20 Questions - Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants

Strategic Planning y continued z
11. How will the activities and programs
support the Vision and Mission?
One of the final stages of strategic planning is to link the Vision and Mission to
activities and programs. This helps:
• Confirm that the activities and programs support the organization’s Vision
and Mission with the minimum of gaps and duplications
• Confirm that the strategy uses the organization’s strengths to take advantage
of opportunities and overcome weaknesses and threats
• Confirm that strategies are compatible with the organization’s values and risk
tolerance
• Provide guidance to staff and volunteers on how they will contribute to the
organization’s effectiveness and what they need to consider as they develop
their operational plans and budgets
Recommended practices
• The strategies use the organization’s strengths to take advantage of
opportunities and overcome weaknesses and threats
• The strategies are compatible with the organization’s values and risk tolerance
• The strategic plan links the organization’s Vision, Mission and Values to its
activities and programs
One way to do this is to use the word “by” as the link. For example:
• We will serve our existing and prospective clients by continuing programs A
and B.
• We will improve our service to clients by introducing a new program D in
the year after next. 5
• We will free up funds for program D by discontinuing program C at the end
of next year.
• We will enhance our fund-raising capabilities by adding a development
officer on July 1 of next year.
The result should be a concise but comprehensive description of what the
organization will be doing over the coming years. The emphasis is on significant
changes in what the organization does and how it does it, and how those
changes affect service to stakeholders.
The level of detail will vary with the size and complexity of each organization.
Appendix 2 is an illustration of how one organization links the elements of its
planning process.
14
5 There should be an indication of the timing of changes – usually as a calendar date.