Rebeccah Welch and Melinda Lackey
Apr 7, 20162 min
There really aren’t many tools out there to help you bring strategic plans to life, much less to streamline operations and communicate progress across and beyond organizations.
At SEED, we have seen that our clients are looking for a few simple things.
First, nonprofit leaders want to be pro-active and feel in charge. They want to lead a plan rather than have a plan lead them. They want to feel less like they are jumping through hoops and more like they are setting the agenda. Amidst the quest to juggle priorities set by multiple funding sources, nonprofit leaders want to be less reactive. They are looking for tools that not only track information, but prompt users to vision and act.
Second, they want to be organized. Decision-makers want information in real time that is precise and complete. There are many threads to strategic plan development, so many balls in the air—often clients are capturing one measure at the expense of another and the oversight is costly.
Third, they want accessibility. Teams are looking
for tools that are easy to use with intuitive interfaces
and reporting functions. They want to see the big
picture—where they are in relation to where they
want to be, as well as next steps to advance. They
want to know who will do what by when in order to
efficiently manage and uphold their commitments
and to thrive as a team. They are eager to see the
big picture from different perspectives: graphs that show results meeting benchmarks and allow users to both observe the flow of progress, and present that flow to multiple stakeholders in ways that makes sense to them.
Finally, our clients are looking for something that is nimble and strategic. This boils down to being able to make sound decisions, informed decisions to see what you’re on top of and what you’re missing. They want a tool that prompts you to ask “why?” They want to be able to shift course to seize unexpected opportunities without feeling that they’ve failed to carry out stale plans that no longer make sense. Essentially, our clients want to streamline. They are drawn to a sense that, just maybe, it is possible to achieve more with less effort.
The good news is that these wishes are easily attained.
At SEED, we’ve developed an inexpensive tool that meets all four criteria. It is a cloud-based application, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
We invite you to have a look. After 15 years working with a range of organizations, we’ve tailored or tool to weigh metrics without losing sight of the softer side of project management and planning.
Strategic plan implementation is fundamentally about coordinated action. We find that with minimal coaching and structure our clients are able to function like a well-oiled machine; they appreciate an approach that is tailored to their work culture, that’s interactive, that helps align daily priorities with their enduring values and big dreams.
We hope to offer a video introduction soon. For now, schedule an online demo, at your convenience. We look forward to showing you the app, connecting and learning together.
SEEDing Strategic Plan Delivery.
Explore: www.seedimpact.org/SocialChangeApps
Schedule a 30-minute demo. Let us know what you think.