Five Tips for Monitoring Strategic Plan Progress
Strategic plans document an organization’s future goals, the actions needed to achieve those goals, and the metrics with which to measure progress. An organization’s strategic plan is meant to be a living document that should be revisited regularly to assess progress and to make adjustments as work unfolds. However, too often organizations put in significant effort to create a strategic plan that then just sits on the shelf never to be assessed or updated. At C1C, we recommend a quarterly strategic plan monitoring process to assess plan progress, discuss barriers, and celebrate wins. Below, I provide five tips for getting the most out of your strategic plan monitoring process!
At C1C, we recommend a quarterly strategic plan monitoring process to assess plan progress, discuss barriers, and celebrate wins.
Facilitate an open, honest discussion. Start by identifying the individuals that should be part of the quarterly review process for your organization’s strategic plan and get those quarterly meetings on the calendar. An important objective of these meetings is to have a very open and honest discussion about the progress made on each goal. This includes recognizing wins, being transparent about any setbacks, identifying areas that may need more attention, and documenting any recommended plan adjustments.
Avoid a high-stakes formal evaluative approach. Facilitating quarterly review meetings can help to create accountability, as those responsible for implementing pieces of the strategic plan know that progress will be discussed on a regular basis. However, these meetings should not be a formal, high-stakes evaluative process where it can feel like blame or success is placed on one team or individual. Remember to give each other grace and work together to solve any issues that arise.
Identify Metrics. Part of assessing progress on a strategic plan is to track related data we call metrics. Here at C1C, we help organizations identify metrics during the strategic planning process and create a tool they can use to track and review progress at their quarterly review meetings. We recommend that organizations identify a target for each metric, so there is a specific goal in mind for each quarter.
Make plan adjustments when needed. As we mentioned earlier, a strategic plan should be a living document. Maybe the work didn’t unfold quite how you planned or you completed work and are ready to take additional action. When this happens, don’t be afraid to make some updates to your plan. These updates should be decided as a team and can be made after each review or as part of an annual review session. When you a reach a point where over half of your plan needs to be updated, you may benefit from starting from scratch.
Don’t forget to celebrate wins. Finally, make sure you are celebrating your wins each quarter! Don’t be afraid to pat yourselves on the back for the progress made. Discuss what went well over the last quarter and how you can continue that trajectory. Placing adequate focus on the good and recognizing the team’s efforts can go along way in keeping spirits and motivation high. This is important, as tackling a strategic plan is a marathon not a sprint!
I hope that you find these tips useful and that they help your organization get the most out of monitoring progress on your strategic plan. If you have any questions or need support with any aspect of your organization’s strategic plan or process, please feel free to reach out!