Don’t worry about “HOW” yet. This step is not where you sift through everything and see what sticks. It is not time to think about how you are going to make things happen. This is just the idea phase. Dream a few big dreams and see what you might do.
You can include software and hardware desires. Think about process and procedural changes that might help your firm. Look to see what is not defined as well as you might like. Ponder the holes, the gaps and the missing links in your environment.
You may also think about building more into existing efforts. What is working and could reap more if tended to? Where can you expand one process that is seeing gains into other areas?
Keep the scope really large at this point. We will refine it later. Move quickly. The items that come to mind first are usually your most achievable ones. But don’t stop too soon, other ideas that come from contemplation are sometimes the best. You could rattle off a long list of quick ideas and add more as you keep thinking. Never stop thinking about what might get on the list.
Examples:
- Become a leader in the use of BIM software tools
- Reissue a revised CAD Standard for AutoCAD 2011
- Improve CAD productivity through custom and third party tools
- Develop a library of Details and the interface to use them
Once you have a list of at least 20-30, narrow it down to 5-7 ideas that might be the best. We will focus on those in the next steps.
The third step in the Strategic Planning process is to look toward the future. Now you can start dreaming a little. Now you can think outside the box. By working through steps one and two, you have framed the reality of the what you might dream about. Thinking about the future should be done by keeping in mind what the past has taught you and where you are now. Don’t let it specifically limit your thinking, just allow it to define the issues related to the dreams you may have. Drawing on the data and knowledge you have obtained from steps one and two, create a picture of how you want your environment to be.
Some of the questions that may encourage your thinking might include…
What vision do you have for your environment in one year? Five years?
Think now about the long term. Think about what your users might want. Think about your firm and what they are trying to get done.
Do you want a new processes for some area of CAD production or different software? Maybe both?
Is there a change in your clients needs in design technology? Are they moving toward another process or software platform? Are you hearing from them about other tools that they are discussing? Are other firms winning work that you might have gotten if you had some additional technology in place?
Where is the industry headed? Is there a migration in tools or processes going on in your industry? Are other, more progressive firms, moving faster than you? Are the positives of this change outweighing the negative and covering the costs? What are other firms like yours doing?
Talk to others about what they are hearing, where they would like to go and what buzz might be going on in the circles where they run.
The Product of this Step:
- A coalescing vision of what you want to do going forward
- 5-7 Targets of review and possible action
- Others who agree in general to your targets
Here is an example SWOT that I put together (very simple) to show you what yours might look like.
Each area gets information and there may be complimenting of contradicting statements between the two. You do not fill each one out looking for corresponding issues in the other areas. Just fill out each block with whatever info you have.
Reviewing the SWOT diagram shows me that we have trained users and many at the Super User level (Strength). This might help when we transition to BIM as they will embrace the new and I can shift training dollars toward BIM. I also see competitors who are slower to adopt new technology (Opportunity). On the down side – need to address this in the Plan – we have limited budget (Weakness) and a need for greater need to buy and train in new software (Threat).
By developing one of these diagrams, you may uncover something that you did not see before. It is all about seeing the big picture.
Where are you now? Maybe a SWOT analysis would help get your thinking organized.I have used this method before and it can be helpful. While I am not going to try and provide all of the methods of organizing your thoughts,I will provide some that I have used as we move forward.
Performing a SWOT Analysis on your present operations can be easy and it can help you think through the many areas where you may want to do some deeper thinking going forward. I am not going to try and fully define what SWOT is or how it can be used. A quick Google search will provide more that I could ever hope to write. But I will provide a brief explanation with the help of Wikipedia content.
SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
Strengths are internal characteristics of the firm or team that give it an advantage over others.
Weaknesses are internal characteristics that place the firm at a disadvantage relative to others.
Opportunities are external chances to make greater advancements in the environment.
Threats are external elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the firm.
Analyze your environment and your processes according to the four SWOT categories. Just write down the some ideas in each of the categories. Below is a diagram that you might use to create your Analysis doc. This is from a blog on SWOT in the UK that I found.
SWOT Analysis Example
There is no such thing as a business without weaknesses or a business without threats from outside sources. So be honest about yourself and the firm. This is in no way a complete effort. This is just a beginning.
Step Two involves Looking at Now. What is happening at your firm right now?
You need to review the following areas at a minimum.
Team and Talent – The makeup of the group you are working with will impact your ability to reach a goal.
Do they have the training needed? Teams need to be prepared and equipped to do their jobs. Training is how you equip them.
Are they excited about change for the better? If you team of firm embraces change you may be able to plan for quicker transitions. If they are slow to move, then a longer lead time will be needed for larger changes.
Are they easily disheartened? Discouragement is contagious. Resilience is also. Strong teams will be more resilient in the face of hardship.
Do they have the skills they need to advance? Back to training and their existing talent mix… Talents shared by many will frame the way you approach your planning. If you have a strongly talented team and a good blend of talents, your plan can be bolder.
Do they follow the standards? They need to be inclined to unified processes. This will impact your process of solidifying the plan goals. If your team is use to structured environments, then they will tend toward looking to solidify processes sooner. If they are creative, they will tend toward allowing the creative approaches to continue. Creative teams may go beyond the scope of your plan – which may not be a bad thing.
Do they share what they have learned? Sharing environments are better at spreading lessons learned and instituting new methods firm wide. Those that do not share will contain successes to smaller areas.
Can they be counted on? Dependability is key in planning who does what. Take into account those that can get the job done.
Resources and Budget -The availability to tools, budget and people will frame the scope of your planning.
Do you have the needed access to management and are they behind your efforts? Without access to the highest level of management that you can interact with,the smaller the scope will be of the plans you make. If you have the ear of the president of the firm, you can expand the scope firm wide. If you only have access to your immediate supervisor, your scope will be smaller.
Do you know people in the industry that can give you insight? If you can reach out to others in your industry they can help you gauge your targets an the reasonable expectations of reaching them (or surpassing other firms – which is the real goal)
Can you create communication methods to expand your impact? If there are ways of getting your message out and you can tap into them – that is great. If not – can you create methods of sharing your plan. Newsletters, emails, Intranets, internal blogs, whatever. You need a PR pipeline.
Can you get approvals on purchases? Knowing the flexibility of the budget is critical. If you can add line items it will help. If you can funnel other funds from one place to another, then that might work also.
Is the company profitability going up or down? Be sensitive to the state of the company profitability. Find out the facts. Plans that include saving money are still strategic.
Is there a line item for CAD software that may need to be purchased? If your plan is going to depend on purchasing, make sure you can make the buys.
The Product of this Step:
You will create a short list of possible and probable areas of opportunity. It will include constraints and resources, key people and tools and other important items from your review. It should be written down.
My next post will cover a suggested method of getting through this step.
I mentioned that Strategic Planning in its essence is just asking a bunch of questions and seeking to define the answers.
Step One is looking at the Past. A quick or long look back will help frame the whole process. By getting a proper perspective on what has happened before we may be able to either repeat the successes, build on them or avoid the failures of those that came before us. You need to be asking some questions about your firm and team and environment that will be used in framing steps four and five.
What is the CAD history at your firm?
Did it jump into the CAD or BIM arena quickly? Did it get dragged into the latest release begrudgingly? Did it have any major failure points in the past that might cause some to have concerns if you attempt something new? How quickly does the firm embrace new technology?
What challenges did it face and how did it handle those challenges? What were the challenges? Are the circumstances that caused these challenges still the same? Are those that were a challenge before still around?
What have you learned through past changes and progress efforts?
The Product of this Step:
You will know when you have finished this step when you can write a good narrative or list of what has happened in the past, how you got
there, what you learned and what you would avoid in the future. If you think you are done and have not written it down, then stop and create a document. It will force you to think through the issues and personalities that surround the issues. You may not share this with anyone or it may be a collaborative effort. The document is just a method of getting it all assembled in your head and on paper to make sure it is happening.
Don’t just think that if you spend a few hours thinking about the past that you have completed this step. Writing it up is part of the process of completing this step.
I always like visual aids. Here is one for the five steps I will outline.
Here is what we will be looking at over the next several posts. I am not sure how many posts it will take to cover what I want to discuss. It might take some time to get all of my ideas down.
The overall process of discussing this will take into account the five steps below. I think these are the basic steps in creating a Strategic Plan. There may be more or there may be less. Others may extend and expand on these or change them all together. Looking back on the many times I have lead or been involved with the SP process, it really boils down to these.
Step One: Look to the Past – where have we been – what got us here – what has worked – what has failed.
Step Two: Look at Now – what are we doing right – what is working – what needs to be addressed.
Step Three: Look Toward the Future – what could we do – where might we go
Step Four: Define your Goals – what can we rationally expect to achieve
Step Five: Identify Initiatives/Actions – how are we going to do it
These are the processes that most of us go through with many things in life. I will unpack each of these as we move forward.
I always like to start out defining what will be discussed and framing the posts in a series. It helps to outline what will be included and what will not.
What I won’t try to do…
I will not try to define the perfect planning method. There are so many out there that this would be tough to do anyway.What I am going to do is discuss what I have done in the past and keep it as simple as possible.
I will not try to cover the grand scope of planning. I will not try to discuss every option and critique current wisdom. There is too much to cover. With the expansive concepts and ideas and methods for planning that exist, it would take too much to cover them all.
What I will try to do is this…
Give you a starting place. I want to provide a spot to start or some additional thinking about getting started. Where to start is sometimes the hardest thing to define. People get caught up in the overwhelming scope of things and freeze up. Starting simple is key.
Give you a framework for creating a strategic plan. It will be simple, but workable.
Set you in motion. I will talk about where to start and how to get moving.
Let you define your processes. I will encourage you to make it your own.
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