TOOL # 7 STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MEETING AGENDA. Canadian Apparel Mentoring Program. Apparel Human Resources Council

Transcription

1 TOOL # 7 STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT MEETING AGENDA 1

2 I. OVERVIEW In order to get the most out of the Strategic Alignment Meeting: Ask each participant to complete the following sections of the agenda (up to question 8) based on relevance from their perspective. It should be completed prior to the meeting and they should come prepared to discuss the issues. Discuss these issues off site in a comfortable location away from the distractions of the office. Allow one or two days for the discussion, depending on the size of the company and the management team, and estimate the time needed for each topic. Nominate individuals to fill the following roles to help improve meeting effectiveness: o A moderator to chair for the meeting and direct the discussion; o A timekeeper to ensure that the agenda s budgeted time allocation is adhered to as effectively as possible; o A minute taker to take minutes, summarizing key conclusions, resulting follow up work, individuals responsible to conduct the follow up work and required completion date. Consider recording the discussion for future revision; o A project manager to lead the process following the meeting; o A follow up person to contact individuals responsible to conduct follow up work to remind them of their responsibilities, the deadlines and to identify as early as possible any completion timeline problems and report back to the project manager. Make sure that all the members of the management team contribute to the discussion. 2

3 II. QUESTIONS AND AGENDA ITEMS 1. Current Mission Statement a) Does your company have a mission statement that everyone actually keeps in mind when making decisions? If so, summarize it and determine if it helps your company. Why or why not? b) Is it still relevant? Should parts of it be maintained or should it be entirely revisited? When was it updated last? 2. Meeting Objectives Please state your objectives for this process. What are the most critical issues that must be dealt with? 3. Soul Searching Questionnaire Which are the major areas that must be improved upon? How can this meeting help achieve this? What key issues should be discussed? 3

4 4. Competitive Landscape Review the findings from the Competitive & Environmental Questionnaire. What are the company s apparent: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? a) Strengths b) Weaknesses c) Opportunities d) Threats 4

5 5. Financial Analysis What are the profit drivers of the company? What makes it successful? What trends have been emerging? What impact does this have on the future direction of the company? 6. Customer and Management Survey Analysis a) Do customers and management see the company in the same light? Are there discrepancies? If so, why is that? What must be done in order to close the gap? b) What conclusions can you draw about the company s strengths? c) What conclusions can you draw about the company s weaknesses? 5

6 d) What conclusions can you draw about the company s threats? e) What conclusions can you draw about the company s opportunities? f) What conclusions do you draw from these findings? What are the resulting actionable items? 7. Departmental Questionnaire Analysis a) What are the changing trends affecting each department and the company s position in the marketplace? 6

7 b) How do departments compare against performance measures? Do other departmental strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats become apparent? 7

8 8. Summary SWOT Analysis Based on all the above sources (Environmental and Competitive Analysis, Financial Analysis, Customer & Management Survey Results and Departmental Questionnaire) and any others that you have deemed appropriate, summarize the company s: a) Strengths b) Weaknesses c) Opportunities d) Threats 8

9 9. Conclusions a) The Basics Does the company have the basics right? Were you able to complete all the analyses? Do clients confirm that the company delivers the right quality product at the right price, on time with high sell-through rates? Are there operational changes that must be made throughout the value chain (design, production / sourcing, sales / service, marketing, distribution)? What changes must be made in order to get the basics right? 9

10 b) Unique Competitive Advantage Does the company have a viable niche? Does it have a unique competitive advantage within its niche? Based on all the analysis, what should become the company s focus of excellence and differentiation? (Use the 2007 Strategic Benchmarking Report available on the AHRC web site to assist in crafting a unique position). Ensure that within your chosen value chain model that you can provide something different or better than the competition. c) Revised Mission Statement Based on your conclusions, draft a revised Mission Statement. 10

11 d) Develop an Implementation Plan For each key element requiring change, summarize the high level action item and the specific steps that must be undertaken. Assign a key person responsible for each item and set a timeline. Note: In many instances, it can be helpful to prepare a full business plan. If you are not familiar with the process, please review the Start Up Toolbox. 11

12 e) Review Departmental Performance Metrics For each department, review the performance metrics outlined in the Departmental Questionnaire. Based on your revised strategic and action plan, are these metrics still appropriate? Should they be revised to help track key elements of your new or revised plan? f) Follow Up Confirm the follow up procedures to ensure that progress is made. Set a next meeting date to assess progress and deal with new issues. h) Process Debrief Summarize the effectiveness and usefulness of the process. What changes should be made to the process in the future? How often should this exercise be repeated? Should there be frequent mini strategic planning exercises combined with other intermittent full blown exercises? What should be the standard strategic planning exercise and timeline? When should the next meeting occur? 12