Almost everyone has a strategic plan. Let us examine ways to make it work.
If the strategic plan were being implemented, it would be looked at regularly. However, life happens and starting is postponed for another day.
The easy solution is to begin the implementation immediately. If there is a client on the phone, a staff member standing at the corner of your desk, and a meeting starting in 10 minutes, why should you begin work immediately on the strategic plan? How can we begin work immediately?
The long range plans looks deep into the future. That is both its strength and its weakness. It is a strength because if you execute the plan it will profoundly change the parochial school. It should significantly improve the sustainability of your school.
The change process is a weakness because it is going to take a long time to complete. Whether work starts today or tomorrow is unimportant over the long term. As a result, it is always scheduled to start next Monday but next Monday never comes. In addition, implementation is a big project with many moving parts. Some are complex and hard to understand which means one must find time to sit and think. Most days "think time" is harder to find than hen's teeth.
Additionally, a strategic plan is a marathon event. Surviving a marathon means metering out your energy. However, it is impossible to win a marathon if you are always at the back. If you are at the back, you must sprint up to the front if you want to be in contention.
Apply the same strategy to your strategic plan. After developing it, mark off the first 100 days and they become the starting sprint. Break down the first year of the plan and decide what you must accomplish in the first 180 days. Then shorten the time to 100 days and make this the starting sprint.
It will be hard to compress 180 days of work into 100 days but the dividends are worth it. Following are the benefits from beginning the strategic plan implementation with a sprint:
Transition - The sprint completes the transition from today's activities into the new strategy and business model. Breaking the old momentum is one of the more difficult parts of implementing anything new.
Success - Completing the first 180 days of work demonstrates to everyone that the plan will work. This provides energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of the possible.
Momentum - Completing the sprint gives the strategic plan momentum that will carry it forward.
Focus - The sprint helps the team realize that great things can be accomplished when everyone focuses on the same goal and works hard.
Teamwork - It takes a strong team to accomplish 180 days of work in 100 days. That teamwork will pay dividends for years. It will make dealing with the next crisis easier.
Courage - The sprint will give the entire organization the courage to take on some other big important task. It puts an end to people saying, "We can't do..."
Innovation - It is impossible to compress 180 days of work into 100 days without creative problem solving and innovative ideas. Starting with 100 days of innovation helps create a culture of innovation and creative thinking.
Even if the strategic plan eventually turns out to be less than you hoped, the 100 day sprint will provided dividends that more than justify creating the strategic plan.
Next Step:
Ensure your Christian school has a strategic plan (5 or more years in duration) Breaks the plan down into 6-month milestones (6 months, 12 months, 18 months, etc.) Create a detailed plan for the first 180 days (6 months) Compress the 180 day plan into 100 days without increasing costs, reducing quality, or sacrificing service Have a party on day 101A good plan leads to sustainability. The seven collateral benefits of the 100-day sprint are all attributes of a highly sustainable organization.
Plans are like consultants. Their only value is the results they produce. Because strategic plans take time to produce the promised benefits, they often seem like they are a large time investment without much, if any, payback. The 100-day sprint is away to front-end load the process with almost immediate benefits.
Is it time to dust off your strategic plan or write a new one? In either case, should you start your 100-day sprint now so that your school has new momentum to start the new school year?
Do you want to read an article about why strategic plans should span more than 5 years? If so, please send us an email or leave a comment below.
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