted if the work is for an organization that’s implementing donor projects or government funded projects. We do that to see if they did their external evaluation in accordance with when it was scheduled to be done.

We generally host Monitoring reporting meetings that allows for management response and input. At this point, we have already identified internal champions and if we are adjunct external or internal team member, we play a key role in championing and facilitating the performance measurement meetings; or in leading them with strong backing from the leadership of the organization. Leading the meetings alongside leadership allows us to guide the floor and facilitate meetings towards learning and improvement. At times we might be driving the process in order to get the leadership to get into the driver’s seat for championing performance through that kind of process.

In our plans (strategic or monitoring) we ensure there’s a performance measurement calendar and visuals that support the PDCA, (the plan to, do, check, act) framework for continuous improvement, and results-based management or other blends. The visuals are comprised of two separate triangles. One triangle has expected outcomes and impacts at the level of the organization. This can also include the societal level of impact. In the middle of it, there are the program, initiatives, service, and product indicators related to outcomes; plus, others related to output, efficiency, cost and effectiveness indicators. At the base of the triangle are the internal and individual measures for individual performance coming from input and output processes. To tie those up, you stretch compliance quality improvement measures running up and down the line so they can see that has to be included.

The other triangle includes objective strategies, levels of effort, and a responsibility targets time line running down it. This is a PDCA visual to remind them to communicate findings; to act and to improve on.

Last, to ensure utility, we package the information and communicate the findings so that the potential impacts, feedback and information for driving the improvement, any decisions, and risk are communicated. We facilitate moments for reflection and look at what worked, what went well, what didn’t well; and why. We also look at, what could we have done better.

Overall, our monitoring approach involves establishing the importance of monitoring and reporting for organizational growth and accountability. We look at information needs in terms of assessments, targets and indicators that were agreed, quality and standard measures, and outcomes to monitor. We also look or other data sets that emerges during execution. We provide training in the use of performance monitoring and measurement frameworks and tools. We establish teams and assign roles for performance management and measurement, including the board and their responsibility for the corporate strategy plan. And we consider and design the reports and reporting tools to suit the different needs and for ensuring improvement processes are supported.

If we take a step back to look at how we plan to support monitoring you would understand why we include the annual report and ensure that the AGM is there, the financial reporting is there on the calendar in the plan document.

Hosted by IAF ahead of ASPConf2018.

See also:

Interview Transcript on IAF

Post-execution evaluation of the corporate strategy plan

Pre-implementation evaluation of  strategic plans

Strategy Execution Challenges–“Bridging the Strategy Execution Gap”

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Something good happened in Rosemont, Chicago. The Association for Strategic Planning Conference 2018.

Copyright © 2018 International Affairs Forum, Association for Strategic Planning, Magate Wildhorse, Meegan Scott
All Rights Reserved

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Strategic Plan Evaluation – From IAF Interview

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Magate Wildhorse and I thank the Association for Strategic Planning, and the International Affairs Forum (IAF) for the opportunity to speak on the following topics ahead of the ASP Conference 2018. The theme of this year’s Conference was “Bridging the Strategy Execution Gap”.  We had a wonderful time in Chicago. We met many strategy experts from various industries and countries; learned and shared during various conference sessions and we came home with a prize.  Ha ha see why you can’t afford to miss ASP Conference.

Following are the full-length scripts from my pre-conference interviews hosted by Dimitri Neos of the IAF.

The interviews are shared in three parts and covers the following topics:

  • Part 1: Pre-Implementation Evaluation of the Strategic Plan
  • Part 2: Monitoring of the Strategic Plan
  • Part 3: Post-Execution Evaluation of the Strategic Plan

We also discussed specific challenges related to closing the strategy to execution Gap.

From our ASPConf2018 pre-conference interviews.

Part 1: Pre-Implementation Evaluation of the Strategic Plan

IA=FORUM What is your approach to Monitoring and Evaluating strategic plans?

MEEGAN SCOTT: Our approach to the evaluation of strategic plans depends, on the stage in the strategy process, the purpose of the evaluation, and the terms of reference for the evaluation. Our role depends on whether we are adjunct internal or external consultants, and who commissioned the evaluation.

I mentioned internal adjunct because that’s a service we provide where we are adjunct to a team and not just be involved for a couple of days.

The evaluation would involve examining the context as well as the basis and logic of the strategy contained in the plan. We would also be, comparing expected to actual results, identifying emergent strategies, making recommendations for corrective actions, and developing recommendations for performance improvement.

How it actually plays out at Magate Wildhorse depends on whether we are doing the evaluation prior to execution. If it’s before execution, we focus on the content of the plan and we look for the typical consistency, balance, consonants, feasibility, advantage, completeness, clarity, and ability. When we look at consistency, we are looking at strategic intent, the framework, and so forth.

Depending on the strategy, the framework and context, we are looking at– the questions that would focus on things like: are the strategic intent and strategy framework consistent? Was, or to what extent, was a value chain considered for improving products or service delivery— or both? Has the strategy identity of the organization been clearly articulated? Are they relevant? Is there a mission statement; vision, values, and culture statements? Is there a value proposition? We also look to answer the question — Were there provisions and powerful messages for communicating the strategy identity?

Does the plan provide for building human resource and leadership capacity in response to internal gaps or a desired future state of the organization?

Another thing we look at is what, and how solid, the planned activities initiatives are. For example, activities and initiatives for retaining or growing membership or customer base as well as those for capturing non-users. We also ask, is there a timeline, or calendared activities and processes for strategy renewal and updates? What is the frequency of updating the strategy plan and version control. What is the efficiency of the plan

development process?

A question asked to help us as well as the client to do better in the future.

You have to learn what you could have done differently, what you have to get the clients to do differently, what they could have done differently.

During the analysis of the processes, we would use methods such as customer satisfaction assessments. We also look at time sheets, schedules and journals for assessing the time and process. We review our own reflexive journal for every strategic planning exercise; I get a completely new journal.

Organizational history and review of assumptions and sharing are important. You have to examine when and why the organization started. How has it changed, what has impacted the change and what the client or organization is looking for in the future?

That process can really aid organizational learning as well as raise flags or clarifies concerns related to mission drift.
We ask clients to answer questions related to history and the processes that they can do away with. We also look for mechanisms for ongoing surveillance as well as balance in accordance with the strategic framework. Key questions here would consider — How well does a plan addresses risk, the assumptions and the contingencies? Or if it addresses them at all.

To see what’s in the control kit or better other things in the control kit we look at: timelines, levels of effort, performance standards, quality standards and performance indicators.

The mix of lead, lagging, SMART and SMARTER indictors, the last being (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Time-bound), plus extending and rewarding.
For ensuring the plan is actionable we also look at work plans and budgets —how well do they support each other?

In the next post we share the discussion on Monitoring the Strategic Plan.

Hosted by IAF ahead of ASPConf2018.

See also:

Bridging the Strategy Execution Gap — Select Challenges

Monitoring strategic plans

Evaluating the corporate strategy plan post-execution (post-implementation)

Magate Wildhorse, The  Noësis & Artificial Intelligence

————————–

ASPConf2018, the Association for Strategic  Planning Conference, an event for your professional development and business calendars.

Copyright © 2018 International Affairs Forum, Association for Strategic Planning, Magate Wildhorse, Meegan Scott
All Rights Reserved

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Post-Execution Evaluation of Strategic Plans – IAF Interview

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IA-Forum: What is your approach to Monitoring and Evaluation strategic plans?

Magate Wildhorse and I thank the Association for Strategic Planning, and the International Affairs Forum (IAF) for the opportunity to speak on the topic of Evaluating Strategic Plans, Post-Execution  ahead of the ASP Conference 2018. This year’s conference theme: “Bridging the Strategy Execution Gap”.

Below Meegan Scott shares with Dimitri Neos of the International Affairs Forum on the Magate Wildhorse approach to evaluating strategic plans post execution. The pre-conference interview addresses post implementation strategic plan evaluation, a best practice for driving strategy execution success.

Our approach to pre-implementation evaluation of strategic plans was shared in the previous post. In the second post of the series we addressed monitoring the implementation of strategic plans.

IA-Forum:  What about the post-execution evaluation process?

Meegan Scott:  The task at hand in post-implementation is to make a judgement about the strength of the organization at a milestone review period (when we’re asked to do evaluation).

It could be a Mid-term Review of a Plan or at the end of a Plan Period.

We ask if the organization is stronger at the end of that milestone period or the planned period than when the plan was created, and at the start of execution.  Was the strategy executed successfully?  This is an attempt to assess the effectiveness of a plan in guiding the organization towards achieving improved performance.  We look at that in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, financial viability, cost effectiveness, and for some type entities, we would go deeper into looking at quality aspects. 

For that type of plan, let’s say for a manufacturer of clothing, we may use the Hoshin Planning Model to add those related lines of questions to the evaluation.  In general, we also look at how the plan helps the organization with adjusting to changes in the environment.  These include political factors, social factors, competitor inflation, interest rates, legislation and even ecological factors.  Sometimes, we’ll find that entities do not know all the governing legislation affecting them.  So, we normally place a table up at the front of a plan that includes governing legislations.

We also look at the plan logic and the premises and predictions.  How did those work according to plan?  Were they accurate, to what extent, and what needs to be adjusted?  We look at whether or not the plan helped to improve motivation in a desired culture and advance the mission of the organization.  We also look at its impact on the organization, on its history.

Did it help to create new history?  Did the plan carry out what was meant to be done?  Did it help to strengthen and improve financial management partnerships, program management, leadership at different levels, and HR capacity to support both the present and the desired future?  Analyzing HR capacity is in part to help management retain tacit knowledge in the organization rather than just staying put and waiting to hire staff.

Typically, the evaluation will take the form of a self-assessment.  Even though it may be a request for an evaluation by a donor, we try to make it into a self-assessment so that the client can benefit from owning and growing that culture of performance and measurement and improvement.

The client also benefits from receiving information for decision-making related to their strategic choices for strategy updates and reformulation for the next plan and milestone period. That adds much more benefit than if you did the evaluation with merely accountability in mind.  We therefore approach the evaluation with a view to gathering performance information, meeting accountability requirements, and to guide resource allocation.  Another important thing we look at is the infrastructure for delivering strategy.

If the organization is implementing multi programs as would be in the case of a government department, and many NGOs, the approach would be heavily influenced by the terms of reference.  That comes with a call for proposal versus if it was just the organization that came up with the idea and asked for a proposal.  In the latter case we are left with greater leverage in designing what it is that we will be doing.

Our approach includes a blend of evaluation approaches.  This depends on the competence of the organization in collecting and using performance information and the information needs outlined or that we glean from the call for the evaluation and the intended users.  That blend would involve components of the utilization focus evaluation approach.

It would include consultations for ensuring that the information collected will be of benefit and is what is desired by the organization and its stakeholders.  We may even use a theory-based evaluation approach for assessing the logic for addressing a particular problem, the effectiveness, and the context.

We would want to look at the theory of change, how it’s holding up against what was expected, the participants and their attitude, and how their participation impacts the outcomes for them.  We could also use a more all-inclusive strategic evaluation approach.  That would be a strategic evaluation into the outcomes and the impact of the target population.

Irrespective of the evaluation approach or blend thereof, we would consider planned results against actual results and unintended results.

So, going back to the strategic evaluation— we’d look at the results and service levels as well whatever they are creating, selling or giving away.  For outcomes, our examination would be in terms of their relevance and effectiveness.  For outputs, the focus would be the products or services and how efficient the organization was in producing them (the outputs). Other output related questions to answer would be— along the lines of how cost-effective it was to deliver the solutions, and the quality of those outputs that were delivered.

You also want to analyze the internal management and leadership as it relates to output processes that are involved and for developing them.

So you perform an individual level assessment and review of measures.  This can be an area of challenge or resistance.  The moment you begin to ask for job descriptions and such, expect a break or stop in information flow.  At the plan level, we review measures indicators, strategy identity, et cetera.

A key component of the exercise is the management response session that we’ll lead for discussing the findings, the recommendations, and the judgment.  From that, you’ll get feedback into how management feel about the judgment and the findings.  This may result in some insight about the context and maybe some adjustment.  You will also draw out of that process actions for improvement and try to get some calendar and resource commitments towards that.

A review of external literature and internal organizational documents is part of the process.  External literature includes literature of the external environment.  When looking at internal literature, we examine their reporting and administrative documents, the operations plan, the corporate strategy plan, performance reports, and minutes from board meetings.  Other methods or lines of evidence for data analysis could include conducting surveys, interviews, and consultations.  If some instances we must calculate, develop estimates, or undertake social media searches. At times we even have to look at or conduct lab research or participatory.

The output would be typically an organizational assessment and development report.  This would include the proposed strategic options and choices for informing the development of a new strategy plan, strategy update, or a plan for the next plan period.

Let’s turn to the kinds of questions that we would ask. Different evaluations may have their own unique questions.  But in general, we’d ask questions such as, what were the goals and objectives in the plan?  How did the organization perform based on the strategic intent stated in the plan and its related goals?  We’d also ask how effective did the organization use the plan to manage the delivery of its results?  That is, the priority, the focus areas, the approaches, and accountability.  Another question is: how easily or difficult did the plan make the performance management and measurement process?  Because if it is just a summary of a plan and not fully elaborated and support by measurable indicators, there’s going to be trouble at the execution stage.

An important question to ask is: does the plan include an alignment mechanism for cascading and aligning?  We also look at whether or not the major initiatives and commitments were delivered on time and in budget.  If there were deviations, how wide was the spread and what needs to be changed.  Therefore, if they finished before schedule, were late or on time, we want to understand the reasons.  We also look at the overall workings of the plan logic based on the theory or theories of change or the strategy maps and strategy framework or income output map, or any combination of them.  We also look at whether or not the scope of operations is made clear by the plan.  How suitable was the initiatives or initiatives for building capacity and advancing the strategic direction articulated in the plan— is another area which we examine.

So, to arrive at a judgment we’ll use multiple sources of qualitative and quantitative evidence.  We look at the use of the plan and the process and the annual and periodic review and strategy update.  Are they following that guide and are they updating the plan?  We ask if a priority trade off happened and, if so, why?  We also look at the effectiveness of the plan in communicating to the board, to management, to partners, to funders, and staff.  Do they understand the plan or do they find it to be a burdensome document?  Does it address the value chain and how they’re going to make product relationships and leverage them in terms of the products or services or the supply chain? 

Moreover, we analyze how effective the plan is in articulating the strategic identity.  So that’s how we do that post-implementation evaluation.

See also:

Interview Transcript on IAF

Strategy Execution Challenges

Pre-implementation evaluation of the corporate strategy plan

Monitoring of the corporate strategy plan

—————–

ASPConf2018, the Association for Strategic  Planning Conference, an event for your professional development and business calendars.

Copyright © 2018 International Affairs Forum, Association for Strategic Planning, Magate Wildhorse, Meegan Scott
All Rights Reserved

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Sixth Anniversary Message

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The Noësis: Double-Blind Peer Review Guidelines

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We’ll be using a double-blind review process for articles submitted to The Noësis.

This means the author will not know who reviews his or her work and the reviewer will not know the identity of the author of the piece he or she is assigned to review.

As an author or contributor, we ask that you prepare your submissions in a manner that conceals your identity.  Here’s how, submit your name and the title of your piece in a separate file. You should repeat the title on the file that contains the work intended for publication. Submit both files with one Email and two attachments.

  • If you refer to yourself please use [Anonymous].
  • To cite previous works, you must blind that reference in your reference list. For blinding in the reference list, please use the phrase: ‘[Anonymous 2018] Details have been omitted for double-blind reviewing.’.
  • Besides self-references please include details of other references
  • For figures and illustrations that you have created or adapted please use “[Anonymous] Details have been omitted for the double-blind reviewing.
  • Ensure any author identification such as name, institution, phone number or email address are not contained in the document with the work for review.
  • All submissions must be made in an MS Word document.

Should your submission be accepted you will be provided with the necessary feedback and comments for updating your article or submission. During that process you will replace [Anonymous] or ‘[Anonymous 2018] Details have been omitted for double-blind reviewing.’ with references to you or your affiliate as appropriate.

For questions and comments please click the contact us link.

Warm and Up-Close Remote Strategic Planning

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“Remote strategic planning? Hmmm… I’ve got to say I am doubtful about that one. Strategic planning is too expensive, time consuming and important for me to risk on getting it done virtually”.

If that’s how you feel about remote strategic planning we couldn’t fault you for sharing that sentiment. Strategic planning is serious business and you would be foolhardy to take such an important risk with little information on how remote have worked for planning, or the advantages and drawbacks to it.

Moreover, when you are embarking on the strategic planning journey, both you and your team need a warm interaction with an expert who will do more than facilitate planning. You are likely looking for an expert in strategy as well as a facilitator who serves as an objective advisor. One who ask heads-back and chests-forward incisive questions for helping your team to rethink strategy, goals, objectives and actions. And by doing so ensures what your plan is doable, positions your organization for growth and account for risk. You also want someone to lead your team into reflecting on its history and results to date.

Today, 99% of strategy solution sponsors expect their investment to include an external sounding board, researcher, coach and mentor for helping their team to grow planning skills, experience and knowledge. With such a long wish list hinged on relationships, expertise, experience and time management it is easy to see why to someone unfamiliar with remote strategy planning would perceive it to be too cold and distant to deliver their expectations.

But as William Yeats (The Irish Poet, W.B. Yeats) says— “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”  Remote strategy planning is one such magic thing waiting to help you grow a stronger organization.

Though odd, this open secret—fear of the unknown and failure is still a hidden factor that have dogged and crippled the leadership of many organizations when it comes to pursuing growth-focused innovation and strategy execution.  Making strategy planning happen when teams are scattered or budget is tight is not excluded from that scenario.

I’d say it’s a sad state of affairs that can be easily fixed. Do not allow fear to limit the impact of your leadership or options for developing and executing your strategy. Explore the exciting opportunities presented by low cost technology for remote planning and other strategic management activities.

Technology have come a long way in providing the virtual platforms that allows individuals and organizations to deliver face-to-face, warm remote interactions. Not to mention, the variety of software and applications that allows for democratic and group processes, stakeholder consultations, interviewing, surveys, data capture from social media and mobile engagement.

All of which provides for deeper learning, expanding knowledge and improving the quality of data on which to make predictions for developing your strategy, plan and related logic.

By now I believe you can see at least a glimmer of how strategic planning could work in a remote environment?

Our ability to gather information on context, clients, customers, suppliers, industry—you name it in addition to internal information for guiding decisions relating to the what and how for advancing your mission and delivering your vision have been enhanced exponentially by remote research capabilities.

On top of that opportunities for your team members to revisit planning sessions individually in their own time for increasing understanding and reflection are tremendous.

Cost is another big factor that have led some organizations to take the “do it yourself”, less objective and less effective though better-than-nothing approach. Others have sadly chosen to skip planning on a flawed assumption that they cannot afford it. International development agencies and large charities have come to see the benefits and cost savings that are available through both remote strategy planning and organizational performance evaluation.

They have come to see the benefits of leveraging technology to connect remote communities and entities with limited resources to top-notch talent.  Talent has come to realize the cost savings and value-added they can deliver through extended capacity to reach customers and stakeholders in faraway places in addition to those nearby.  Big business and organizations in large cities are increasingly turning to the use of remote planning solutions in order to save while including participation by team members in other towns, countries or cities.

You’ll find that UN organizations (United Nations) are among the large NGOs and intergovernmental organizations that are seizing such opportunities. So, what’s holding you back?

If you lack experience that’s not a problem, you must start somewhere.  If you fear it might not be right for you then, you have two options research to find out more then decide, try and see or both.

We understand that remote planning might not be right for every team, so we are willing to help you decide if it is right for yours.

We bring almost two decades of strategy and remote service delivery experience to helping you to decide.

What Goes into The Remote Planning Exercise

When planning with us the steps we’ll take will vary depending on the following: the experience of your team with strategic planning, remote planning, the stage of development of your organization, motivation to and purpose for planning as well as where you are on the strategy process continuum.

As it relates to the strategy process continuum it could be that you are in need of your first corporate strategy plan; or you are at a milestone and need a new strategic operational plan? It is also likely that you have come to the end of the implementation period for a program or a 3-5yr corporate strategy plan and is now in need of a strategy solution for developing the new plan.

In that case you may need an organizational self-assessment for assessing how you did in the past, strategy development, evaluation and planning for creating the new corporate strategy plan that will guide your next strategy execution period. Most organizations, experienced in planning would also invest in the combo of corporate strategy plan, operational plan and performance management tools (For guiding monitoring and evaluation during strategy execution).

Your Solution Unwrapped

Note: The following is not a step-wise process as the steps will depend on where you are on the strategy process continuum.

Depending on what’s right for you we put technology to work with human care and intelligence to take you through processes such as:

  • Eyeball-to-eyeball virtual meetings, conversations and document reviews for understanding your context, wants and needs;
  • Strategic identity creation, clarification or update (For ensuring mission, vision, values etc. are clear, relevant, inspiring and impactful);
  • Identification of your core resources, competence, aspirations, challenges and capabilities;
  • Strategic analysis, drawing on qualitative and quantitative research methods and tools for better understanding your external environment. At the end of which we will better understand how it will or could impact your organization in addition, to how your organization might influence the environment.

We do that by conducting an external environmental scan (PESTLE, STEEP, STEEPLE, SKEPTIC etc.). Having identified trends related to regulation, inflation, ecology, customers, competitors, stakeholders, suppliers among other things we revisit your strategic intent and organizational capacity (Your SWOT plus analysis) to determine the new competencies that will be required in order to get the job done. Technology comes in handy for helping us to engage in rich conversations with your customers, clients and partners live, or to through anonymous sharing— irrespective of distance.

  • Getting to an organizational development plan for you, here again we draw on the technology to present you with a user-friendly document plus face-to-face conversation that enables your leadership and management team to respond to our findings, recommendations and proposed strategy options for delivering your desired competitive edge. This forms part of your planned strategy formulation process.
  • During planning, remote technology enables us to create interactive tools for illustrating and sharing your strategy framework and strategy— articulated into your position, and objectives. From Board to staff will be able to tell what kind of strategy framework you have chosen (Ansoff Matrix, Stakeholder Model, Values Discipline, McKinsey’s Strategic Horizons, Balanced Scorecard or your own blend). Strategy and logic maps can be adjusted in real-time as your team think and re-think your objectives. Best of all they can be made available in a virtual room 24/7s for comments and ideas as they flow to and from your team.
  • Planning remote allows you even more time for bringing leadership and execution teams to a meeting-of-minds as they review scenarios, assess risks and assumptions and decide on trade-offs during the strategy evaluation and strategy elaboration You won’t miss out on live group brainstorm sessions, team building games or pictures of your team working together.

You’ll have plenty of opportunity to share what is working for your team during the planning process and to work out adjustments if necessary.

You may have noticed that we have covered several steps and activities before touching on strategy elaboration—the step or sub-process where the strategy gets translated into plans and workplans (Your plans will include strategic objectives, goals, indicators, quality measures, outcomes and outputs aligned with strategic intent, effort, timelines and resources).

Once the plan has been completed we will help you with the initial stage of communicating your plan. However, if we are engaged to assist with performance management and measurement we support you with full plan communication, additional help with identifying your emergent strategies, analyzing your performance results and triggering strategy update.

Challenges of Remote Planning

In exchange for deeper learning and broader participation your team will need to prep ahead for remote planning. This means using online time converters and e-calendars (outlook, yahoo and or google calendar) for scheduling.

In some instances, you and/or your team may be required to learn new skills for working in virtual planning rooms, accessing web conferences, participating in e-groups or completing online surveys.  Most teams we have met have enjoyed learning those skills. Older Board members might be averse to using some e-tool, depending on their experience with technology. Nonetheless we have been able to include technology challenged individuals in remote planning sessions.

The planning process may be stretched over a longer period of time. Some groups can manage a typical 4-hour virtual planning workshop (Plus lunch and refreshment breaks) while some can only manage two hours.

You may need to check on computers, microphones and plan seating arrangement for you team ahead of the session depending on the set up we agree. It is possible to have a session without you having to consider seating or computers. But we will guide you in setting up your room as the facilitator would have if required.

Love your flipcharts? We will tell you how to make that happen during remote planning.

Expect a session or two where technology might fail and a reschedule maybe required.

Discipline for completing related assignments is required.

You may need to plan and secure refreshment and meals for your team.

Could It Be Worth Your Investment?

We believe that the challenges above are small compared to the benefits of having a plan that includes:

  • a clearly articulated strategic intent,
  • is easy to use for guiding the delivery of the results you planned,
  • makes performance management easy,
  • is doable, affordable and communicates the what and how of your strategy effectively both internally and externally.

When a solution is designed to fit your needs and budget and still allows you to access the expertise and help of a strategy expert, facilitator, strategy analyst, strategy finder, sounding board and performance improvement catalyst, we believe it’s worth the while.

Still on the fence?

Schedule a remote face-to-face connect and clarify session today!

Ccontact us, let's talk remote strategic planning, request remote long-range planning, submit your virtual planning needs, schedule remote corporate strategy planninglick the “let’s talk button” to submit your needs, name of organization, location and three possible meeting times.

Meegan Scott is a strategic management consultant with almost two decades of experience in strategy and remote (virtual) service delivery.

 

Copyright © 2018 Meegan Scott
All Rights Reserved

 

Who’s At The Helm? I Want Impact!

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formagatepurposeAt the helm of Magate Wildhorse Ltd is Meegan Scott.

Expect “strategic thinking, big picture, execution know-how and organizational learning” for every engagement.

She comes with a 20-year success track record helping organizations with improving impact, brand recognition, funding and capability. She makes a difference in strategy formulation, corporate strategy planning through to strategy re-formulation.

A powerful outlier in provoking strategy re-think and pushing teams to shift a singular focus on risk management to risk intelligence.

Her distinguishing strengths— expertise in corporate strategy, marketing and performance management across industries, cultures and geographic spheres.  A solid education plus experience in finance, accounting, project and program management, international relations, international trade, business analysis and ICT, research, quality improvement, and communications skills serve to power up the skills set and competences on your team. Significant studies in business, environmental and trade law powers her capacity help you do the compliance checks.

Strong facilitation, research and group process skills grounded in results-oriented and delivering changes practice allows her to help your team to buy in and commit to your vision and the execution of your strategy.

Get in touch today, we believe top-notch help is for big buck entities as well as for the little ones too.

let's talk, book free consultation, remote project planning, corporate and program planning help, marketing, research, toronto strategy planner, program evaluation, program coordination, contact us

Click the message button above to set a date for that conversation on how we could help your business.

Strategy Was Not Eaten for Breakfast

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Strategy execution help reflexive journal

It is not difficult to recall organizations with solid corporate strategy plans, equally good operational plans and disappointing results.

In some instances, the strategy and plans were so compelling they helped each entity to secure millions of dollars in funding.

So, what went wrong?

There were skilled project and operations managers working in their operational areas, there were other functional leads that were committed and worked hard.

But there was no department or individual with the responsibility for managing the execution of the organization’s strategy.  Project leads focused on their projects, things changed in the environment and some adjustments were made but pretty much on a putting out the fire basis or grab that opportunity without a proper assessment of resource cost or how it would or would not move the organization closer to its desired change.

Of course, there were performance reporting meetings but the connection to the desired change for the organization was forgotten. The strategy was forgotten, the change was forgotten, how the strategy would deliver change was forgotten.

How did this happen when the project managers did what they ought to do? They managed their individual projects and issues arising. The fact is, it is not possible to do all of that while managing the results at the organizational level.

Small, medium and large entities struggle with strategy execution—more than 60% of them fail to execute 80% of their strategy.

The results are hardly a surprise given, 75% of senior management are caught up with working on execution issues.

What the figures and results point to is the need for an individual or team that managers and leaders can count on to help them keep the focus on strategy.  By keeping the focus, we mean monitoring progress on executing it, scanning the environment internally and externally and sounding the alarm when there is a need to adjust strategy on an ongoing basis.  Last but not least the individual or team responsible for managing strategy execution must also guide and/ or facilitate the process of strategy re-evaluation and reformulation.

The aforementioned processes must be backed by information and responses that includes the need of the people executing the strategy, gather learning from them as well as track and capture patterns for informing strategy update. An important function of the role is providing messaging and communication for ensuring understanding of strategy.  In addition, the lead must facilitate processes for ensuring each individual see their personal interest met along with that of the organization when strategy is executed effectively. He or she must deliver messaging and assessment of results for actions that are intended to promote the desired values and ethical stance of the organization.

The degree to which desired culture is the norm for internal and external customers will have a tremendous impact on whether or not execution shows up or delivers the strategy.

In recent times some organizations have come to believe a reliance on more monitoring and evaluation will do the trick. It is most certainly going to improve the results but if your M & E team or lead is not competent in strategy development and the management of strategy execution then you will find that good strategy stays in the plan document. You will also be wiser regarding what worked and what didn’t, you will get more planned outputs delivered but the next report card will be similar if for a different area of outcome.

Someone has to keep the organization reminded about its purpose, the competitive edge it seeks and facilitate the meeting of minds and assessment of actions for making the adjustments to strategy in order to achieve those results.strategic issues worry list

A good strategy could become a wonderful souvenir and missed opportunity.  When execution fails to put strategy to work, you will feel as if someone ate your breakfast and lunch and it is 5:00 pm. Excellent execution of a bad strategy will lead to certain disaster. And poor execution of a great strategy could be just as bad.

We are equipped to help organizations and their teams to manage strategy execution for ensuring the desired results are achieved in the context of the organization.  We know that individual and collective behaviours, desires and aspirations must be provided for if culture is to support effective strategy execution.  Translating and communicating the strategy for winning commitment that drives action is key.  We did not touch mobilizing resources for financing strategy among other factors that are crucial to success in strategy execution.

Many companies who claim they cannot afford help with the management of strategy execution have never sought to inquirer about the cost of such a solution. In fact, they are likely busy blaming human resource or other factors for their results.  Moreover, they may have not assessed the cost, loss, risk and threat of not investing in such a solution. We need not remind you that strategy has to be updated, adjusted or changed at a rapid pace in today’s world.

Invest in strategy execution management support for ensuring strategy delivers the results you desire.

Act now strategy execution help Whether you lead a large or small company we invite you to click the act now button to schedule a cost-free session on how we could help with corporate strategy (No, we are not referring to just strategic planning, before planning your team must engage in a solid strategic thinking exercise). Your strategy expert will even complete a process referred as LEAD if applying the ASP Approach as the very first step in the process.

If you have a solid corporate strategy plan we can help you with performance management—our focus is beyond outputs and behaviours for getting results at the individual level. Sure, we do consider and offer related guidance, but we are focused on achieving results at the organizational, community, national and regional levels.

If you do not have a plan or your plan or strategy is in need of a review or objective eye we can help.  It could also be that you are on top of performance management but need help with an environmental scan or market research for updating your strategy. 

I am confident that you will kick yourself really hard for not looking at the possibilities before. But don’t stay kicking too long, let us roll up sleeves and put hands and hearts to the task of improving your results.

Meegan Scott, lead strategy consultant at Magate Wildhorse Ltd.

Copyright © 2018 Meegan Scott
All Rights Reserved