Kotter and Bridges handouts for participants who did not attend Workshop 1.

MATERIALS AND PREPARATION: Kotter and Bridges handouts for participants who did not attend Workshop 1. Change Management and Leadership Skills handout for participants who did not attend Workshop 1. Strategic Planning Process handout for participants who did not attend Workshop 1. Two easels and tear sheets. 1

TIME: 2:00/2:00 INTRODUCE the workshop. Instructors INTRODUCE yourselves. WELCOME participants to this workshop, developed for the 2015 VOCA National Training Conference. After introductions, ASK participants: How many of you are assistance administrators? How many of you are compensation administrators? SEAT all assistance administrators at the same tables and all comp administrators at the same table. 2

TIME 1:00/3:00 REVIEW the strategic planning process. In previous workshops, we covered preparing for strategic planning and assessing your organization s readiness by collecting the necessary data. In this workshop we ll discuss the Create step, which involves developing critical information such as guiding statements, goals, and objectives. By developing guiding statements, you can use a shared idea of what your organization is, what it does, and why it does it. Those fundamental concepts, along with the data you ve collected, form the basis of what your organization will become. Then, by developing clear goals and objectives, you can create a roadmap of how to get there. 3

TIME 2:00/5:00 DISCUSS strategic plan format and design. Is there one single format for a plan? No, although certain sections are often included. An introduction briefly describes the organization s goals and services and, sometimes, how the plan was developed. An executive summary, written last but presented after the introduction, captures all the information to follow in a paragraph or two. Background and demographics are often included up front to provide a picture of the organization s service area. Guiding statements. A SWOT analysis. Goals and objectives (listed in priority), which we ll learn more about in this workshop. Action plan for carrying out strategies. Marketing and communication plan. Monitoring. Evaluation. Members of the strategic planning committee. Design can also vary. Some plans are only a few pages, others are much longer. Some contain photos or graphics, others have only text. There is no right or wrong way to design a plan. 4

TIME 1:00/6:00 INTRODUCE discussion about guiding statements and goals and objectives. We ll discuss two of the most important elements of a strategic plan guiding statements and goals and objectives. 5

TIME 2:00/8:00 DISCUSS guiding statements. ASK participants: How many of you work for organizations that have: Values statements? Vision statements? Mission statements? All guiding statements posted where victims or subgrantees can see it? DISCUSS: When creating a strategic plan, it makes sense to do guiding statements first. Your organization s values, vision, and mission are the foundation of your organization. Many people think of guiding statements as touchstones you can come back to them again and again to see if your actions are congruent with the beliefs that you articulated. Though these statements are big picture, eventually they will be translated into more direct and specific actions as you implement your strategic plan. 6

TIME 3:00/11:00 INTRODUCE values statements. We ll start by looking at values. If your organization does not have a values statement, you may want to write one with your strategic planning group and include it in the strategic plan. Values statements help your organization: Make decisions and take actions aligned to those decisions. Create a strategic plan by threading values throughout the plan. Reach the organization s goals. Asking some key questions about your organization will help you decide what your values are. Involving your strategic planning group will be instrumental in developing values that are truly embraced by your organization. When you begin thinking about your organizational values, consider these questions: What does your organization believe? What does your organization stand for? What drives your organization? What are your organization s governing ideas? ASK: Give me a one- or two-word value that your organization might use in a values statement. NOTE responses on a tear sheet and CORRECT any responses that are not 7

values. 7

TIME 3:00/14:00 CONTINUE to DISCUSS values statements Here are three examples of the way values statements are worded from the Pennsylvania, California, and Delaware strategic plans. Pennsylvania s values are lengthy descriptions, California s are a single word followed by a definition, and Delaware embeds its values in statements relating to victims of crime. Values statements, then, can be written as single words, short phrases, or lengthier descriptions. But remember it s more important that the values reflect your organization than in how they are presented in a strategic plan. You typically need to understand your organizational values first, because values are the foundation of your organization. Creating a set of values can help your organization make decisions and take actions that are in alignment with each other. Values also can help you create your strategic plan; as you map out new goals, you can come back to your organizational values for guidance on the best ways to achieve those goals. Values cannot tell you where to go, but they can tell you how to get there in a way that everyone philosophically agrees on. 8

TIME 2:00/16:00 INTRODUCE vision statements. The second guiding statement you may want to create is a vision statement. A vision statement is a short, inspirational description usually one sentence of the long term desired change resulting from an organization s work. If your organization does not already have a vision statement, you may want to write one with your strategic planning group and include it in the strategic plan. A vision statement is important because it really helps guide your organization in making important choices and commitments for the future. It can help shape the direction your organization takes and help focus your decisions toward one common vision. When creating a vision statement, always refer back to your values statements. These values should be reflected in your organization s vision of the future. If you create vision statements with your strategic planning group, keep the following points in mind: Match your vision to your values and mission. The vision shows you what you would like to achieve, so make sure that your vision statement is in alignment with your values statement. Write the vision statement to inspire and motivate. Your vision statement should convey your passion for the future and convey a picture of where that will be, and inspire your staff and stakeholders to want to get there. It should be compelling. 9

Include clear, concrete ideas. The vision statement tries to bring the abstract down to earth and convey your vision through clear, concrete ideas that state where you want to go and exactly what you would like to achieve. Just as you did with your values statement, consider your culture when creating a vision statement. Keep it short one or two sentences. The vision statement should challenge your organization to achieve what you would like to achieve, but do not dream the impossible. Keep it realistic. 9

TIME: 3:00/19:00 CONTINUE to DISCUSS vision statements. Vision statements can vary quite a bit, although the three shown here are somewhat similar. Vision statements are usually rather short, only a sentence or two. Many vision statements are well-meaning but too ambitious and unrealistic. An organization with a vision to ensure that all victims of crime are given financial compensation is likely to be disappointed. So is an organization that promises every subgrantee in the state will have sufficient funding for all operations and services. ASK: Should a vision statement be more idealistic or more realistic? What do you think? Do you think a vision statement should be achievable in the short term? Or should it describe an ideal world that we may never see? COMMENT on responses. ADD: Generally, a vision statement should be both it should reflect ideals, but those ideals should be achievable. 10

TIME 2:00/21:00 INTRODUCE mission statements. A mission statement is easy to write once you have a vision. Just think about what you are doing or should be doing now to make that vision happen. Many organizations don t have values statements or vision statements, but most have mission statements, so we aren t going to spend a lot of time discussing them. Just remember some key points: A mission statement describes the purpose of an organization. The mission statement builds on the values statement and the vision statement to sum up these concepts into a purpose for being a statement that answers the questions: Why does this organization exist? What is its purpose? A mission statement is generally short, usually a few sentences to a few paragraphs. It describes the fundamental purpose of an agency or organization. It does not describe strategies. Although it does not state actions, a mission statement is an important description of what your organization does. 11

TIME 3:00/24:00 COMPARE vision and mission statements. Some people confuse vision statements with mission statements. Remember the mission statement describes what the organization does, the vision statement describes what it hopes to do or achieve or be in the future. These are two statements from the California strategic plan. 12

ASK: Which is the vision statement and which is the mission statement? COMMENT on responses and ADD: Statement 1 is the mission statement. It describes what the organization is doing now assuring the rights of victims to financial compensation. Statement 2 reflects their vision: to be recognized as a model of efficient and effective service in California and the nation. 12

TIME 2:00/26:00 INTRODUCE goals and objectives. Once you and your strategic planning group have agreed on the guiding statements for your organization, it s time to write the goals and objectives that you ll include in the strategic plan. Your goals should fall naturally from your guiding statements, and your objectives from your goals. If they don t, they probably aren t appropriate goals and objectives. The better you understand this, the better you can guide the change to the new goals and objectives that address a specific challenge. Remember, there are distinct differences between goals and objectives. Think of the goal as the target, and objectives the tools you use to get there. Goals are more specific than mission statements, but remain general enough to stimulate creativity and innovation. They indicate the general changes that will take place in the organization as a result of the strategic planning process. Goals describe the desired end result that can be achieved if the objectives are met. Objectives are specific and measurable tools for accomplishing goals. In contrast to goals, objectives are specific, quantifiable, and time-bound statements of tasks you want 13

to accomplish or results you want to achieve. Objectives are intermediate accomplishments necessary to achieve goals. 13

TIME 2:00/28:00 DISCUSS goals. When developing goals, you should ensure that they meet the following criteria. Goals should: Directly support the organizational values, vision, and mission. Address the results of your organizational assessment. Normally encompass a relatively long period at least 3 years or more or have no stated time period. Address the gaps between the current and the desired level of service. Chart a clear direction for the organization, but not set specific milestones or strategies. Be challenging, but realistic and achievable. 14

TIME 3:00/31:00 READ the goals on the screen. Which ones are good goals? COMMENT on responses then ADD: The first four goals are from a Delaware strategic plan and are good goals. The last one is not a good goal because it simply isn t feasible. 15

TIME 1:00/32:00 DISCUSS SMART objectives. You ve probably heard about SMART objectives; that is, they should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented and Timely or Time-bound. You should strive to make all your objectives SMART objectives, although it s not always possible. 16

TIME 3:00/35:00 CONTINUE to DISCUSS SMART objectives. Each of the four Delaware goals you just saw have several related objectives. Let s take a look at the first goal: Establish an Office for Victims of Crime in the State. Which meet the SMART criteria? Justify the need for an Office for Victims of Crime within 1 year. Identify potential funding sources within 1 year. Draft legislation creating D/OVC within 18 months. Start-up D/OVC within 2 years. COMMENT on responses then ADD: The first objective should be rewritten to reflect how the need will be justified in writing? Through research? The last three are relevant to the goals and were written as specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and timebound. REFER participants to their Change Management and Leadership Skills handout. ASK: How can change management AND change leadership help translate guiding statements into specific actions? 17

TIME 2:00/37:00 DISCUSS setting priorities. Once you have laid out your goals and objectives, it s critical that you set priorities for attaining them. Your organization will likely have many goals, and you won t be able to do everything you want to do at once. The only way to ensure that your organization can achieve them all is to put them in a priority framework. As you developed your goals and objectives, you should have focused both on the end results you want and on a set of specific targets for achieving those results. In addition to helping your planning group make choices about what needs to be accomplished, setting priorities will also help you ensure that you have not overcommitted your organization s resources. As you prioritize, you should try to think about what your organization can reasonably accomplish in a given timeframe. You may find that you need to shift some of the timeframes for your objectives to ensure that you can accomplish them in order of priority. One way to help you prioritize is to look at all of your goals and objectives in terms of both impact and urgency. 18

TIME 5:00/42:00 CONTINUE to DISCUSS setting priorities A simple priority table like this can help you distinguish among objectives that must be addressed right away and those that can wait. Impact refers to exactly how much of a difference this particular goal and/or objective will make. Will the objective make a huge difference to the organization? If so, it may score higher on the impact scale. Urgency refers to how important a goal or objective is in the short term. Is there a reason that this goal or objective needs to be accomplished right away? If so, then it would score higher on the urgency scale. When you look at your goals and objectives in terms of impact and urgency, you will find yourself prioritizing on two levels. Both are equally important if you only focus on one of the two, you will find your planning process is not balanced. For example, if you only address those issues that have high urgency, then you might find that your organization is constantly putting out fires. At the same time, if you only address those issues of high impact, then your organization may not look responsive to pressing needs. It is important to strike a balance between the two. As you use a prioritizing strategy of assessing impact and urgency, your planning group will likely find itself talking and making choices about what is most important for your organization to achieve. Your group may even find that some goals are simply not as important as others. This conversation is useful in helping you further reach consensus about the direction that your organization is taking. ASK: Describe one goal or objective that might have a very high impact on an organization 19

not necessarily your own. COMMENT on responses. ASK: Now describe one goal or objective that might be extremely urgent. COMMENT on responses. REFER participants to their Change Management and Leadership Skills handout. ASK: How can change management or change leadership skills help in setting priorities? 19

TIME 1:00/43:00 In Workshop 5 we ll look at ways you can implement and communicate your plan. Remember, all the strategic planning process is done in sequential steps. Workshop 5 covers the very important steps of implementing and communicating your strategic plan, so we highly suggest that you attend this workshop. And don t miss workshop 6, a self assessment of your communication skills. You ll find it a fun and informative way to end the VOCA workshop series. 20

TIME 37:00/80:00 INSTRUCT participants to: 1. Select a challenge they face in their own organization. (NOTE: As an alternative, challenges may be assigned.) 2. Work individually or with others from your organization to complete the worksheet. 3. You have about 20 minutes to complete the worksheet. 4. Prepare to briefly summarize your responses with the other participants. After participants have finished, ALLOW each person a few minutes to summarize their responses. COMMENT as necessary. 21

THANK each person for completing the activity. 21

TIME 10:00/90:00 ASK for final questions on the topic. REMIND participants of the importance of attending the remaining workshops. THANK participants for attending. 22