Charting A Strategy for Quality-and Beyond

This blog post is in response to the September 2014 ASQ Influential Voices topic, "Charting A Strategy for Quality-and Beyond".

Strategic Planning Process:

The strategic planning process involves senior leadership team coming together to deliberate on Vision, Mission, and Values for their organization. They get staff support with information on customers, employees, processes, and finance. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis tool helps the leaders to perform internal and external scans to take an organization at the next level.

Some Quotes on Vision:

Vision is the art of seeing the invisible. – Jonathan Swift

A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power              and energy to get it done. – Ralph Lauren

Vision/Mission/Values Definitions: 

Vision (Long-term Dream, Destination):

¨Is it inspiring?

¨Is it clear and vivid?

Mission (Purpose of being, Path to your vision):

¨Why you exist? (business purpose)

¨What you hope to achieve in the future?

¨Does the Mission provide focus and inspiration?

¨Does the Mission provide criteria for strategic choices?

Values (Guiding Principles):

¨What is important to people?

¨How will people work together? 

Once the Vision, Mission, and Values are established using the SWOT Analysis, an Integrated Business Plan is developed identifying Goals, Strategies, Objectives and Action Plans as shown in the graphics above. A Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a tool used to measure success of a selected strategy when deployed. It has four components and has current, leading,  and lagging indicators as shown in the graphics below.

Deployment of Strategic Plan:

Around the world only 30-35% of strategic plans are successful. 

Key reasons for failures are:

1). Too many strategies-Prioritize few critical strategies.

2). Lack of resources for few strategies-Provide needed resources.

  

3). Lack of communication-Use Hoshin Planning process.

See the Hoshin Planning in Action graphic below.

My ASQ Strategic Deployment Experience:

1). 1998-1999 - ASQ wide Volunteer Recognition Process Team Leader

I had the pleasure to lead the ASQ-wide volunteer recognition process with 

members from Sections, Divisions, and ASQ Staff. After benchmarking

of other professional organizations, the ASQ-wide volunteer recognition 

process was defined, documented, approved, and deployed in 1999.         

2). 1999-2001 - ASQ "Investing in Quality" Capital Campaign Vice Chair 

Based on my fund-raising expertise, I had the pleasure to serve as a Vice Chair 

of the first capital campaign at ASQ. With 24 member Campaign Cabinet 

with ASQ thought leaders from Sections, Divisions, Industry, and Staff. 

In spite the post 9/11 turbulence, the Cabinet was successful in raising $1.75 

million. That allowed a permanent home for the ASQ headquarters in 2001.

I look forward to learning about your success with strategic planning process.