Agovia

The Rapid Planning Workshop is a low-cost and common-sense method for non-profits and small businesses to develop and implement strategic and tactical planning and governance for their organizations. 

The workshop methodology consists of three elements:
Preparation:  Template-based preparation materials are completed by the management team of the organization prior to the actual workshop week.  This documentation provides the basis of the planning to be completed during the workshop week.
Workshop Week:  The second element of the process is the workshop week. This is an intensive set of working sessions during which the team:

1. Articulates their organizational strategy
2. Creates their action-driven tactical plan
3. Creates a governance structure to assure implementation of the plan
4. Develops communication and messaging based on the plan and organizational objectives
5. Creates a step-by-step process to take the plan from the workshop back into the organization.

Individual Consulting:  Included in the Rapid Planning Workshop package is six hours of individual consulting from Agovia.  These hours are provided to facilitate the finalization of the process and the movement from planning into action.

Template-Based

The Rapid Planning methodology is template-based.  Forward movement of the planning and execution process is facilitated by a toolkit and step-by-step process that has been created and tested in real-life.  A fundamental concept is the avoidance of “reinventing the wheel.”  The participants leverage and build on the experience of others rather than recreating from scratch.

The Rapid Planning Workshop is designed to be conducted with teams.  Each team participating should plan to send between two and six people.  The attendees will be creating plans and approaches to achieve the organizational goals.  Discussion among team members is a vital element of the success of the workshop methodology.

Additional benefit can be obtained if organizations that are dependent upon one another attend the workshop together.  The workshop can be tailored to incorporate inter-organizational planning if desired.

Organizations that can Benefit from the Rapid Planning Model

The Rapid Planning Model is designed for any small-to-medium sized organization that needs rigorous planning and governance processes but is not in a position to have dedicated planning staff or cannot justify an expensive consulting engagement.  Some examples of specific circumstances that would drive the need for solid planning are:

v     Rapid growth

v     Lean economic cycles

v     Changing regulatory environment

v     Processes observed to be losing effectiveness

v     High dependence on other organizations (federal, municipal, vendor)

v     Transitioning organizations (start-up to medium sized)

Who Should Attend?

Attendees should include those responsible for the creation and implementation of organizational plans.  Attendees should also have a firm grasp of the functions and strategic direction of the organization.  Although the plan is expected to be revised and changed as it is finalized after the workshop, the attendees should be at a level of experience and empowerment to construct the primary elements of an acceptable tactical plan.  Attendees may include:

v     Officers

v     Directors

v     Senior Managers

v     Staff responsible for planning and projects

Equipment:    Each team will require a laptop computer.

Templates and documentation

Each team will receive a flash drive with all templates and documents.  These will be used in the workshop and will provide the tools for the ongoing governance methods.

• Preparatory Activities
• Team Workshop Attendance (up to 6 attendees)
• Follow-Up Consulting (6 hours)
• Planning and Governance Templates
• Communication Messaging Templates
• Flash Drive Loaded with Documentation Library

Location:  The venue will be determined based upon the locations
of the participating teams to provide for minimal travel.