Strategic Planning
WHAT IS STRATEGIC PLANNING?
The abundance of ideas within organisations can create complexity and confusion. The strategic planning process serves to navigate this complexity and the multitude of ideas and opportunities, unravel them, identify and prioritise the best ideas and share a common vision. Subsequently, a range of coherent and effective tools can be developed or consolidated, such as action plans, financing strategies, business development strategies, communication strategies, etc.
This type of strategic process can be conducted in several different ways, depending on needs and budgets, for either public or private organisations: a strategic plan, the most comprehensive option; strategic reflection, a simpler option that focuses on the essence; and on-site shoulder-to-shoulder sessions at your offices or off-site. Shoulder-to-shoulder sessions take one to two days and can be integrated into a plan or reflection.
HOW IS STRATEGIC PLANNING CARRIED OUT?
Espace Stratégies takes a participatory approach developed with the client to strategic planning. Participants can be key individuals from the board of directors or the management committee, employees, members of the management team, financial partners or service recipients, stakeholders in the socio-economic environment, domain experts or any other relevant individuals.
The strategic planning process begins with an opening phase where all ideas are put on the table without judgment. At this stage, all ideas are considered valuable. The process concludes with a closing phase where strategic choices are made from all opportunities presented, based on the objectives set in the opening phase.
Depending on the project’s scope, Espace Stratégies recommends setting up a follow-up committee to ensure the project is coordinated effectively and successfully completed.
HOW will my organiSation’s STAKEHOLDERS be consulted?
Stakeholder consultation provides a broad view of the organisation and mobilises everyone around the organisation’s challenges. In addition to traditional reflection workshops, stakeholders can be engaged through online surveys, street surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, public consultations or an economic forum or regional symposium.
THE ESPACE STRATÉGIES APPROACH
Our approach is inclusive, participative and collaborative. Clients are involved directly in the strategic planning process. At the end of the process, the client has already integrated the solutions identified during the workshops, having participated in the entire reflection. This enables the client to take ownership of the tools that allow them to develop autonomy. We encourage our clients to delve deeper during the workshops, and commit to taking an independent outside perspective to evaluating ideas.
SERVICES OFFERED
Espace Stratégies offers a range of consulting services to address various growth themes. The services most relevant to strategic planning include:
FOR WHOM?
PORTFOLIO
Suicide Action Montréal
Suicide Action Montréal (SAM)’s mission is to prevent suicide and mitigate its impacts by providing access to quality services. Espace Stratégies helped a working committee, including board members and the management team, with SAM’s strategic planning. The proposed approach was intended to identify current challenges, position the organisation within its ecosystem, clarify the structure of its service and program offerings, confirm its long-term vision and establish strategic directions, forming the foundation of its action plan.
La Table régionale des organismes communautaires
La Table régionale des organismes communautaires (TROC) of Bas-Saint-Laurent brings together approximately one hundred organisations in the region mostly involved in health and social services. The pandemic provided an opportunity for the organisation to review its priorities and operating practices. TROC invited Espace Stratégies to assist in its strategic planning. Together, the teams consulted members, gathered in various focus groups and reviewed the organisation’s mission, strategic priorities, values, choices and action plan.
La firme Tétreault Sauvé Lauzon
Tétreault Sauvé Lauzon provides accounting, tax and business law services to corporations. During a period of growth, the company chose Espace Stratégies to help mobilise stakeholders around a common vision, assess the relevance and priority of actions to achieve its objectives, find the best growth plans and communicate upcoming changes clearly. The company has experienced accelerated growth since completing the exercise.
