How a #strategic lens in #context enables the identification and evaluation of relevant #impact #factors for clear priorities and focus. Learn how we supported the steering board of an NGO in streamlining their #vision, #mission and #objectives and in setting up a three year #priority based #action plan, taking their opportunities and risks into account.
What is important to be considered? What are my priorities? Why?
Turning ideas into reality
A luxurious challenge emerges when we find ourselves sparked, full of energy and ideas popping up from all directions. We feel invincible and the saying ‘anything is possible’ appears to be true. Appreciating this gift, writing everything down (we tend to forget things) and inspiring others along the way is fun and rewarding.
Check in with our intentions and more importantly our willingness to try.
However, if we want to turn ideas into reality, we need to act upon them. To ensure we honour our own and others’ precious time and energy, an important reminder for us moving forward is to check in with our intentions and more importantly our willingness to try.
With this in mind, the path to success is marked by a few unmissable ingredients, especially when the realisation is dependent upon other participants or contributors. A mutual #vision and clear #mission can be backed up by specific #objectives and #actions, clarifying the roles and responsibilities, timelines and indicating #priorities.
Priority based action plan for better focus
Context
A founder and entrepreneur is in the process of clarifying the future of her 2 year young NGO. With many initiatives on her plate, she reached out to us for some support in setting up a longer term plan together with her steering board.
Approach
After a #QuickScan to spot relevant themes for her and the NGO, we quickly identified a clear and aligned vision and mission was yet to be written down. This would serve as a basis to define objectives, identify risks and opportunities. Insights would then be incorporated into action plans, enabling priorities based on impact and the likelihood of relevant factors.
*Visioning interview with the founder
*Visioning questionnaire with steering board members
*Workshop Part I to fine tune and align on vision & mission and objectives
*Workshop Part II to identify and evaluate relevant impact factors
*Action plan
We used semi structured interviews, applied the Lego® SeriousPlay® method and tailored questionnaires for the workshop. This helped to build on insights effectively in a fun and engaging way, making concrete ideas and concepts form.
Outcome
We paid attention to the founder taking this process as an opportunity to reflect on her own life vision first. Hence arranging a one-on-one visioning session prior to further alignment. The pre workshop questionnaires sent to the steering board then helped to share a draft version of the vision and mission statement for the NGO. From here, we were able to identify expectation gaps in terms of scope and range of the activities, which were also tackled in the beginning of the workshop. The impact analysis clarified relevant priorities and enabled a realistic long term perspective.
Impact analysis with Sparks
As part of the values driven journey and in context of the bigger picture, which we wrapped up in our Contextscanner©, we offer #strategic #impact analyses for clarity on #priorities and improved #focus.
For you, your team or your organisation.
A good plan is embedded into the context, backed up by a unified vision and mission, clear on scope, roles and responsibilities, attached to a timeline and prioritised according to estimates regarding impact and likelihood of relevant impact factors.
Let us know if this sounds like something for you.
Best wishes,
Sparks✨