The ultimate plan is a collaborative effort of the core organizational Stakeholders. Key to the process are the following

• Organizational Buy-In
• Stakeholder committment
• Clear understanding of both the Organization Mission but also the mission of the Strategic Planning Process itself

With this as the starting point the steps to a successful strategic plan are…

• Complete understanding of the findings and implications of the gathered information
• A clear and objective exposition of the organizations'
  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
  • Opportunities
  • Threats
• Construct the elements of the plan
  • Objectives
  • Goals
  • Overall Financial Implications of The Plan
  • Strategies for each part/deparment of the organization and for each functional element of the organization
  • For each strategy outline: objectvies and measurable goals with the tactics and financial implications that will be used and needed to meet these objectives and goals
  • Responsibilities/Dates/Times for each strategy

I am a very strong believer in the utility of the Consensus Model. Two vital elements are acomplished using concensus:

• Each member of the Strategic Planning Committee/Stakeholder Committee voice is given ample opportunity to be expressed. As a result contrarian views are given a full-throated voice when it might be otherwise stifled
• We are able to build buy-in as we progress through the planning process thereby giving a head-start to the implimentation phase of our process