What is the timeline for a strategic planning process?
This is one of the first questions new strategic planning clients often ask us. It sounds simple, but the question actually has two parts:
- How long will the strategic planning process take?
- How long of a period should a strategic plan cover?
Let’s tackle these questions one at a time.
How Long Does a Strategic Planning Process Take?
Most effective strategic planning processes take 3-4 months to complete, though some can take as long as a year. The length of time often depends on the complexity of the organization.
At Funding for Good, we’ve found that a 3-4-month planning process is a sweet spot for effective planning, especially for nonprofit strategic planning. It enables leaders to focus deeply on strategy with the end goal always in sight. It can keep stakeholder engagement high. And it can help minimize dreaded “planning fatigue.”
What Is a Strategic Planning Timeline?
A strategic planning timeline is the period covered by an organization’s strategic plan. A strategic plan generally covers 3-5 years and includes the goals, strategies, and desired outcomes the organization will achieve by the end of the plan’s timeframe.
Some larger, more complex organizations may create plans for longer timelines, such as a 10-year strategic plan. Other organizations, especially those undergoing rapid shifts, may create shorter one-year plans.
Why We Recommend 3-Year Strategic Plans
At Funding for Good, we recommend that most of our clients create three-year strategic plans.
We’ve found that a three-year strategic plan timeline enables organizations to balance ambition and vision with the need to remain agile.
- With a three-year timeline, your organization can envision—and achieve—ambitious goals. A strategic plan helps you crystallize that vision and build buy-in across your organization.
- A three-year strategic plan is also still a short enough period that your organization can pivot if conditions change dramatically (something we’ve seen a lot more of lately). Using a longer planning timeline, such as 10 years, can leave you with many years of a strategic plan that no longer makes sense.
Of course, there are always exceptions. Institutions that are large, complex, and well-established—like universities, school districts, or government agencies—may focus on more iterative improvements. In these cases, a 10-year timeline can provide the slow, steady, and strategic vision they need.
Strategic Plans Aren’t Meant to Be Static
Organizations don’t implement strategic plans in a vacuum. Internal changes (such as key staff departures) and external conditions (such as policy or funding changes) can directly affect your ability to implement your strategic plan on your original timeline.
We encourage our strategic planning clients to think of strategic plans as living documents. Strategic plans provide multi-year vision and direction, but should be reviewed by your board regularly and updated as needed.
Updating or revising your strategic plan doesn’t mean it was a failure: it just means conditions have changed and, luckily, you have the tools in place to adapt.
Is it Time for a New Strategic Plan?
If your organization has undergone major shifts recently—as many have—then this is the perfect moment to invest in either a new strategic plan or a revision of a plan that no longer fits the current context.
Internal changes and external changes can both trigger the need for a new strategic plan. Funding for Good offers strategic planning services for nonprofits and government organizations. We also offer free consultations to help you decide if our approach is the right fit for your needs.
