The Problem

How do you build a member centric strategic plan with so many competing objectives? 

The client had set bold 3-year growth ambitions and needed a clear, shared path to get there. With many valuable initiatives in motion and differing perspectives on what to prioritize, leaders sought a way to align on the few things that would matter most, sequence work across functions, and measure progress consistently. They needed a structured, neutral facilitation approach, including a proven portfolio prioritization, KPI design, and an operating cadence. They needed a partner to guide the development and translation of a vision into a focused 3-year plan and a practical year-1 operating plan. Here's how partnering with CMG provided the clarity, alignment, and decision framework required to move from good ideas to coordinated execution.

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How We Did It

Establishing the Foundation

• Set 3-year objectives in partnership with the leadership team and the Board
• Identified a core team responsible for building the plan
• Developed strategic themes or “pillars” that deliver against the objectives

Defining Strategic Direction

• Developed relevant and actionable KPIs for each strategic pillar
• Articulated current state and future vision for a focused set of priorities within the pillars
• Determined initiatives that would deliver the desired future state over the next 3 years

Building the Plan

• Mapped current business activities to the plan, eliminating activities that were not aligned
• Identified timing, dependencies, budget drivers and measurement considerations for key initiatives
• Designed a comprehensive year 1 annual operating plan with initial budget implications and resource demands

Preparing for Implementation

• Finalized KPI metrics including data sources, baselines, and targets
• Finalized budget allocation for the year 1 annual operating plan
• Designed an operating system that would guide the implementation and continuous monitoring of the plan over the next 3 years

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Outcomes

The client’s 3-year strategic plan enabled:

• New cross-functional ways of working across senior leaders that worked collaboratively over the course of 9 months to decide on the strategic priorities for the organization and how they would be executed in year 1 of the plan
• Identification of key performance indicators at the member, profession, and organization level that the organization can track on a quarterly and annual basis to ensure they are on track with achieving their 3-year organizational growth targets
• A 50% reduction in plan tactics based on focused prioritization of work that would have the greatest impact on achieving the organization’s overall objectives with lowest level of effort and highest member reach
• Improved team collaboration and engagement between leadership and those that are executing the work

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‍Why it Matters

Without a well-formulated path forward, organizations struggle to get their entire teams moving towards a common goal. By taking this structured approach to strategic plan development, the association was able to set clear growth targets and galvanize the organization around priorities that matter most to their members and stakeholders.

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