5.5 Summary of Key Points
Strategic Planning and NGBs
Everyone who has ever taken part in sport is already familiar with the basic concepts:
- Decide what you want to achieve - your mission and related goals
- Agree the rules of the game - your principles or core values
- Set measurable objectives which will contribute to the achievement of your mission and goals
- Decide how to go about delivering the objectives - your tactics or action plan
- Communicate the proposed mission, goals, objectives and action plan to everyone who needs to know them
- Review and change the action plan as necessary to ensure it delivers the aims and objectives as effectively as possible
The main reasons NGBs need a strategic plan include:
- To concentrate on the long term interests of their sport
- To identify those things which will deliver desirable long term results most effectively
- To build effective partnerships/relationships
- To take maximum advantage of the various support services available to them
The NGB's strategic plan should deliver:
- Clarity of purpose
- An action plan with clear targets
- An effective structure
- Long term sustainability
Managing Change
The process must be an inclusive one. A comprehensive consultation process should be utilised fully to ascertain the needs and opinions of members and stakeholders. At regular intervals the Forum should receive updates on the planning process.
The Board of Directors of the NGB has to be committed to the planning process.
The process of producing the plan is more important than the plan itself but what really matters are the results achieved as a result of implementing the plan.
The process takes considerable time and effort and there is no single correct way to produce a strategic plan.
A dedicated planning team should undertake the task of preparing the plan with the assistance of the board. An external facilitator may be called in to assist this team.
Strategic planning is not infallible but having a plan reduces the risk of future problems.
NGBs must "own" their problems if they are to determine effective solutions to them.