CAI-NJ January 2017

MANAGEMENT TRENDS

What’s the Plan? By Nancy S. Hastings, CMCA, AMS, PCAM Branch President, Associa Mid-Atlantic

C ommunity Association Boards are faced with a number of challenges requiring their input and decision on a regular basis. While these matters need to be addressed with regular frequency they can be overwhelming and become the only function of the board and management. The use of a strategic plan can be instrumental in guiding the board and allowing a balance of regular problem solving plus moving the community in a forward direction. Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended out- comes/results, and assess and adjust the organization’s direction in response to a changing environment. It is a disciplined effort that produces fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, who it serves, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future. Effective strategic planning articulates not only where an organization is going and the actions needed to make progress, but also how it will know if it is successful. The use of a plan will limit the quick pivots and the sub- sequent shift of focus that can occur. Changes arising from board member replacements or knee-jerk reactions to hot issues can frequently take everyone off task. Having a plan will result in continuity, a more efficient use of resources and time, and demonstrate a commitment to members they serve. Planning does not have to be hard and can be scaled to fit your group. Here are a few simple steps in getting a strategic plan developed: Step 1 - Getting Ready: Use the board, some members of the board, or a com- mittee, and a management team member to outline a few key issues you wish for the process to address (i.e. owner

© iStockphoto.com

participation, large scale projects, property value stabili- zation). Establish a reasonable timeline for the process to occur. Begin to gather data using existing statistics, studies, surveys, etc. Be sure to reach out to current and past com- mittee members and board members. This group of people are your Planning Committee. Step 2 - Articulate a Mission and a Vision: Draft both a mission and a vision statement. This mission should outline the purpose of the organization and the vision should articulate what success looks like. Consult your governing documents for some initial language on your mission. Step 3 - Assessing the Situation: Once an organization has committed to why it exists and what it does, it needs to take a look at its current situation. Determine the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, and performance - information that will highlight the critical "However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results." — Winston Churchill

CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 38

36

J A N U A R Y , 2 0 1 7