Strategic Planning the RBA way
Oh no, not someone else with a
mission statement!
Stephen Mondy and Merissa Barden
Centacare Broken Bay
Typical Strategic Planning tasks
Analysing and assessing the current situation, including the
external environment.
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will know that the plan is being
followed and objectives are being achieved.
“In most organizations, strategic
planning processes are
completely useless.”
(Friedman, 2005, p.114)
Plans are developed - never used.
Vision/mission/values first…goal
setting, action planning…
Confusion between strategic plans
and operational/business plans.
Top down – product not process
Why is strategic planning so complex?
Factors influencing
strategic planning
Real World
Partners
Funding
bodies
Competitors
Clients
Diocese
What
works
Politics
Council
Management
Programs
Centacare
Real
needs
Standards
Purpose and benefits to the Agency
Direction and common purpose.
Clarity about what is to be done.
Increased control over future development.
A basis for monitoring and evaluating performance.
A clear way of communicating.
Brief (July 2009)
Involve staff at all levels of the organisation and key
stakeholders including:
• all Centacare staff
• Centacare management
• the Centacare Council
• Internal stakeholders:
o
o
o
o
o
Diocesan staff
the Catholic Schools Office
Broken Bay Institute staff
Parish staff
priests
• External stakeholders:
o
o
o
o
clients
funders
partners
peak bodies
Brief (July 2009)
Involve staff at all levels of the organisation and key
stakeholders including:
• all Centacare staff where practicable
• Centacare management
• the Centacare Council
• Internal stakeholders:
o
o
o
o
o
Diocesan staff
the Catholic Schools Office
Broken Bay Institute staff
Parish staff
priests
• External stakeholders:
o
o
o
o
clients
funders
partners
peak bodies
Inclusive
Short
Simple
Delivered in <6
months
Outcomes
Decision to use RBA
• Had been looking at it anyway
• Simple
• Plain language
• Easy to understand
• Inclusive
• Focused on results or outcomes
• Could be implemented immediately
• Could be used to introduce staff to RBA through
strategic planning with a view to introducing it
as a performance measurement framework
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
RBA
How
much did
we do?
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
How well
did we do
it?
Is anyone
better
off?
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
RBA
How
much did
we do?
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
How well
did we do
it?
Is anyone
better
off?
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
RBA
Past Future
How
much did
we do?
How
much do
we want
to do?
How well How well
did we do do we
it?
want to
do it?
Is anyone Will
better
anyone
off?
be better
off?
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
RBA
Past Future
How
much did
we do?
How
much do
we want
to do?
How well How well
did we do do we
it?
want to
do it?
Is anyone Will
better
anyone
off?
be better
off?
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
RBA
Past Future
How
much did
we do?
How
much do
we want
to do?
How well How well
did we do do we
it?
want to
do it?
Is anyone Will
better
anyone
off?
be better
off?
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
RBA
Past Future
How
much did
we do?
How
much do
we want
to do?
How well How well
did we do do we
it?
want to
do it?
Is anyone Will
better
anyone
off?
be better
off?
Typical Strategic Planning
tasks
Analysing and assessing the current
situation, including the external
environment.
Confirming the ongoing work.
Identifying what the organisation
wants to achieve.
Deciding on any changes to ongoing
work and new activities.
Identifying the resources and risks
associated with doing so.
Describing how the organisation will
know that the plan is being followed
and objectives are being achieved.
RBA
Past Future
How
much did
we do?
How
much do
we want
to do?
How well How well
did we do do we
it?
want to
do it?
Is anyone Will
better
anyone
off?
be better
off?
Equivalence – the RBA
framework is a strategic
planning framework
Isomorphic mapping between
RBA and traditional tasks of
strategic planning
What did we do?
1. Gained support
Briefed the Centacare Council and trained them in RBA
Briefed the Senior management team and trained them in RBA
Set up a strategic directions committee that included two Council
members and representatives from all levels and services in
the agency – 20 people who met one day per month for 5
months July-November (Champions!)
What did we do? (cont.)
Gathered data
Trained the Committee members in RBA to lead 21 groups of staff in the
RBA algorithm (4Q and 7Q exercises) and a “bigger picture” exercise
Sent out RBA based questionnaires to clients asking them to rate us on
two measures:
Centacare has treated me well
Centacare has helped me
Sent out Questionnaires to internal stakeholders and external
stakeholders – partners, competitors, funders, peak bodies:
Centacare is a good partner
Centacare is a good advocate and influences public policy
Centacare provides effective services for people in the
community
What do you see as Centacare’s major contribution to the
Diocese/welfare sector?
In which areas could Centacare make the biggest
difference?
In which areas could Centacare do better?
What did we do? (cont.)
3. Analysed data
We had data from over 80 programs, from clients, from
stakeholders (internal and external)
Each Headline Measure and Data Development Agenda item
was assigned a theme, and the themes were given descriptor
sentences which captured the essence of the theme
% Kids having one continual caseworker for entire CBB
placement
DDA
% staff turnover
H
#
1
2
3
4
5
THEME NAME
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
STABILITY
RELATIONSHIPS
SAFETY
CASE PLAN
1
STABILITY
STABILITY
THEME DESCRIPTION
Development of life skills/ educational activities undertaken by young people
Stability and continuity of placement/ foster carer/ residential care worker
Development and maintenance of relationships
Safety of clients and staff
Case plan goals achieved by young people
Themes were combined together into ‘meta-themes’ – Clients,
Staff, External Environment, Systems, Agency.
Overarching themes emerging from the data
Identity and culture: who we are
Structure: how we are organised
Systems: how we connect
Services: what we do
Staff: how we deliver
Relationships: who we deal with
Advocacy: how we make a difference
Evaluation: how we know what works
Funding: how we are resourced
Growth: how we develop
Strategic Direction 1:
Explore emerging needs and plan the alignment of services to needs for positive
outcomes.
Strategic Direction 2:
Improve accessibility and inclusion in our services and agency operations.
Strategic Direction 3:
Strengthen relationships and partnerships with Catholic and other communities.
Strategic Direction 4:
Build infrastructure and systems to serve efficiency and good practice.
Strategic Direction 5:
Strengthen the culture of care and accountability, through staff supervision,
development and support.
Strategic Direction 6:
Raise Centacare Broken Bay’s profile and strengthen our identity as a quality social
care provider.
How did we do?
•
•
•
•
•
all Centacare staff consulted 70%
Centacare management  Briefed and trained in RBA
the Centacare Council  Briefed and trained in RBA
Internal stakeholders  responded to survey
External stakeholders:
• clients  over 200 service user responses to survey
• funders 
:
• partners 
:
over 50 responses to survey
• peak bodies :
How did we do?
•
•
•
•
•
all Centacare staff consulted 70%
Centacare management  Briefed and trained in RBA
the Centacare Council  Briefed and trained in RBA
Internal stakeholders  responded to survey
External stakeholders:
• clients  over 200 service users responded to survey
• funders 
:
• partners 
:
over 50 individuals responded to survey
• peak bodies :
Inclusive 
Short 
Simple 
Delivered in <6
months 
Outcomes 
Staff reported:
Process was:
• transparent
• inclusive
• authentic
Outcomes for the Agency
Every program developed performance measures: we know what it
does, how well it does it, and if children and families are better off.
Every team member is involved at their level: they know what it is
their program is set up to do – the contract, the funding, and the
service agreement.
Every team is involved in strategic planning at their level: they know
what they are going to aim towards over the next three years –
outcomes (all outcomes) + data development agenda.
Every team has an operational or business plan at their level: they
know what it is they are going to do over the next year (head line
outcomes + data development agenda) and how they are going to
improve the lives of children and families.
Every team has a reporting framework at their level that informs the
operational plan and the strategic plan and the Annual Report
For more information about this talk please contact:
Dr. Stephen Mondy
Centacare Broken Bay
stephen.mondy@dbb.org.au
PO Box 966
Pennant Hills NSW 1715
+612 94812604
http://www.centacarebrokenbay.org.au/