Sunday, January 24, 2010

The greatest shortfall of organizations is a lack of introspection. Plans and ideas are the easy part; implementing, assessing and redirecting are the real challenges.

If you read the first three columns in this series, you are probably wondering why anyone would need to evaluate their goals. It's simple: If the goal was to increase sales by 30 percent, we either did it or we failed, so what is there to monitor and measure?

The answer is everything. Success is not a zero-sum game. We must weigh the process as much as the outcome, and grapple with key questions such as:

• How did we or did we not achieve our desired results?

• What worked and what did not in our action plan and time line?

• What were the unintended consequences and challenges?

• What have we learned from this that will guide us for the future?

Further growth depends on the answers to these questions, and they must be explored systematically. For starters, it is important to understand the difference between monitoring and evaluation.

Monitoring refers to the continuous collection of information throughout the duration of a strategic plan. The check-ins described in the third column in this series offer an example of monitoring. This process allows an organization to adjust to changes internally and in the market.

Evaluation refers to a formal assessment done at the end of the strategic plan's duration to compare the goals of the plans with actual outcomes. Monitoring helps an organization achieve its current plan, whereas evaluation provides the basis for the next cycle.

Some organization hire an external consultant to conduct evaluations. However, these processes often can be accomplished by the people who set the goals. A team of people involved for the duration should sit down at least once a quarter to monitor. Guided questions should be provided in order to capture key points, such as:

• Are we progressing as planned? If not, what are the major obstacles, and how can we address them?

• Have there been any unexpected events or changes we did not take into account in our plan? If so, how are we responding to them? Do we need to change our responses?

• Is there anything that needs to be added or changed in our goals, actions or time line?

• Are the people responsible for implementation fulfilling their commitments? If not, what needs to change?

Evaluation should re-visit the purpose of the plan and goals and relate to the mission and purpose of the organization. Guiding questions include:

• To what extent have we achieved our goals? What were the key strategies that enabled us to do that? What held us back?

• How did these results contribute to the mission of the organization?

• What held us back from achieving our goals? How can we use this information to plan for the next cycle?

• In what ways (fiscally, staffing, sales and marketing, programming, etc) do we need to grow in order to achieve the long-term status we strive for?

These questions are a good start, but a more detailed evaluation, tailored to your organization's needs, is necessary to fully complete the process. For a free guide on monitoring and evaluation, see http://www.civicus.org.

Strategic planning is critical to the continuous success of organizations of all sizes. The four columns in this series should offer you a concrete, step-by-step guide to planning, achieving and evaluating your success. If you don't have a plan, start one now. It will give you far more control over your business than you ever imagined.

Elisa Levy conducts seminars on conflict resolution and anger management. For more information, contact her at 305-296-5437 or visit www.elisalevy.com.