NEW: "CFSP/APSR Tool Kit" now available from the Children's Bureau's website.

Strategic Planning Tools • Strategic Planning T/TA • Resources and Publications

Strategic Planning Model
Strategic Planning Terms
Strategic Planning Checklist

Strategic Planning Model
Strategic planning is a continual process for improving organizational performance by developing strategies to produce results. It involves looking at where the agency wants to go, assessing the agency’s current situation, and developing and implementing approaches for moving forward.

The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement provides technical assistance to States involved in strategic planning and has developed a framework for strategic planning with four distinct stages described in detail and illustrated with State and county examples in our publication Strategic Planning for Child Welfare Agencies. We have also developed a Strategic Planning Checklist to guide organizations through each step.

Prepare
Three critical steps must be accomplished prior to developing a strategic plan:

• visioning,
• assessment, and
• implementing a planning process.

In each of these areas, review and build on what is already in place—vision statements, assessments or organized groups engaged in planning or providing stakeholder input.

Plan
To develop the plan, establish priorities by considering the needs, strengths, and resources of the organization. Three key questions must be answered:

• What do we want to accomplish?
• What will we do to get there?
• How will we know if we are making progress?

Once you have a draft document, circulate it for input, revise and finalize.

Implement
The following steps ensure that plans are used to guide the work of the organization:

• communicating "marketing" the plan,
• managing the implementation of the plan,
• supervising the actual work, and
• monitoring and reporting progress on the plan.

Revise
This stage starts the cycle over again, allowing the plan to be continuously updated, and keeping it current and meaningful to the organization. On an ongoing basis the organization should:

• conduct assessments of its performance by gathering and analyzing information;
• convene the planning group to review performance and reassess goals, outcomes, strategies, and action steps and to make recommendations for changes; and
• revise the plan.

To the extent that the plan is updated, it can stay current and meaningful to the organization.

A strong strategic planning process can be a powerful tool for systemic change within child welfare agencies focusing on improving outcomes for children and families. Throughout the process, ongoing communication is critical.