Strategic Direction

We have all experienced times when things haven’t been clear and we aren’t sure where things are heading.  It can be hard to stay engaged and feel a sense of real achievement.

Having clarity of direction is crucial to building momentum and high levels of engagement in your people.

We work with your teams to create a new vision, check in on what your values mean to you collectively, and agree the behaviours that define how you work together, providing the vehicle to move forward as one team towards a common goal.  Your strategic objectives are the stakes in the ground to which all of your efforts must align.

We can bring a fresh approach to:

• Developing your vision, values, and strategic objectives to form your Strategic Direction
• Shaping or reviewing your Strategic Plans
• Facilitating your Strategic thinking
• Coaching you through the Strategic planning process

Business Planning

If your business plan is covered in coffee stains, is dog-eared and full of scribbles, it’s likely to be the vehicle which is driving your business.

So what’s the key to developing a plan that is relevant and is one of the key tools in your business toolbox?

Simply put, your Business Plan should focus your time and resources on activities to deliver on your strategic objectives.  It is also the vehicle for communicating actions to your people and other stakeholders.

We can tailor an approach to:

• Assessing your current situation  (current strategic position)
• Linking Strategy to business plans
• Understanding your critical success factors and strategic challenges
• Growing your people (recruitment, learning and development, succession planning)
• Strengthening key relationships with stakeholders
• Setting your performance requirements in alignment with your objectives (KPI, budget)
• Building momentum through action plans with clear priorities, accountabilities, timelines, resource needs and funding
• Importantly confirming and communicating your business plan

We can also help you with tailoring your framework and coaching you through the whole process

Strategic Roadmap

The most powerful way to communicate to your people what your destination is and how you will get there is visually.  It provides the most powerful message, one that is more memorable, and for many, increases clarity.

A visual strategic road map can be displayed around your office so you can communicate what everyone is working towards.

We work with you and your team to:

• Identify those improvements or key projects that directly align with your strategic objectives and business plan
• Map out the critical milestones
• Develop supporting one page project sheets
• Take your people on the journey through facilitated workshops

Policy

In developing strategies and business plans, we generally rely on policies to guide (or ‘police’) the resulting programmes and operational activities.

Invariably you need to understand this wider policy framework before you can begin to work out how we are going to tackle specific problems and issues.

In some cases, particularly when you are trying to bring about transformational change, you may need to seek a policy review, for example, to accommodate new technologies or evolving scientific knowledge.

Our team is experienced in working with complex policy frameworks, spanning central and local government and the private sector.

We can assist you at both strategic and operational levels in:

• Carrying out policy scans and identifying potential conflicts that may impinge on your business plans
• Making the case for policy reviews, and helping to develop policy options
• Engaging with stakeholders and customers to seek their views and expertise in the policy review process
• Measuring the success of your business programmes against the agreed policy goals and parameters

Governance

Your organisation is likely to have a mix of committees, steering groups, advisory groups, liaison groups and decision gateways. Some will be operating effectively, while others may have lost their way over time and need a refreshed focus.

Overall, the function of governance is to ensure that an organisation or group fulfils its purpose, achieves its intended outcomes, and operates in an effective, efficient and ethical manner.

We have a wide range of experience in project, information technology, participatory and asset management governance which enables us to advise on the right structure for you.

We can support you by:

• Undertaking a current state assessment of your governance arrangements at various levels
• Developing or reviewing terms of reference for various governance arrangements
• Participating as external advisors on governance groups