Strategic Planning Terms and Definitions
One of the challenges of strategic planning is simply understanding the language and terms. A goal, for example, may mean one thing to one person and something different to another. This can create confusion, misunderstanding, and waste time as different team members use the same words to reference wildly different meanings.
To assist you and your team in having clear and consistent language, we define several strategic planning words/terms at Mission Met. Note that these are our definitions that work within our planning system.
Action Item
A specific and measurable task that may take a few hours to a few weeks to complete.
Action items live within goals. As such, action items are completed in pursuit of a goal.
Action items can be documented and tracked within Causey.
Assess
The second step of the CAPE Cycle.
“Assess” refers to conducting an assessment of your organization. The results of the organizational assessment are used to inform both the creation of a strategic plan and the process of executing it.
CAPE Cycle
An acronym for Champion, Assess, Plan, and Execute.
A four-step, cyclic strategic planning process.
CAPE Cycle Annual Calendar
An annual calendar that assigns each of the four CAPE Cycle steps to a particular timeframe.
A simple and extremely useful tool to ensure that a strategic plan gets executed.
Champion (noun)
A person that leads and oversees a particular strategic planning activity.
There are three types of champions:
Overall Champion: A person that ensures that the CAPE Cycle and overall strategic planning process is successfully executed.
Focus Area Champion: A person that ensures that the goals within a Focus Area get completed. (Note: Not all plans have Focus Area Champions.)
Goal Champion: A person that ensures that a goal gets accomplished.
Champion (verb)
The first step of the CAPE Cycle.
To “champion” means to bring a ensure that a particular component of the strategic planning process is successfully completed.
Co-champions
Two champions that work together to ensure success with a particular strategic planning component.
Co-champions provide mutual support and accountability often needed to accomplish the strategic plan.
Discussion
A communication forum within Causey to build community and answer strategic planning-related questions.
Documents
An application within Causey to keep your key strategic planning documents organized.
Element
A component of section 1 of a strategic plan is called “Our Compass”.
Typical elements are a mission statement, vision statement, values, and key metrics.
Execute
The fourth step of the CAPE Cycle.
To “execute” means to put a process in place that ensures that your strategic plan is measured, revised, and communicated in an ongoing way.
Focus Area
A “bucket” within Section 2 of your strategic plan contains goals and action items.
Typical focus areas are programs, fundraising, board development, and operations.
A well-defined focus area has a multi-year vision (typically three years) that describes what success looks like for that focus area.
Goal
A specific and measurable desired achievement.
May take several weeks to a year to accomplish.
Has a goal topic, a due date (and possibly a start date), at least one champion, and often at least one key team member.
Goals live within Focus Areas. As such, goals are completed in pursuit of success within a Focus Area.
Goals are easily measured and tracked within Causey.
There are two different types of goals
Process Goal -- The achievement is a specific process. An example of this type of goal is: STAFF ENGAGEMENT: Document and implement a staff performance management system.
Results Goal -- The achievement is a specific result. An example of this type of goal is: STAFF ENGAGEMENT: Average at least 8.5 on annual staff engagement survey.
Goal Topic
Typically a one- or two-word summary of a goal that describes the goal at a high level.
As an example, the phrase “UNRESTRICTED FUNDING” is the goal topic that precedes the goal in the following:
UNRESTRICTED FUNDING: Acquire at least $150,000 in unrestricted funding within the next twelve months.
Key Metrics
A cornerstone measure that indicates an organization’s programmatic success.
A key metric can be either an output (number of kids served, number of bills passed, etc.) or an outcome (decreased mortality rate, decrease in hunger, etc.).
Ideally, a small organization has no more than five key metrics.
Key Metrics can be measured and tracked using the Metrics tool within Causey.
Metrics
Specific, numerical measures that are analyzed over time to assess progress.
Mission Statement
A one-sentence statement that clearly states what your organization does and for whom.
Serves as a filter for key strategic decisions.
Mission statements live within the first section of a strategic plan called Our Compass.
Our Actions and Our Compass
The two sections of a strategic plan.
“Our Compass” is section one of a strategic plan. It provides an organization with direction and serves as a mostly unchanging “north star”.
“Our Actions” is section two of a strategic plan. This section is organized into Focus Areas and contains the actions (goals and action items) that you’ll complete.
Plan (verb)
The third step of the CAPE Cycle.
To “plan” means to create a strategic plan for your organization.
Reports
A tool within Causey to analyze strategic planning progress.
Strategic Plan
A dynamic document that guides an organization towards its mission and vision.
Strategic Planning
An ongoing cycle of creating and executing a strategic plan.
Strategic Planning Task Force
A group that oversees the creation of a strategic plan
Disbands after the plan is created
Typically 4-7 members
Usually a mix of staff and board members
Strategic Priority
Strategic priorities are your answers to this question: “What are the most important things we should focus on in the next year?" They help a team "keep first things first" when considering all of the different goals and activities.
strategy
Generally speaking, a strategy is a set of actions leading in the direction of a desired objective.
At Mission Met, an organization’s current strategy is captured in our two-section strategic plan:
Section One, The Compass, presents the organization’s ultimate objective – the vision, supported by the mission. (Often, the Compass also includes the core values that describe how the team will think and behave in pursuit of the vision and mission.)
Section Two, The Actions, presents a set of Focus Areas with a long-term vision for success (typically three years). Each Focus Area, in turn, include a set of goals and action items that, cumulatively, describes the details of the organization’s strategy.
Team Members
There are three different types of team members:
All Team Members are listed within the Settings section. This is everyone that has been invited to be a member of the team within the software.
Focus Area Team Members are listed within each Focus Area. These are the people that work together to ensure the success of the Focus Area.
Goal Team Members are listed within each goal. These are the people that work together to ensure the success of each respective goal.
Toolbox
A component of Causey where resources, tools, worksheets, and strategic planning guidance resides.
Values (Core)
Core values are a set of two-to-four principles that guide your team’s behaviors and decision-making.
Vision Statement
A one-sentence statement that clearly states what the world or your community will look like when your organization succeeds at its mission statement.
Serves as a filter for key strategic decisions.
Vision statements live within the first section of a strategic plan called Our Compass.