Sample Strategic Planning Process

The Linear Process template is useful when your project has one big deliverable and the work unfolds in an orderly, linear fashion (e.g., strategic planning process).

  •   Completed stages
  •   This stage
  •   Next stages
  •   Out of scope for this phase
Steering Committee Meeting
▼		 Steering Committee Meeting
▼		 Steering Committee Meeting
▼
Mar – Jul 2016 Aug – Sep Oct – Jan 2017 Feb – Mar Apr – June Jul – Aug Sept +
1. Launch project
2. Approve process
3. Conduct preliminary research
4. Synthesize research findings and propose preliminary recommendations
5. Conduct additional research if needed and create strategic framework with proposed projects
6. Propose strategic framework and project implementation plans
Roll out strategy
  1. Sponsor assigns Project Director
  2. Clarify scope
  3. Agree on deliverables
  4. Break down the work
  5. Clarify roles
  6. Invite Working Team
  7. Invite advisory group
  8. Invite Steering Committee/li>
  1. Propose project plan to Working Team; incorporate feedback; create proposed research plan with Working Team
  2. Propose project plan and research plan to advisory group; incorporate feedback
  3. Propose project plan and research plan to Steering Committee; incorporate feedback
  1. Brainstorm possible strategic options (MECE = mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive)
  2. Conduct internal desk research
  3. Conduct external desk research / literature review
  4. Conduct internal interviews
  5. Conduct external interviews
  6. Conduct internal survey
  7. Hold focus groups (tentative – may use advisory group for this)
  1. Synthesize research findings; send to advisory group as pre-read
  2. Hold advisory group mid-term progress review; incorporate feedback into research findings and project plan
  3. Send research findings to Steering Committee as pre-read
  4. Hold Steering Committee mid-term progress review; incorporate feedback into project plan
  1. Conduct additional research as requested by advisory group and Steering Committee (TBD)
  2. Create theory of change (TOC)
  3. Create strategic planning framework
  4. Create high level five-year implementation plan based on proposed project portfolio
  5. Create work-plan based budget estimate for the proposed strategy
  6. Create communications plan
  1. Send draft strategy to advisory group as pre-read
  2. Propose draft strategy to advisory group; incorporate feedback
  3. Send draft strategy to Steering Committee as pre-read
  4. Propose draft strategy to Steering Committee; incorporate feedback
  5. Submit project deliverables to Steering Committee (strategy, comms plan, budget)
  1. Implement communications plan
  2. Launch year-one projects

Work Streams status:

  •   Completed
  •   In progress
Learn more about Strategic Planning