Facilitated Planning

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there."

- Lewis Carroll (1832 - 1898)

"In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)

“Our recent board retreat and strategic planning session was excellent – in fact, the board said it was the best we’ve ever had! The report was clear and concise, and laid out our action plan very well. Thanks!”

- Gary D. Wager, Executive Director, Alberta Construction Safety Association

Strategic Management

Strategic management is the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of
cross-functional decisions that enable the organization to be successful and
achieve its objectives.

How does the strategic management process work?

Allan Lowe & Associates designs and facilitates effective strategic management
processes and planning sessions that work.

Every organization is unique and at its own strategic stage of development. Allan Lowe
and Associates works with each organization to determine the organization’s current
strategic management status and what the organization wishes to achieve with the strategic
planning process.

Each strategic management process is customized to ensure that it meets the organization’s
needs. In some cases a simple “refresher” strategic planning workshop is all that is needed,
while in other cases the organization can benefit from additional preparation and pre-work to
ensure maximum benefit from a facilitated planning session workshop.

What does the preparation for a facilitated planning session workshop include?

Typical planning session preparation discussion points include:

• Does your organization currently have a strategic plan?
• When was it completed?
• Has your organization met its current strategic goals?
• Who are your organization’s key stakeholders?
• Have they been involved in your strategic planning?
• Have you conducted stakeholder analysis and research to be sure that you know their needs?
• What preparation and/or pre-work is necessary prior to holding a facilitated planning session?
• Who should attend the facilitated planning session – from your organization and other stakeholder organizations?
• What time frames should your planning session cover?

Allan Lowe & Associates then works with your organization to design a planning process and facilitated workshop that will meet your organization’s needs.

If you wish, an online survey will be conducted prior to the workshop with participants to gather key information. This results in a much more efficient workshop and creates more time in the workshop to discuss and resolve concerns.

The Facilitated Planning Session Workshop

During the facilitated planning session workshop, the participants work together in a guided and participative environment to determine and prioritize the primary issues and concerns facing the organization, develop strategies to address them, and create realistic action plans to achieve the strategic objectives for both short and long term time frames.

The following are generally included in typical planning session workshops:
• What would an ideal future look like?
• Environmental scan – internal and external environments
• Stakeholder wants and needs
• Current primary organizational issues and concerns
• Objectives and strategies to achieve ideal future
• Develop realistic implementation plan and accountability

Expert facilitation techniques and practices are used to ensure that Allan Lowe & Associates workshops are relaxed but still fun, intense and productive.

Implementation of the Strategic Plan

Each session includes a written report, complete with detailed and timed action plans and accountability for achieving the actions. A photographic record of the session is included, featuring a team photograph.

One of the greatest failings of strategic planning is the failure to implement the plan. In fact, the problem is so great that there is an industry acronym for this phenomenon – SPOTS!. SPOTS stands for “Strategic Plans On Top Shelves”.

Allan Lowe & Associates works with organizations and provides tools to avoid SPOTS by providing a Strategic Scorecard™ at 6 months and 1 year after the strategic planning session workshop.

Strategic Scorecards™ are online surveys that are completed by all key stakeholders to evaluate the progress of the new strategic plan. The Strategic Scorecards™ are the greatest single tool to avoid SPOTS, and are included with all Allan Lowe & Associates strategic planning session workshops.

Board, Corporate and Staff Retreats

Depending on the needs of the organization, retreats can include any combination of board members, management, staff members, and other key stakeholders. Allan Lowe & Associates can provide guidance on the optimum combination of stakeholders to best achieve the organization's needs.

Turnkey Services

Allan Lowe & Associates can handle all arrangements for the planning session, including venue arrangements, invitations and registration, and other details. This frees up the organizations’ resources, and ensures that all planning session details are taken care of.

Why choose Allan Lowe & Associates for your strategic management needs?

Allan Lowe has a strong working and senior management background in many types of organizations, and he brings all of that knowledge to each organization’s strategic management planning process and facilitated planning session workshop. Allan Lowe also brings in Associates as required to ensure that any needed expertise is in place to guarantee a successful strategic management process and planning session.

Allan Lowe also understands organizational needs through his extensive education and training background. He knows what it takes to make organizations successful, and works closely with each organization to ensure maximum benefit from the strategic management planning process and facilitated workshop.

Comments from attendees at Allan Lowe & Associates Facilitated Planning Sessions:

"One of the best workshops I have attended. Great inter-group discussions. Excellent facilitator - great job!"
- Workshop Participant

• "I would recommend Allan for forthcoming facilitation work. What I enjoyed the most was Allan's style - it wasn't intrusive or opinionated. It isn't easy to find a facilitator who understands what one wishes to accomplish and able to lead the people to same with a smooth ride. Many thanks!"

• "The session was awesome for everyone being able to express concerns in an open forum - the pre-designated seating was very helpful."

• "This was an excellent strategic planning session. The fact that we focused in on our top five issues, and developed specific strategies for them, made this much more valuable than our past sessions."

• "I wasn’t expecting that we could work through some of the tougher issues, but was pleasantly surprised how we resolved our differences."

• "I really appreciated the frank and open discussion that we were able to have."

• "Allan Lowe is an excellent speaker and presenter."

• "Set a good positive tone, very personable and down-to-earth."

• "The planning session went very well, good group activity time allocated."

• "Well planned and thought out. Great job!"

• "Allan did a great job – well done!"

• This workshop was very enjoyable and educational. I will use some of these processes myself at my workplace."

• "Allan, thank you again for a successful strategic planning session."

• "Great as usual!"

• "Very educational and informative, moved at a good pace."

• "Very well done!!"

• "Well planned. Allan kept it moving to cover all material."

• "The process used to integrate all of the people to formulate new ideas was excellent."

• "The process was very relaxed and everyone enjoyed working together."

• "The time allowed for discussion on each item, and let me have a better understanding of each other member as well."