Manfredo & Associates

Both of those quotes by Mark Twain are even truer in today’s fast paced, high-tech environment. Regardless of the business you are in, every business today must plan for its future, or there may not be a future for that business.

The strategic planning process is not new. It has been around for decades, and has been successful by those who have employed it. The problem for most businesses is, however, they are so intensely focused on the business of the day, too often the business of next year is put on the back burner.

The planning process as presented by Manfredo & Associates will provide your organization an opportunity to pull out of the day to day discussions and focus on overall direction. At the end of our planning process, your organization will direction, focus, and the buy-in it takes from all people involved to actually make it happen.

Our process is guaranteed to get everyone involved. It builds consensus among those with varying agendas. Everyone leaves feeling exhausted, but successful. Here is what your organization can expect when it works with Manfredo & Associates:

• Provides clear direction.

• Builds foundation for further planning.

• Enhances survival of the organization.

• Opens new areas of opportunities.

• Creates synergies between ideas.

• Promotes an understanding of vital factors and resources, such as technology, economics, human resources, the political and regulatory environment, and the competition.

• Serves as tool for further analysis.

• Increases communication of and understanding of others functions and resources, and issues.

• Boosts morale and productivity.

• Aids In accomplishing the plan.

• Creates an organizational future that is unique and tailored to fit.

• Allows goals and action plans to be measured.

• Helps insure staff accountability.

• Increases involvement.

• Educates participants.

• Leads to improved constituent (customer, client, member) services.

Depending on participants and the expected outcome, a customized agenda will be developed for the time period allotted. For instance, an agenda for a planning program with a board of directors would look much different than one with only staff. A board planning session would center on the development of long term objectives, whereas a staff program would center on action plans and specific results.

Under any circumstances, however, the process would remain the same.

• An introduction of the planning process that discusses objectives, strategies and the teamwork process that will occur during the session.

• A review and/or development of the specific mission of the organization

• A review of the external environment; those things which the organization must cope with, but are out of their control.

• A review of the internal environment, that is those things which the organization has control over and can enhance or alter.

• Establishment of key areas where the organization needs results.

• Prioritization of the determined key result areas.

• Goal development

• Strategy development centered on the developed goals.

• Follow-up, evaluation and conclusion.

As your planning programs facilitator, it is my role to guide the group and keep it focused and on task. Specific time periods for specific tasks are presented and accomplished. Most of the time as facilitator is spent with group dynamics, making sure that those who tend to be verbose or dominant are not, and those who are internal and intense share their ideas with the group.

As an outsider now within the confines of your inner circle, I will ask questions that may be simple or complex. Many times groups do activities because it makes sense to them or because the function was handed down. These activities may still be valid, they may be outdated, or they just may need to be repackaged. My role is to make the group uncomfortable in some areas, because only then, does change occur.

Your organization will pick the participants. It is recommended that all opinion leaders be invited. Results will occur if those who control the hearts and minds of the organization are not a part of the discussion. Buy-in to the final product is as, and sometimes more, important than the actual end product itself.

Participants will be put into small discussion groups. They will be asked to be respectful of each other, but also be candid and frank. Because all participants are equal in the planning seminar, no internal organization chart will be allowed to be inserted.

Throughout the course of the tasks, they will be asked to follow a specific pattern. Each person will write their thoughts down in the workbook provided. When everyone at the table has finished. The group leader facilitates a round-robin listing such that everyone has a chance to equally share ideas. A group discussion of individual ideas ensues. Those ideas are then posted and discussed by the whole group. All group results are put up on the walls for the entire program so the participants may use those thoughts for review and incorporation into the end plan.

The more remote the location of the meeting is, the more productive it will be. Removal of all distractions will be essential in the development of an end product that will be successful. At a minimum, participants will be asked not take calls or messages during the course of the entire day, unless of course there is an emergency. Office "emergencies" handled even during the meeting breaks can serve to be more distracting to the planning process than the individual not being there at all.

The more successful programs usually occur at a retreat facility. Participants will need round tables set for no more than six people. The facilitator needs include an overhead projector, a flip chart for each table, markets, and a projection screen.

Your organization will be responsible for meeting facility management including establishing the location, providing appropriate breaks and meals for the participants, providing for room setup and facilitator’s audio-visual needs, and working with the facilities staff.

Our objective will be to provide your organization with the following:

• A thorough review and understanding of your organization by researching its functions

• Pre-seminar meetings with key individuals if deemed necessary.

• Development and distribution of seminar participant workbooks.

• Professional facilitation of your strategic planning seminar.

• Capture and reprinting of all ideas developed during the seminar by participants.

• Production of a final report of all activities associated with the seminar.

• Availability to consult further after the seminar.

The fee for these services, based on your organization's size and needs, range from $500 to $2,500 per day, not including expenses paid by the organization for travel and lodging. Discounts are available for multiple-year contracts, and multiple organization seminars.  A non-refundable deposit of one-half of the total is due and payable upon agreement of the date and location of the program. The balance will be due upon presentation of the final report.