Strategies By Design provides a wide range of organization development, strategic planning, program evaluation, facilitation services and web design services. Our services are:
- Developed for your organization
- Tailored to your unique circumstances
- Practical, collaborative and dynamic!
Finding Better Solutions
Organization Development & Capacity Building
Strategic Planning
Program Evaluation
Facilitation
Organization development means organizational change. The balance between unconventional thinking and practical solutions is the key to achieving the breakthrough that the organization needs to stay competitive or move ahead.
OD is beneficial for any individual, team or unit, intergroup or whole organization that wants to be more effective. OD can be used to identify and resolve a variety of organizational issues, and to increase an organization’s problem-solving capabilities, planning and effectiveness. OD can also be utilized to achieve various degrees of change, ranging from incremental change to a radical alteration in “how we do things.”
There are a variety of approaches to organization development such as action-research, i.e., needs assessment, action-planning, implementation and evaluation. There are also a variety of OD interventions including, but not limited to, the following:
- Strategic Planning to establish long-term organizational goals, objectives and direction
- Team-building for increased cohesiveness and cooperation among people who work together
- Quality Circles to identify methods of improving production or to solve work problems
- Reengineering a redesign of business process to achieve breakthrough results
- Survey Feedback collecting information and using the results as the starting point for action planning for improvement
- Inter-organizational Development in which two groups or organizations work together to establish and/or maintain more effective relationships
- Process Consultation where attention is focused on how individuals or groups interact
- Process Improvement where the way in which processes are performed are changed to make them more effective or efficient
- Conflict Management to reduce destructive conflict between members of a work unit
The specific organization development approach and intervention utilized depend upon a variety of factors including the type of change desired, the level of change desired and the size of the organization.
Strategic planning determines where an organization is going, how it’s going to get there and how it will know it got there. The result is clarity of direction and commitment to success.
Strategic planning can define the direction of an organization for one year, 5 years or more. It is a systematic process through which an organization defines, agrees on, and builds commitment among key stakeholders, to priorities which are essential to its mission and responsive to the operating environment.
There are a variety of models, perspectives and approaches used in strategic planning, such as:
- SWOT Analysis, a traditional approach to strategic planning based on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
- SOAR Analysis, an appreciative-based approach to strategic planning focusing on Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results
- Forces of Change Assessment, an analysis of external environmental impacts on the organization based on Trends, Factors and Events
The basic steps of a strategic planning process are as follows:
- Phase 1: Get Started, Define Reasons For Planning, Evidence of Success and Participants
- Phase 2: Define/Review the Organization’s Mission, Vision and Values
- Phase 3: Assess the External/Internal Environment
- Phase 4: Agree on Key Focal Areas, Goals, Objectives, Strategies, Actions and Evaluation Methods
- Phase 5: Develop the Strategic Plan Document
- Phase 6: Implement the Strategic Plan
- Phase 7: Monitor and Evaluate Implementation
The way a strategic plan is developed and which approaches are utilized depends on a variety of factors including the organization’s leadership, the organization’s culture and size, as well as the involvement of key stakeholders.
Program evaluation is the process of collecting information about an organization, a program or a set of activities in order to make necessary decisions about future effort. Find out what you need to know, in the most cost-effective and practical manner.
Program evaluation can include any or a variety of at least 35 different types of evaluation, such as for needs assessments, accreditation, cost/benefit analysis, effectiveness, efficiency, formative, summative, goal-based, process, outcomes, etc. In addition to the types of program evaluation, there are also a variety of methods to collect data:
- Surveys
- Checklists
- Interviews
- Documentation Review
- Observation
- Focus Groups
- Case Studies
The type of evaluation you undertake to improve your programs depends on what you need to know about the organization, the program or the specific set of activities. Once the “research question” is defined, the best approach for collecting information and analyzing the information can then be determined.
Content is what gets talked about and decided. Process is how the discussion happens and how decisions are made. Designing and facilitating meetings more deliberately results in better thinking, more robust solutions to problems and greater support for decisions.
Meeting design is the deliberate act of planning for a meeting ahead of time, identifying key outcomes for the meeting, the most effective processes, and any information meeting participants need to review in advance. Meeting facilitation is the conscious act of guiding the meeting process so that the discussion stays focused and on track, so that everyone participates, and the agreed-upon meeting goals are reached. Common uses of this combined approach include the following:
- Strategic Planning to establish long-term organizational goals, objectives and direction
- Task Force Launch to get the team clear on the goal and focused on results
- Issue Resolution to gain agreement on how to address a problem
- Team-building to reduce conflict that may be hampering performance
- Community Engagement to gain public input on initiatives
- Meeting Transformation to improve the effectiveness of meetings
- Survey Design, Implementation & Analysis to find out what you need to know to make strategic decisions
- Process Improvement to increase operational efficiency
- Board Development and Board Meeting Facilitation to clarify roles, relationships and focus
- Focus Groups
- Strategic Plan Assessment
- Project Planning Facilitation
There are a wide range of perspectives about the ideal nature and values of facilitation – highly democratic vs. directive – as well as the desired skills of the facilitator – process vs. content. The type of facilitator needed and the effective method of facilitation may depend upon the particular stage of development of the group and the outcomes desired.
The term data visualization can refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines which focus on visual communication and presentation, as well as the process of and products generated by data visualization.
At Strategies By Design, our data visualization services include the following products:
- PowerPoint presentations
- Educational materials
- Illustration of theories and diagrams
- Strategic plan documents
- Reports and technical manuals
Various methods – such as typography, visual arts, page layout and composition – are used to create and combine symbols, images and/or words to produce a visual presentation of ideas and messages. The specific software application and planning approach is determined based on the type of data visualization project.
What’s Unique About Us?
Our clients value the quality, care and respectful way we engage with them and their organization to make things happen.
What Client’s Say
For the first time in a long time we have strategic goals and objectives! Sue was able to guide our sometimes contentious group toward an end goal, keeping everyone on task and focused on the objective.
Your workshop [on Fundraising in Challenging Times] was one of the most productive workshops I’ve attended in a lifetime of attending workshops and seminars. I got great ideas. And, I met new, local people who share similar goals and problems. Thank you!
You kept us focused and on track. We now have clear direction, performance measures, an action plan, and implementation procedures.
It has been so refreshing to be able to provide feedback without it becoming a debate or having the feedback ignored. The organization of the session, as well as your facilitation, were excellent.
The strategic plan we developed with you was so effective, we have used it to guide our work for the last 2 years.
Your expertise in planning and facilitation provided the edge that made our Leadership Mendocino retreat successful – and lots of fun!
You quickly digested the issues, analyzed what was most important, and worked with me to develop the most effective format to meet the workshop goals . . . the meeting went well and I received good feedback from the participants.
Your direction and guidance acted as a catalyst, focusing the diverse range of knowledge and experiences of the MLFPP members into a cohesive, sustainable Fall Prevention Strategic Plan that reflects the issues and needs of our community.
You helped us organize the thoughts and concerns of a diverse group of neighbors into a cohesive and consensual action plan. We are grateful for your assistance.