Why strategic plans fail, and how to write one that gets used
Most strategic plans are finished, approved and then ignored. The difference between a plan on a shelf and a plan that steers decisions comes down to a handful of design choices.
Many organizations, and many counties, have a strategic plan. Far fewer can point to a decision that was made differently because of it. A plan that does not change decisions is a document, not a strategy.
Why plans end up on the shelf
- Too many priorities. When everything is a priority, nothing is. Managers fall back on whatever is urgent.
- No link to the budget. An objective with no funding line will not happen.
- No owners. If an objective belongs to a committee, it belongs to nobody.
- No feedback loop. Without regular review against evidence, the plan is out of date before the year ends.
Start from choices, not from a wish list
A strategy is a set of choices about where to focus and, just as importantly, what not to do. Ask what the organization must be excellent at, who it serves and what it will deliberately stop or defer. If the plan could apply equally to any organization in the sector, it has not yet made any choices.
Use scenarios to test the plan
No one can forecast the next five years reliably. Scenario planning does not try. Instead, it describes two or three plausible futures, for example changes in funding, policy or demand, and asks whether the priorities still hold in each. Priorities that survive every scenario are robust. Those that only work in one need a contingency or a rethink.
Connect the plan to money, people and measures
For every objective, the plan should state who is accountable, how progress will be measured, and which budget line pays for it. Performance contracts and annual work plans should be derived from the strategy, so that a manager's targets and the strategic plan say the same thing.
Build monitoring and evaluation in from day one
Define the indicators while designing the plan, not afterwards. Record a baseline, set realistic targets and agree a rhythm of review, quarterly for most organizations. Treat the review as a chance to adjust the plan, not only to report on it.
For county and national plans
Long-term development plans add two further tests: alignment with the national frameworks they must sit within, and realism about financing. A plan whose costs far exceed any plausible revenue is an aspiration. It is better to rank the programmes and be clear about what will be funded first.
Five questions to ask of any plan
- Can each manager say which objectives they own?
- Is every objective linked to a budget line?
- Does the plan say what will not be done?
- Do we know how each indicator will be measured, and by whom?
- When did we last change something because of the plan?