Strategic Planning

Why is some resemblance of strategic planning important? Strategic planning gets at purpose, thus providing a framework for decisions, actions, and focus. A strategic plan shapes and communicates strategic intent, objectives, & competitive position. Notable business strategists Joel Ross and Michael Kami probably sum it up best, saying:

“Without a strategy the organization is like a ship without a rudder.”

In a simplistic sense, strategic planning answers three basic questions: 1) Where do you want to go? 2) How are you going to get there? 3) How will you know? Each company is unique and each engagement is custom, but typically in the strategic planning process we get after answering these three questions by arriving at or revisiting together:

Mission & vision - who are we, and what do we want to become?
Market focus/competitive matrix - determining competitive niche/positioning within industry’s key success factors
Key focus areas - limited to a few “make a difference” areas
Key strategies - limited to a few bold or ambitious strategies per focus area; typically in a “this means” level of detail/format
Key measures/goals - what’s really key?; leading & trailing success indicators; aggressive yet attainable stretch goals
Accountability

Strategic Planning is on-going & flexible, but generally Rice & Associates facilitated initial process is a progressive build that entails approximately bi-weekly strategic planning sessions with your management team over 8-10 weeks, beginning with some form of SWOT/situation analysis. The process also includes individual conferences with management team members & select others; review of certain information; and marketplace conferences, if opted for.

Rice & Associates role is to review certain provided information; prepare for & facilitate the meetings; prepare for & lead discussions with your management team; prepare for and engage in individual employee & marketplace conversations; draft or co-draft outcomes of accountable focus areas, measures/goals, & strategies; and challenge the process throughout.

“The foundation is there. The way is set. The future is ours.”
- Tom Schabel, Alexandria Extrusion, client

Organization Design & Improvement

Whether a ball team or a company, it’s no secret, to be great you need great people.

Leaders have to be capable, and they must be winners - those individuals that get it done.

As an integral part or off-chute of strategic planning, or on a stand-alone basis, Rice & Associates assists with organization design, which entails:

Designing an evolutionary senior management organization structure, by position, one showing today, another showing an aspiring future period, together with position expectations & responsibilities, and gap analysis
Potential recruitment and hiring of missing key players - difference makers with high expectations
Compensation and incentive comp design

Rice & Associates has a long-term, confidant relationship with nearly all clients. Rice & Associates works with senior leadership towards executing against your strategic plan, leadership development, and, in general, business improvement.