If your organization is preparing for a strategic planning process, you’ve likely heard the advice to find a great strategic planning consultant.
But finding a great consultant is often easier said than done. While there are plenty of strategic planning consultants out there, the trick is finding one that’s right for your unique organization.
What is strategic planning?
Strategic planning is a structured process to guide an organization in creating, documenting, and committing to a vision for the future, including the strategies, goals, objectives, and activities that will bring that vision to life.
A strategic planning process culminates in the creation of a strategic plan. So, what is a strategic plan?
A strategic plan is a written roadmap for where an organization is going, how it will get there, and specific ways to determine if the organization has “arrived” at the destination. Through a strategic planning process, organizations might clarify their vision for the coming 3, 5, 10, or more years. However measurable goals and action plans typically cover a shorter 3-5-year period.
While many organizations and consultants focus their energy on the written document, strategic planning is more than a simple product. A written plan can easily be shoved in a drawer or left on a shelf. And it often is. According to studies, over 60% of strategic plans never make it to full implementation.
That’s why it’s important to focus on strategic planning as a process.
Strategic planning is a process, not a product.
The process of bringing together an organization’s leadership and stakeholders to build a shared vision for the future is arguably the most important part of strategic planning.
What is a strategic plan? A strategic plan is a written roadmap for where an organization is going, how it will get there, and specific ways to determine if an organization has “arrived” at the destination.
Why is strategic planning important?
Without a strategic plan, organizations and their leaders often struggle to prioritize. Daily, leaders make choices about programs, staff, infrastructure, technology, and more. Each choice carries real financial consequences. Without a strategic plan to guide decision-making, it’s easy to spend precious staff and financial resources on ineffective work that doesn’t truly advance your mission.
Another common problem is mission drift or mission creep—where organizations take on projects and programs that distract from, rather than contribute to, core missions. We often see this accompanied by burnout, low staff morale and high turnover. It can also affect fundraising and financial stability.
If an organization’s leader doesn’t know where they’re going, how can they expect staff, board, volunteers and donors to follow?
Luckily, the strategic planning process can yield important benefits for your organization. The process helps you:
Build consensus across your board and staff leadership about your organization’s direction, programmatic and financial priorities, and measures for success. This creates valuable buy-in that will keep your team focused and supportive through the inevitable ups and downs.
Align your entire organization around a shared vision for the future—one that is clear, concise, and motivating. Research shows that 95% of employees don’t understand their company’s strategy. Getting your full team on the same page can be transformative.
Increase your impact and better leverage your resources. You’ll set clear and measurable organizational goals and gain the tools to evaluate progress in real-time. You can identify what’s working and what isn’t—and course correct to better use precious financial and staff resources.
Kick-start strategic decision making—a decision-making process that is guided by long-term objectives and shared values. Your strategic plan becomes your guidepost for strategic decision-making, enabling you to identify the choices that advance your vision, mission, and values rather than work against them.
Are you ready to build a sustainable, impactful organization?
What does a strategic planning consultant do?
A strategic planning consultant oversees an organization’s strategic planning process, manages stakeholder participation and ensures successful execution. This typically includes developing a workplan and timeline, assisting with stakeholder feedback processes, facilitating strategic planning sessions or retreats, facilitating consensus building, and preparing a final written strategic plan.
A strategic planning consultant does the hard work of ensuring your planning process stays on track and is a success.
A consultant may also provide support for strategic plan implementation. This could include an overarching implementation plan and individual plans by department.
The value of a facilitated strategic planning process
While some organizations undertake strategic planning on their own, most choose to use an outside strategic planning consultant or facilitator.
Creating a strategic plan on your own may initially seem like a cost-saving measure. But it can ultimately cost your organization more. Here’s how:
Strategic planning requires time and investment from your senior board and staff leadership. And those hours translate to dollars. Your most highly paid staff members will inevitably spend time on the mechanics of your planning process rather than focusing on the substance of your organization’s strategy. When your CEO is spending time planning agendas or developing stakeholder questions, there are massive opportunity costs. Consultants can save CEOs time and money by taking the guesswork out of the process, simplifying the process, streamlining pre-planning processes, holding team members accountable, and more.
Strategic planning is a great antidote to groupthink in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. But only if you bring in an outside facilitator. Otherwise, power dynamics may compromise your strategy process. Even senior staff members who aren’t the CEO may be less inclined to share fresh and potentially unpopular (with the CEO) input. A skilled consultant can ensure that everyone participates equally. Your facilitator creates spaces where tough feedback is welcomed rather than shut down.
Strategic planning requires building consensus. This can be hard if your board, staff, and other stakeholders have wildly different ideas about the direction of your organization. If you can’t move your planning group toward consensus, you risk never completing the planning process. Or, if you decide to railroad a plan through, your team won’t benefit from the buy-in that results from creating a shared vision. Your consultant will bring years of experience facilitating consensus-building while also being seen as a neutral agent.
Because of these factors, most organizations choose to work with a strategic planning consultant. This way, your board and staff leadership can focus on strategy while your consultant handles the logistics.
How To Choose a Strategic Planning Consultant
Unless you’ve worked with and liked a particular strategic planning consulting firm, you’re going to need to create a strategic planning RFP or request for proposals. Ideally, you’ll want to interview and compare proposals from at least two to three strategic planning consults.
What to look for in a strategic planning consulting firm
Generally, you will conduct an initial call with each strategic planning consulting firm to share more about your organization and goals for strategic planning. After the call, the consultant will prepare a proposal and scope for your consideration.
As you evaluate strategic planning consulting firms, you’ll want to consider:
Experience: Look for a consultant who has previously facilitated strategic planning processes with successful results. When it comes to consultants, there is often a sweet spot where a consultant is highly experienced—having worked with dozens of similar clients—but still committed to customizing the process for your organization. You don’t want to end up with a cookie-cutter strategic planning experience that never gets below the surface.
Familiarity with organizations like yours: Make sure your consultant is at least familiar with your sector. For example, a mid-sized nonprofit direct service organization vs a Fortune 500 company will have very different internal and external dynamics. Also consider whether the consultant has worked with organizations of similar size, budget, and development or growth stage. If you’re a nonprofit organization, consider seeking out a consultant who specializes in nonprofit strategic planning.
Proposed scope: The project scope a consultant provides you will tell you a lot about their process, qualifications, and professionalism. There should be a detailed description of the full strategic planning process, including timelines and outputs. When evaluating a proposal, be sure you understand: What does the consultant’s process encompass? How long does their process take? What is the expected time commitment from your team? Make sure roles and responsibilities are clearly spelled out. For example, what elements will be included in the written strategic plan? Will there be a or another similar process conducted?
Strategic planning models used: There are dozens of strategic planning models and tools. Ask consultants to explain which method or methods they are proposing to use, why they recommend it or your organization, and whether it is evidence-based. For example, when discussing strategic planning models, you might hear terms like the Classic Model, Issue-based Model, Technology of Participation, SWOT Analysis, or Environmental Scan. Your strategic planning consultant should be able to clearly describe their proposed method, including the process, outcome, and approach to stakeholder engagement. If you’re interviewing multiple consultants, the number of models and terms can become overwhelming. We designed our guide to the Basics of Strategic Planning Models to help.
Track record: It’s best practice to ask for references—previous clients who can speak to the consultant’s work and approach. If a consultant isn’t willing to provide references, consider this a red flag.
Fees: All services, fees, and payment schedules should be outlined in the proposed scope. When conducting a time-intensive effort like strategic planning, expect to pay a deposit up-front before work begins.