A Straightforward 5 Step Process for Area Governors

STEP 1:DEFINE CURRENT REALITY

STEP 2:DEFINE THE GOAL

STEP 3:DO A THOROUGH GAP ANALYSIS

STEP 4:DEVELOP & DOCUMENT AN ACTION PLAN & TIMELINE

STEP 5:DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT A MONITORING PROCESS

Step 1:Define Current Reality

Figure out where your starting point is. Use every source of information that you have available, to ensure that you have a complete, accurate and objective picture of your Area on a specific date. For example:

• all statistical reports 
• complete information re all new Clubs forming and all realistic leads 
• objective performance assessment of each Club President 
• analysis of your Distinguished Area Plan (or successes to date & the progress you have made toward the goals you set at the beginning of the year - if you are doing a mid-year strategic plan)

• Strengths: activities, programs, strategies, and people that/who have proven to be successful
• Weaknesses: activities, programs, strategies, and people that/who have proven to be unsuccessful
• Opportunities: new possibilities identified through the current reality process
• Threats: potential new challenges or problems or roadblocks identified through the current reality process

Step 2:Define The Goal

At the beginning of the Toastmasters year - with success data available for the previous year … OR … half-way through the year - with success data available for 6 months of your Team’s performance - are ideal times to examine & define all of your goals.

What do you intend to accomplish by 06/30?

• Distinguished? Select? Presidents? 
• How many per caps? 
• How many Paid Clubs? 
• How many CTMs? 
• How many ATMs?

Step 3:Do A Thorough "Gap Analysis"

This term refers to an objective and detailed analysis of the "gap" between current reality and the goal.

The SWOT analysis data will be critical here - specifically the future-focused sections of "opportunities" and "threats".

At this stage, document your findings: what needs to be done to get you from where you are to where you want to go? The documentation in Step 3 is at a macro level - big picture statements about what needs to be done. The detail comes next!
 

Step 4:Develop & Document Your Action Plan and Timeline

Using a separate sheet for each of the following headings, decide and document:

• WHAT needs to be done / completed? List every individual step
• WHO is responsible for each step?
• WHAT resources must be provided? By whom?
• WHEN must each activity be completed?

• Per Caps 
• Paid Clubs 
• New Clubs 
• CTMs 
• ATMs 

Step 5:Develop & Document A Monitoring Process

Without this final step, your Strategic Plan has no real value.

Review your Action Plan & Timeline and make some more decisions. Decide WHO is responsible for monitoring each area of the Action Plan. Decide HOW that monitoring will be done … what specifics will they check? How will they do it? Decide WHEN monitoring needs to be done for each activity and/or for each step. Decide WHAT will be done when monitoring reveals that an activity is proving to be ineffective. WHO will make those decisions? And THEN WHAT will you do? HOW will course corrections be initiated?

A Strategic Plan - when developed and used effectively - is a powerful tool. It is also a dynamic - ever-changing - document. It is step 5 that makes it dynamic. And the dynamics are what can make it effective.