Planning a Strategy Workshop Successfully in 5 steps

Every business is required to perform a strategy review workshop in preparation for the next coming period. This can be a daunting task if the company is not aware of what is required to hold a successful workshop.

1. Preparation Material before the workshop

Before having a strategy workshop the facilitator must ensure that the preparation material is in place. This is key to ensuring that the strategy workshop will be successful as the pre-workshop reading material must be available to the participants so that by the time the workshop begins everyone is ready and understands what needs to be reviewed. Some of the pre-workshop reading material includes the following
• Company vision, mission, objectives and values
• Company financial results
• Company marketing strategy or BCG matrix
• Company risk matrix
• Previous SWOT analysis
If there is going to be an analysis on the performance of the company then these pre-reading materials are necessary to ensure that the participants are ready.

2. Workshop program

The workshop program must be circulated prior to the strategy workshop day. This means that every participant must understand how the workshop will be conducted. The program helps to structure the discussion in a way that enables more progress for the team. The program must clearly state the times, the participants and the areas to be covered.

3. A good facilitator

Any strategy workshop requires that the facilitator be knowledgeable about the company and its goals. The facilitator must be able to guide the participant during the workshop in order to maintain the objectives of the strategy review. The facilitator must not dictate the workshop or dominate any discussion but must encourage discussion.

4. Strategy Workshop Templates

Organization is next to perfection, the strategy workshop facilitator must structure how input will be captured so that a reliable file can be created of the workshop. This means that the facilitator must provide templates which will be used to structure input so that the key areas of the strategic workshop can be captured. Remember, a strategy workshop can go for days and one may not be able to remember all that was said in the workshop. So templates for the workshop must be created which will enable easy capturing of the outcomes.

5. The venue and Logistics

Of paramount importance is selecting the right venue which allows for relaxation and concentration without much disturbance. This also requires that the necessary logistics are planned in advance. Things to consider for the venue include