Classes 5 and 6 are connected – with class 5 preparing for a client meeting in class 6.
1. Learning objectives:
- understand how to scope a strategic planning project.
- gain skills and practice preparing for a customer discovery meeting.
- appreciate the similarities and differences in strategic planning and decision making in commercial, public and special interest organizations and policy agendas.
2. Preparation: Consider the following articles/links and questions and be prepared for in-class discussion.
- A) Skim read these two high quality end of term reports from Spring 2015’s COMM486M project. The brief was to develop a 3 to 5 year strategy plan for the Musqueam Economic Development Corporation. Musqueam-report 2015 ex 1 and Musqueam project 2015 ex 2
- What do you think of these reports?
- How is strategy similar and different for a public or government agency compared with a commercial organization?
- What questions do you have about preparing a report like this, but for a different topic?
- B) A full brief will be posted in class 5 in the assignment tab. But to prepare for class 5, read and consider the following short-form version of the brief:
- Your task: Should the Government of Canada invest in a food security strategy that relies on a significant increase in local food production? If yes, what would you recommend as an implementation strategy, focusing on the primary barriers that proponents should expect to face, and the key activities that they could use to overcome these barriers? How will the Government know if its strategy has succeeded? If no, is there another approach that you would recommend for improving northern food security?Note, there are some links in comm486M3-2016 short version of project brief -Increasing food security, and you should skim these before class to be able to engage in this complex topic.
Format for in-class activity for class 5:
- What questions do you want to ask the client? (in attendance in class 6.)
- What should you already know from secondary resources?
- What you don’t know you don’t know
- Structure to consider for framing information gathering: Values, Purpose, Vision/BHAG: situational analysis, possible futures, chosen vision/direction, strategies, tactics, metrics.
Capstone strategy plan Statement of Work (SOW) For use in class 6 and for project proposal.