THE PURPOSE OF

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Get your team on the same page and aligned with your credit union’s vision, mission, and goals.
Maximize your credit union’s resources to avoid wasting time and money on projects or activities that are not strategic.
Understand industry trends and scenarios that could impact your credit union in the coming years.
Identify and evaluate the best approach to accomplish your goals.
Develop an implementation plan to keep you and your team on track and accountable for deliverables.
And so much more…

AN 8-STEP PROCESS…

Step 1

Gather Inputs:

Your team – A critical component of input as your team is on the frontline and understands the process, challenges, opportunities and what’s important to your members.
Outside the organization – There are many factors that affect how your credit union does business including competition, political environment, economic conditions, social influence, technological changes, legal and environmental climates.
Planning exercises – Such as SCOT (Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, Threats), SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results), along with other valuable tools to gain focus for your strategic plan.

Step 2

Vision

What does Success look like to you? It is one thing to have a vision statement, and it is another to have a very clear vision of the future. This is the foundation of your strategic plan.

Step 3

Mission

What is your purpose? Your mission is the key driver in accomplishing your vision. It’s your HOW.

Step 4

Values

Create a set of behaviors that everyone in the credit union can count on and expect. If you want to find the number one contributor to a successful credit union, it’s having values that are understood and agreed on.

Step 5

Competition, Risks, and Roadblocks

Take the time to participate in scenario planning. Identify potential roadblocks and the possible impacts on your organization. Formulate a contingency plan to mitigate the risks associated with those potential roadblocks.

Step 6

Priorities, Goals, Strategies, and Tactics

Want to increase the effectiveness of your strategic planning? Focus on the right strategic priorities. Once you have your strategic priorities, find a way to measure its success.

Step 7

Communication of the Plan

Communicating your plan clearly to your team is a critical step in gaining buy-in.

Step 8

Action Plan

Now that you know where you’re going, and how you’re going to measure your success, do the things that are going to move the needle on the success of your strategic plan. Implementation is where most organizations falter. There is a direct correlation between a strong action plan, implementation and success.