Never-ending Construction

Good strategic plans aren’t built in a day.

Just like roads and houses.

You wouldn’t design a house in a day, and you certainly wouldn’t build one – not even a 3-D-printed one, like the company in Austin has started producing. You’ll need several design drafts, engineering specifications, permits, resources, and the right weather before you even start digging your base.

And you can’t stop after you dig the base. You need to keep going until you have the finished product, which hopefully will last for years, even if you have to keep fixing things or remodeling as you adjust to changing needs.

Growing up in Houston, I saw first-hand that road construction can go on forever. The Gulf Freeway (I-45) has been undergoing repairs and changes since it opened in 1952. It’s an accepted truth by anyone who travels it on a daily basis that there will be at least one section with construction during their commute.

In Texas, where the weather is comparatively mild, road construction doesn’t have “a season” as it continues year-round.

My conspiracy theory that the orange barrels are often just moved around town to new locations because they don’t have storage for them when they aren’t in use is the subject of another post for another day… but I digress.

Strategic planning is a long-term process, and can also be considered never-ending in some ways. It is NOT having a list with boxes you can check off so you feel better about your accomplishments.

It’s a way of thinking and operating. Every. Day.

You may initially come away with an “end product” (the plan) but you will then move into the implementation phase. Parts of the plan may be easily accomplished in the short term, while others may be ongoing and need adjustments through the years.

That's one reason to also set up a regular monitoring process to make sure the plan is still on track AND still working for your current situation.

Success depends on a lot of factors, but setting aside enough time is a major one, and it’s the foundation of what I believe is the best way to approach strategic planning.

Please don’t just set aside a few hours on a Saturday to “create a strategic plan” with your board and staff. It’s like trying to build your house on sand.