Estate Living Magazine Smart Moves - Issue 38 February 2019 | Page 42

C O M M U N I T Y
Using outside consultants
An outside consultant or professional facilitator brings
impartiality, pointed questions, and the facilitation skills
needed to balance differences of opinion. Associations
should be aware that consultants will take different
approaches to strategic planning, as no one right way exists.
While hiring a consultant can be expensive, he or she will
greatly accelerate the association’s learning curve and help to
ensure that the strategic planning process will complete a full
cycle. If budgetary restraints do not allow for such assistance,
associations may want to consider using a consultant for
the initial sessions, where an objective assessment of the
association’s current position is necessary.
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management participation, make sure it is spelled out in the
management contract.
Listen and take notes to ensure that the plan that is finally
executed is, indeed, a strategic one.
Develop and prioritise long-range goals to address the critical
issues identified through the needs assessment and SWOT
analysis, and then prioritise those goals.
Develop short-term goals and specific action plans, along with
scheduled completion dates.
Establish a monitoring process to assess the progress made on
both short-term and long-range goals.
Plan implementation
Plan implementation (or execution) is the second phase of strategic
planning. In this step, an association puts its plan into action through
the allocation of resources. This step has three components:
• Programmes serve as blueprints for converting objectives
into realities – according to the agreed-upon strategy. If the
plan development phase was put together well, then the plan
execution phase is much easier.
L I V I N G
• Procedures are the tasks – and sequence of tasks – required to
complete the programmes. Many of the previously discussed
items such as teamwork, roles, communication, and education
are essential elements for ensuring successful implementation.
• Budgets ensure adequate funding of programmes, but it is
important that the association be strategy-driven, not budget-
driven. The budget must enable the strategy, not drive it.
Lastly, adaptability is crucial to the plan implementation phase since
all plans will have flaws. If the team members are not adaptable,
there may be simple issues that will not be resolved in a reasonable
manner, and the community will suffer.
Plan monitoring and evaluation
Plan review is required constantly to improve the plan and ensure its
execution. Part of the plan review occurs naturally when there’s board
turnover, a new home owner, or changes in the law. In addition, plan
review needs to be scheduled to ensure that the plan is meeting
the community’s goals. This can be achieved through surveys,
management review conferences, or discussions at meetings. If
the community fails to update the plan, the plan will eventually fail
the community. Industry experts suggest that associations and their
managers review their strategic plans annually, and completely
overhaul their strategic plans every three to five years.
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Pitfalls
Bernard Steiner lists some pitfalls that are easily fallen into but
that should be avoided:
• becoming so engrossed in current problems that
insufficient time is spent on long-range planning and the
process becomes discredited
• failing to assume the necessary involvement in the
planning process by other association committees
• failing to use plans as standards for measuring performance
• consistently rejecting the formal planning mechanism by
making intuitive decisions that conflict with the formal
long-range plan
• failing to develop association goals suitable as a basis for
formulating long-range plans.
Steiner, B (1986) A roadmap to the future: The importance of long-range
planning. Common Ground 2: 10-–14
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