Increase engagement and enact change through strategic planning

Tribal members often don’t understand or engage in their leadership’s efforts to tackle economic, social, and cultural challenges.

A robust strategic planning process provides an opportunity for Tribal leaders to articulate their plans and Tribal members to help prioritize challenges and develop solutions. When done well, the planning process can be just as important as the resulting plan. It can help Tribes achieve greater understanding and support of their strategic plan, improving the likelihood of its success.

Planning process considerations

There are several key elements of an effective strategic planning process.

Comprehensive focus

Incorporating inputs and feedback will help structure a plan responsive to community needs.

• Inputs inform front-end plan considerations of mission, vision, and community needs.
• Feedback refines plan priorities, goals, and strategies once plan elements have been developed.

Diverse engagement

Another key to creating a successful strategic plan is incorporating input from the council, management, staff, and Tribal members. Council and management participation can be achieved through initial interviews and subsequent planning sessions. Secure online surveys and public workshops can help promote staff and Tribal member engagement. Gaining diverse perspectives can provide valuable insights while helping to increase plan buy-in, a critical component to implementation success.

Clear communication

If key elements of a strategic plan aren’t communicated to stakeholders clearly, the plan can’t serve as an effective management tool. Preparing a plan summary can help those involved better understand, track progress on, and manage the plan’s implementation.

Plan content

A comprehensive strategic plan encompasses the following components: