In collaboration with our clients, we engage in a range of different work areas such as the following:

• Helping to assess the situation
• Set direction
• Build capacity
• Achieve results

Assess the situation

• Survey constituents – Use online or paper-based survey tools to gather opinions from constituents such as members, audiences, participants, or attendees
• Conduct focus groups – Meet with carefully selected groups who can respond to a structured focus group process to provide a response
• Learn from other organizations – Gather key insights from other institutions that have addressed analogous strategic issues
• Interview stakeholders and experts – Conduct interviews with key stakeholders or experts in the field with relevant experience or knowledge
• Develop future projections – use historic data, trends, and informed judgment to project the future in key areas such as user demand, changes to funding, or increases to costs

Set direction

• Develop the mission and vision – work with the organization to define its overall purpose, and the vision of what it seeks to achieve
• Establish strategy – Determine what the organization will do, and how it will do it, informed by an analysis of key issues, an assessment of options, and fact-based recommendations
• Define the business plan – Develop financial projections and analyze financial implications for an earned-income revenue stream, a new venture, a new model for the institution, or a major capital investment
• Re-align programs – establish a new program structure that is more coherently aligned with the organization’s mission and goals

Build capacity

• Redesign core processes – develop more efficient and effective ways to perform the work of the organization
• Build alliances, coalitions, or mergers – Identify the key objectives of a shared venture, and define an effective structure for governance, work roles, and accountability
• Social network mapping – map the relevant social network to identify critical gaps in the network and leverage points to engage that will lead to increased success in achieving overall goals
• Restructure the organization – determine pros and cons of different organization structures, and develop the best way to structure roles and reporting relationships based on present needs and constraints
• Develop the board – considering the board’s role in providing wisdom, work, and wealth, determine changes needed to the board in areas such as skills development, composition, awareness, and commitment

Achieve results

• Model the financials – identify the central financial drivers that will lead to successful and stable operations
• Establish an approach to measure outcomes – Identify key indicators of success, and construct a process for data-gathering and reporting that is relatively simple to administer and provides meaningful input to management decisions
• Implementation planning – work with key constituents to agree upon what needs to be accomplished, by whom, by when – and how progress will be tracked to ensure success