What do you do if your program coordination processes lack strategic thinking?

1 Assess your current processes

The first step to improve your program coordination processes is to assess your current situation. How do you plan, execute, monitor, and evaluate your programs? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your processes? How do they align with your vision, mission, and objectives? How do they support or hinder your stakeholders, partners, and beneficiaries? To answer these questions, you can use various tools and methods, such as SWOT analysis, logic models, stakeholder mapping, feedback surveys, and performance indicators.

2 Identify the gaps and opportunities

The next step is to identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement in your program coordination processes. Where are the bottlenecks, inefficiencies, risks, or uncertainties? What are the potential solutions, innovations, or best practices that you can adopt or adapt? How can you leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses? How can you enhance your collaboration and communication with your team and other stakeholders? To answer these questions, you can use various tools and methods, such as gap analysis, brainstorming, benchmarking, scenario planning, and force field analysis.

3 Prioritize and select your actions

The third step is to prioritize and select your actions for improving your program coordination processes. How do you decide which actions are the most important, urgent, feasible, and impactful? What are the criteria and trade-offs that you use to compare and rank your options? How do you allocate your resources and assign your responsibilities? How do you communicate and justify your decisions to your team and other stakeholders? To answer these questions, you can use various tools and methods, such as decision matrix, cost-benefit analysis, Pareto principle, SMART goals, and RACI matrix.

4 Implement and monitor your actions

The fourth step is to implement and monitor your actions for improving your program coordination processes. How do you execute your actions in a timely, efficient, and effective manner? How do you track your progress and measure your results? How do you deal with any challenges, changes, or uncertainties that may arise? How do you report and share your achievements and learnings with your team and other stakeholders? To answer these questions, you can use various tools and methods, such as action plans, Gantt charts, dashboards, feedback loops, and lessons learned.

5 Evaluate and improve your actions

The fifth step is to evaluate and improve your actions for improving your program coordination processes. How do you assess the impact and outcomes of your actions? How do you compare your actual results with your expected results? How do you identify the successes and failures of your actions? How do you learn from your experience and apply your insights to future actions? How do you celebrate and recognize your achievements and learnings with your team and other stakeholders? To answer these questions, you can use various tools and methods, such as evaluation plans, logic models, outcome indicators, after-action reviews, and recognition schemes.

6 Develop and maintain a strategic mindset

The final step is to develop and maintain a strategic mindset for your program coordination processes. How do you keep yourself updated and informed about the trends, issues, and opportunities that affect your programs? How do you foster a culture of curiosity, creativity, and collaboration among your team and other stakeholders? How do you continuously reflect and improve your strategic thinking and decision making skills? How do you integrate your strategic thinking and decision making into your daily practices and routines? To answer these questions, you can use various tools and methods, such as environmental scanning, mind mapping, learning circles, journals, and checklists.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?