Benefits
Completing a strategic plan can help a community
- recognize its development assets and opportunities;
- identify trends and activities that shape the community;
- analyze the community's context and link to the larger region;
- get the support of state, federal, private, and nonprofit partners;
- identify the time, money, and other resources needed to support community change; and
- integrate the perspectives of a variety of community members in the plan for change.
Seven Steps in Strategic Planning
Leading community-capacity-building organizations have identified the following seven steps involved in strategic planning:
- Decide on your community's overall strategic planning process and get buy-in
from key players.
- Prepare a community assessment and analysis of factors related to future
change. This step often includes data collection and analysis that describes
the current reality; an identification of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
and threats (also known as a SWOT analysis); and a resource audit.
- Develop a shared, practical vision of community success—an image of success
for the community in 10 years.
- Determine priority issues; develop long-term goals (strategic directions);
and form task forces/working groups.
- Formulate achievable objectives and strategies and identify the actions
that will be effective in achieving those goals.
- Prepare an implementation plan identifying the concrete steps required to
fulfill each objective, as well as the individuals responsible for the action,
the timeframe, and the resources required. As part of an implementation plan,
organize a major kick-off event to introduce the strategic plan and announce
its initiatives.
- Determine how to measure and evaluate progress made under the plan. Elements
that should be addressed include how to continue public involvement, report
annual progress to stakeholders, review and modify the plan, and evaluate
the process and results.
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning Basics
Practical Planning Models
Frequently Asked Questions
Additional Resources for Strategic Planning
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