Services: Strategic Planning
Managing with a clear vision, mission and strategy produces lasting outcomes.
Globalization and failed and fragile states, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and country Poverty Reduction Strategies require more strategic alignment of development assistance. Donor coordination provides added potential to design and manage country programs that help to create stability and prospects for longer-term development. To stay relevant in this environment, aid agencies need to sharpen their missions, mandates and strategies and engage in constant learning and innovation.
SI is at the cutting edge of strategy development in this new environment. We help our clients and partners to navigate and anticipate change. Our innovative strategic planning and management approaches create a shared vision and strategy that mobilizes groups to achieve lasting results.
Range of Services
- Designing Results-Oriented Sector Strategies and Country Programs-working with donors, governments and local stakeholders to develop results-oriented sector strategies and programs in health, education, environment, governance and economic growth.
- Strategic Planning for Organizations and Teams-creating a shared vision, mission and strategy with measurable results for an organization, team or operating unit; creating a culture for strategic management.
- PROJECT details
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Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone—Strengthening the Country Assistance Strategies: World Bank Country Teams, 2004-05
The Bank needed to revise its Country Assistance Strategies for Tanzania, Zambia and Sierra Leone in order to meet new or anticipated changes in country-level Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS). On three separate contracts SI reviewed over 50 projects in the country programs and the overall structure of each Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for realism of outcomes and strategic alignment with the PRS. For the large portfolios of Tanzania and Zambia, SI's reports were used to realign the CAS and to sharpen CAS-level monitoring systems. SI also led a strategic planning workshop for the Sierra Leone country team resulting in a new CAS.
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Strengthening Global Sector Strategies: World Bank, 2004
The Bank's fourteen sector strategies define the scope, focus, and monitoring criteria for its global poverty alleviation work. These include strategies for health, education, rural and urban development, environment, energy, private sector development, social protection and transport, SI provided an intensive assessment of each sector strategy and recommended improvements to clarify intended results, outcome metrics and monitoring systems. The results of the assessment are being used by sector teams to sharpen and reorient the strategies and to improve results-based monitoring.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—Strategy Review and Teambuilding: USAID/OTI, 2004
USAID/OTI's goal in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is to ensure a stable and more secure environment for war torn communities. SI led the OTI team in the DRC to create a vision statement for the program, establish a group consensus on program goals and objectives, develop a performance management plan (PMP), and clarify roles and responsibilities for team members. As a result the team had a much stronger sense of shared purpose and clear direction and it leveraged these factors to improve program performance.
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Liberia-Creating a Strategic Plan for Transition Assistance: USAID/OTI, 2004
In Monrovia, SI worked with OTI to develop a shared vision and strategy for the new program, ensure common understanding of the objectives, develop an action plan of activities and tasks, gain a deeper understanding of OTI's experience in other countries and create a project monitoring system. The plan summarized a new program focused on good governance, independent media, human rights and transitional justice. These activities led to a rapid and effective program start-up in Liberia.
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Northern Sudan-Strategic Assessment: USAID/OTI, 2004
For USAID/OTI, SI conducted a rapid strategic assessment in Northern Sudan to scope new programming options. The assessment focused on the political situation and the potential for implementing a peace that promoted democratic reform, human rights and just development. The assessment outlined potential objectives and focus areas for OTI programming and recommended next steps for program design and start-up. The findings were discussed internally at OTI and rapidly led to a new program in mid-2004.
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Sharpening Global Strategy: Counterpart International, 2004
SI supported Counterpart International (CI) to strengthen an on-going strategic planning process. Through a series of contract tasks over 10 months, SI led strategic planning and management sessions for the executive group and provided coaching and consulting support on a range of internal partnering, human resource and business development issues. As a result, CI has realized greater ownership over the new plan, recent restructuring and business decisions, and collaboration across divisions and between HQ and field operations has improved.
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Developing a Diversity Strategy for the World Bank, World Bank Diversity Unit, 2003
SI worked closely with the Diversity Unit (DU) and other groups at the Bank to develop a strategic plan for enhancing diversity of the Bank's global workforce of 10,000. Through participatory planning activities designed and facilitated by SI, the DU developed and launched implementation of its 2003-05 strategic plan to increase the role of sub-Saharan nationals and women in Bank management. SI also worked with the DU to design a specialized program for enhancing the role of people with disabilities at the Bank. As a result these programs have enjoyed strong commitment form Bank staff and successful implementation.
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Jamaica—Strategic Planning for ASHE, 2002
SI supported ASHE-a local NGO working in Theater and HIV/AIDS in Jamaica-to develop a three year strategic plan. The planning approach used Appreciative Inquiry to develop a deep understanding of ASHE's unique competencies and assets, a common vision of success, and a road map of common objectives with clear roles and responsibilities. SI also provided leadership coaching and assisted in developing new staffing policies. ASHE's reach and the quality of its services have improved as has its ability to work effectively with staff and local and international partners.
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Strategic Planning for African Hospices: The Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Sahara Africa, 2002
SI led strategic planning for the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Sahara Africa (FHSSA) using Appreciative Inquiry to build on local organizational knowledge and competencies. The output planning included: development of a common vision of success, revision of FHSSA mission, identification of important assets and best practices for building organizational performance, development of core objectives for strengthening FHSSA internal management capacity and its external support to African NGOs, and a six month action plan. As a result, FHSSA increased the momentum, scope and quality of its work with African hospices.
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Developing a Global Strategy: Family Health International, 2001
Family Health International is among the largest international health organizations, managing research, HIV/AIDS and family reproductive health activities in more than 70 countries. SI designed and led FHI's strategic planning process using an assets-based approach called Appreciative Inquiry to engage over 400 FHI staff from around the world. The plan—focusing on increasing the impact of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programs, improving marketing and strengthening internal collaboration—created a high level of commitment and led to an exceptionally fast and successful roll-out. As a result, FHI programs and internal collaboration were strengthened in a number of areas.
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Dominican Republic-Developing a National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, USAID, 2000
As part of the Dominican health reform process, and with USAID support, SI worked with the National AIDS Control Program (PROCETS) and several hundred local stakeholders to develop a national HIV/AIDS/STD strategic plan for 2000-2003 government adoption. The SI-led planning process involved MOH, people living with AIDS, local and international NGOs, CBOs, churches, district health officials, private sector and community groups, USAID and other international donors. The results paved the way for new public policies and programs to address the epidemic and establishment of a presidential-level AIDS council. At the provincial level SI developed a participatory planning module used to develop a provincial HIV/AIDS plan in support of the national plan. SI later worked with PROCETS to strengthen institutional capacity.
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Bulgaria-Strategic Planning for Higher Education Reform, World Bank, 1999
SI designed and led a participatory strategic planning process with the Ministry of Education and Science (MES), the World Bank and other key groups to advance reforms in higher education. The planning process succeeded in: i) establishing a common vision for higher education reform; ii) mobilizing key groups to support the reform process; iii) clarifying strategies to support the reforms, including definition of performance metrics; and iv) building the capacity of the MES for strategic management and team work. As a result the reform process gained momentum; supporting projects were funded by the World Bank, EU and other donors.