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Designing and facilitating an
inclusive and engaging strategic planning
process for a diverse set of stakeholders
Case Study
In collaboration with the Division of Extension’s planning team co-chairs, one of the Office of Strategic Consulting’s internal consultants tailored a strategic planning process for the division that gathered and synthesized input from diverse stakeholder groups—dispersed across the state—to create a plan with a clearly defined set of priorities and a revitalized mission, vision, and values.
By the Numbers
195
distinctive interactions with
Division of Extension staff
78
unique engagements with
the division's external partners
8
significant actions defined to
achieve the division's strategic objectives
Challenge
In early 2022, after years of budget cuts, leadership changes, a major transition back to being part of UW–Madison, and the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Extension was eager to start looking more strategically to the future.
The division’s leaders asked the Office of Strategic Consulting for assistance with designing and facilitating an inclusive and engaging strategic planning process that would help them gain a better understanding of the changing needs of the division’s diverse stakeholder groups; ensure that staff felt connected to its mission, vision, and priorities; and identify areas of cross-functional opportunity.
Our Approach
To guide this work, our consultant:
- Developed an overarching project plan that detailed timelines, tasks, participants, metrics, and resource allocation.
- Identified essential steps to obtain input from stakeholders spread across the state’s 72 counties, the division’s six institutes, government and non-government partners, and several sovereign nations with the state, fostering inclusivity and engagement.
- Facilitated multiple workshops in both in-person and virtual formats to ensure participation from smaller groups and decentralized stakeholders.
- Collaborated closely with the division’s core planning team to develop a plan that communicated clear expectations for project scope, timeline, and project updates.
- Used the extensive data gathered from stakeholders and from a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to help the core planning team formulate a fresh vision and goals.
