Part 2: Strategic planning

it's all in the plan

I love board games, and in middle school I fell in love with Risk. I loved moving the little soldiers around and got a thrill when I threw the dice and hoped my little team of 3 could hold out against my friend Jesse's imposing army.

When we played, we started the game with the same amount of time to place soldiers and the same number of resources. I would plop my soldiers down on whatever space looked fun. It took me maybe one minute. Jesse took his time and carefully considered where his pieces would go in response to my own. When play started, I would quickly attack the most tempting target hoping to steamroll his tiny plastic army. He would wait, think, plan, and then move only when he was certain. Before I knew it I had a few scattered pockets or resistance and he owned the southern hemisphere. I realized he had a plan. He always had a plan.

It was infuriating. And he won every single time.

I didn't understand the importance of executing a strategic plan until I saw the benefits. And now, though organizations certainly don't work like a game of tiny toy soldiers, strategic planning is more important, not less. When a good plan is in put together, and the right people are in the right places to support it, it's possible to overcome obstacles and work through problems because everyone understands the goals, the priorities, and how that work attaches to the overall vision of the organization.

For instructional designers, this gives us a chance to align our work to the mission of the organization and show how we can help fulfill their mandate. If we tie our work and technology to their goals, we are far more likely to get the funding and resources to create the successful learning outcomes we all desire.

Major steps

According to Creating your Strategic Plan (Third Edition) by John M Bryson and Farnum K. Alston, a strategic planning can be accomplished in 10 steps. I won't cover all the steps here, so feel free to check out the book for the details. Instead, I think of the steps in three larger chunks:

Creating the plan- establish who will help create the plan, how issues will be mitigated, who does what, and if the organization is even ready for strategic planning at all.
Implementing the plan- establish who does what, then go do it.
Reassess- decided if the plan is still working and make changes were needed.

There is one big take away from the book I mentioned that is worth discussing here. No matter how fantastic these pieces sound, or how excited an organization may be for a strategic plan, not every group should jump into strategic planning. If an organization is in crisis mode, fix those problems first. The best strategic plan is worthless if no one has the time or will to implement it.

HOw these steps work for ID

As an instructional designer, how do I fit in? Though I may not always be a project sponsor or the one who initiated the strategic plan, I can help and use the planning process to my advantage.

When it comes to planning, part of that process is determining what goals and mandates the organization has. If I can tie our projects to those, I have a much better chance of getting the funding and resources I need to be successful.

Also, strategic plans often involve change. When change happens, training is often needed. Who is going to build that training? Well, I am. Even if I'm not able to provide direct support to the strategic initiatives for some reason, I can still support other groups who are implementing change. It's an opportunity to remind people why instructional design is so great.

How we all work together

Strategic planning effects all levels of an organization. With a good plan, all parts work together to form a sum that's greater than the parts. It's like that game of Risk. Though my friend's soldiers looked scattered to me, to his eyes they were one cohesive unit. Every piece played it's part.

Organizations work the same way. At the organization level, a clear goal or mandate helps focus strategic planning so we all know what to concentrate on. The different units in that organization share ideas and contribute to the plan with their areas of expertise. The teams within those units work toward refining the ideas shared by their units and tying their work to the organizational mandates. The individuals on those teams move the plan forward every day by doing their jobs, which are tied to the goals of the organization.

Together we all form a team. And with a good plan, we work better together.

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