What is strategic planning?
Although most bar associations regularly engage in what they refer to as strategic planning, many may not have really considered exactly what strategic planning is. Simply put, strategic planning is a process that determines where an association is going over the next year or more, how it’s going to get there, and how it will know when (and if) it arrived.
Ultimately, strategic planning is about change. But the change must be useful and aligned with the mission of the association. It cannot simply be change for the sake of change.
Most strategic planning processes involve three stages:
- Scanning the environment. This stage includes obtaining both internal and external feedback, most often through member satisfaction surveys, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) surveys.
- Creating the plan/setting objectives. This stage typically involves the strategic planning retreat, itself, which can take place in one day or over several days.
- Implementation. In the implementation phase, strategies are developed to achieve the set objectives. Implementation includes the ongoing actions that translate the ideas of the retreat into results.
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