Getting Ready

• Form Steering and Planning Teams
• Compile initial list of key strategic issues

Gathering Information

• Collect input from internal stakeholders
• Collect input from external stakeholders
• Identify industry trends and best practices
• Project demands on services, analyze census or other public statistics, research financial trends etc.

Analyzing and Synthesizing

• Analysis
  • Understand the current or previous organization strategies
  • Assess programs, their effectiveness and competitive position, and the opportunities and threats in the environment relative to meeting patron and community needs.
  • Identify additional strategic issues of challenges facing the organization, based on information gathered.
• Synthesis
  • How can we focus our energy to do the most good with our limited time and resources?

Creating the Plan

• Agree on core strategies
• Write goals and objectives
• Develop long-range financial projections
• Write the plan

Keeping the Plan Relevant

• Create a detailed operating plan
• Develop a system of monitoring and measurement strategies