CRYSTAL WIERL

As Manager of a Legal Services Centre I spent a great deal of time in the daily grind of day-to-day management. A lot of energy was being spent handling crisis after crisis and keeping things afloat on a daily basis. In the evening when there was time to think about the events of the day I started to think that there had to be a better way. I had ideas to develop a training plan, establish some standard performance management practices and provide some much needed role clarity, Unfortunately, when "managing" was done there was little time left in the day to focus on these items. I was lost in Business Management vs Strategic Planning.

 

Time spent working towards the changes I wanted to make had to start becoming a part of every day. I needed a roadmap for how I was going to achieve those changes.

 

I began by setting goals through my own performance management plan which helped set focused priorities. Now that I had high level goals I needed a strategy to achieve them. This was the first step in starting to organize an effective strategic planning process.

 

Several changes were needed across the multi-functional team in my business area, including:

• better defined roles and tasks and technical skill building for administrative support staff

• training material and a defined training process linked to evaluation for front line service providers

• cross-functional team support to better meet the needs of the clientele

• a well defined and consistent performance management practice focused on goal setting and accountability

 

To acheive these changes serious thought had to be given to where the team was now and where I was trying to get them.

• SWOT Analysis

 

In completing a SWOT Analysis I gained a better understanding of what I was dealing with. Not only were technical changes needed but a culture shift as well. Didn't Peter Drucker (a innovative management consultant, writer and professor ) say "culture eats strategy for breakfast"? In my experience this was true.

 

The tools and techniques of a successful strategic plan would help me achieve my objectives, which were in line with the overall organization's vision.

• Vision Statement

• Mission Statement

• Value Statements

 

I begin each strategic plan by creating a focused priority list around each outcome. This is not a brainstorming activity that includes all possible ideas but a focused list of all elements that must be acheived to be successful. Each element may not carry the same weight or have the same number of action items but in order for the execution to be considered a success each of the items needs to be addressed. This type of list or chart can also help when facilitating a group through strategic planning as the elements of each goal that must be there for each member of the development team is listed and then actioned and prioritized later, but not lost.  

 

Through project experience I developed skills in goal and objective setting, creating action plans, setting priorities and most importantly, execution. Actions are organized and prioritized to achieve the business objectives.

• Strategic Goals & Objectives

• Action Plan

Highlighted throughout the action plan are the elements or priorities that must be present for each action to be considered a success.