Acknowledgments.

The Authors.

PART 1: An Overview.

Introduction.

The Context and Process of Strategic Change.

Readiness Assessment Worksheets.

1 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges (or Threats).

2 Barriers to Strategic Planning.

3 Expected Costs of Strategic Planning.

4 Expected Benefits of Strategic Planning.

5 Should We Proceed with the Strategic Planning Process?

PART 2: Creating and Implementing Strategic Planning: Ten Key Steps.

Step 1: Initiate and Agree on a Strategic Planning Process.

Worksheet.

6 Plan the Planning Effort.

Step 2: Clarify Organizational Mandates.

Worksheets.

7 Review of Mandates.

8 Background for Group Discussion of Mandates.

Step 3: Identify and Understand Stakeholders, Develop and Refine Mission and Values, and Consider Developing a Vision Sketch.

Worksheets.

9 Stakeholder Identification.

10 External Stakeholder Analysis.

11 Internal Stakeholder Analysis.

12 Key External Stakeholder Involvement.

13 Key Internal Stakeholder Involvement.

14 Mission Statement.

15 Values Statement.

16 Vision Sketch.

Step 4: Assess the Environment to Identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges.

Worksheets.

17 Internal Strengths.

18 Internal Weaknesses.

19 External Opportunities.

20 External Challenges.

21 Distinctive Competencies.

Step 5: Identify and Frame Strategic Issues.

Worksheets.

22 Individual Strategic Issue Identification.

23 Master List of Key Strategic Issues.

24 Master Strategic Issue Statement.

25 Operational Versus Strategic Issues.

Step 6: Formulate Strategies to Manage the Issues.

Worksheets.

26 Key Questions for Identifying Strategies.

27 Strategy Statement.

28 Criteria for Evaluating Suggested Strategies.

29 Checklist for Deciding on Strategic Plan Contents.

Step 7: Review and Adopt the Strategic Plan.

Worksheets.

30 Plan Review and Adoption Process.

31 Plan Evaluation.

Step 8: Establish an Effective Organizational Vision for the Future.

Worksheet.

32 Vision of Success.

Step 9: Develop an Effective Implementation Process.

Worksheets.

33 Existing Programs, Services, and Projects: Evaluation.

34 Strategic Plan’s Proposed Programs, Services, and Projects: Evaluation.

35 Prioritizing Programs, Services, and Projects.

36 Action Planning.

Step 10: Reassess Strategies and the Strategic Planning Process.

Worksheets.

37 Improving Existing Strategies.

38 Improving the Strategic Planning Process.

Resources.

A Brainstorming Guidelines.

B Snow Card Guidelines.

CStrategic Planning W orkshop Equipment C hecklist.

D Conference Room Setup Checklist.

E Model External Stakeholder (or Customer) Questionnaire for XYZ Organization.

F Model Internal Stakeholder Evaluation Questionnaire for XYZ Organization.

G Analyzing and Reporting Results of Surveys.

Glossary.

Bibliography.