Effective Strategic Planning

1. Effective Strategic Planning Henry F. White, Jr. Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer American Bar Association 10th Anniversary IILACE Conference October 2-5, 2008, Namibia

2. ABA Overview • Founded in 1878 • Over 345,000 lawyer members • Total membership is over 400,000 including law students and associates • Revised mission and goals adopted in August 2008

3. “WHAT BUSINESS ARE YOU IN?” Peter F. Drucker

4. What is a Strategic Plan? • Strategic Planning Process focuses on key strategic questions • Where are we now? -- Assess Current Realities • Where are we going? -- Determine Future Vision • How are we going to get there? -- Develop Action Steps Realize Future Vision

5. How to Develop a Strategic Plan? • Assess strengths and weaknesses • Identify opportunities and threats • Determine the organization's direction • (How far into the future can we look?) • Establish specific goals, strategies, and tactics

6. Strategic Plan Key Elements • Mission statement • A mission is a broader concept than purpose • Includes the purpose, the work we engage in to achieve the purpose, and a statement of values. the reason the organization exists. (Who are we? What do we do? For whom do we do it? Why do we do it?)

7. ABA Mission To serve equally our members, our profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession

8. Organizational Core Values • Radiological Society of North America • Integrity, Excellence, Professionalism, Leadership, Innovation, Service to the patient • American College of Cardiology • Professionalism, Knowledge, Value of the cardiovascular specialist, Integrity, Member Driven, Inclusiveness • American Bar Association (draft) • Integrity, Ethics, Professional Excellence, Respect for the Law

9. Strategic Plan Key Elements • A set of long term goals • Goals are broad statements describing desirable end results toward which the Association will work over the long term, encompassing a vision of what services should be available. • Goals are generally aspirational, not measurable and may never be fully reached but will probably not change over a three to five year period

10. ABA Goals Goal I: Serve Our Members Goal II: Improve Our Profession Goal III: Eliminate Bias & Enhance Diversity Goal IV: Advance The Rule Of Law

11. Strategic Plan Key Elements • Short and long-term objectives and strategies to achieve these goals • Specific, short range statements of results to be achieved to implement a goal; • Define how it will be done, • Who will do it and when • Measurable

12. ABA Objectives Goal I: Serve our Members • Provide benefits, programs and services which promote members’ professional growth and quality of life. Goal 2: Improve Our Profession • Promote the highest quality legal education. • Promote competence, ethical conduct and professionalism. • Promote pro bono and public service by the legal profession. Goal 3: Eliminate Bias and Enhance Diversity • Promote full and equal participation in the association, our profession, and the justice system by all persons. • Eliminate bias in the legal profession and the justice system. Goal 4: Advance the Rule of Law • Increase public understanding of and respect for the rule of law, the legal process, and the role of the legal profession at home and throughout the world. • Hold governments accountable under law. • Work for just laws, including human rights, and a fair legal process. • Assure meaningful access to justice for all persons. • Preserve the independence of the legal profession and the judiciary.

13. Strategic Plan Key Elements • An implementation strategy to ensure plan implementation • What is the action to realize the goals. • Should reflect reasoned choices among alternative paths

14. Keys to Effectively Implement a Strategic Plan • Committed volunteer leadership • Formal reporting mechanism on how strategies are being implemented • People, money, time, systems in support of plan • Comprehensive communication plan

15. Plan Review Criteria • Sense of Identity • Current Realities • Future Plans • Budgets And Timelines • Planning Process

16. Decision Making Process (how to get the process started) • Plan for a several hour session for brainstorming. • Assign a discussion leader to "run" the session and record the group's responses. • Have key leaders as part of the response group • Record as many responses as possible for each question • Select the several items that the each group believes to be the most relevant or important

17. Does the organization need to exist and, if so, why? What impact has it had to date? What impact would it like to have in the next three years? Whom does the organization serve? What are the needs of its constituents? What are the organization's strengths? Its weaknesses? What are the threats facing the profession that the organization can address? What are the opportunities for the legal profession that the organization can work with? What trends are taking place in the legal profession that will affect the organization's work or its direction? What programs of the organization are going to be obsolete? What programs should be added? Does the organization have competition in its work? Are there opportunities for collaboration with competitors or with other entities in similar areas? Sample Planning Questions

18. Key Roles in Strategic Planning • Volunteer Board • Sets direction and with Chief Executive determines mission, vision and values of organization • Chief executive • Takes charge and manages the process • Staff • Provide relevant context and serves as task masters organizing and bringing all the players together