Note: We will reference MyStrategicPlan throughout this post, but in doing so also acknowledge our great customers using MyNonprofitPlan and MyChurchPlan.

Before	After

Let’s dig into what this means.

Much thought and collaboration has been invested in each aspect of the new design. We are confident that MyStrategicPlan is now more efficient and intuitive than it was before, which is what you want from a business process tool. There are several new changes and based on initial response to our new design, we know that you will like it.

Throughout the redesign of MyStrategicPlan.com, we kept four criteria in mind; including:

1. Improving the look and feel of MyStrategicPlan with a new, fresh and very professional facelift.
2. Streamlining the user interface to reduce clutter and complexity.
3. Accessing high priority actions/tasks with fewer clicks thereby improving the efficiency of the system and our users.
4. Increasing our customers’ success rate through the strategic planning activities into the execution stage. The customer feedback from our annual survey helped us understand the need to simplify the strategic planning process. We want you to be successful!

You may experience a very short “re-familiarizing” period with the new design! We assure you that with a little “re-acquaintance” time, you will be more efficient and productive. We encourage you to give yourself some time to acquaint yourself with the new workflow and within a short time, you will also find benefit in the improved and efficient transition to operationalizing strategy.

Later in this post, I will highlight the changes in greater detail. As we move you through the design keep in mind the many resources that are available to you to improve your ease of use and application, provide you with guidance through the process and to keep each of you current with all system updates.

We are very happy to finally have MyStrategicPlan updated in response to requests. This redesign touches every single page. There is still more work to do over the coming months to improve the design and functionality of secondary pages so we aren’t completely done, but we are well on our way. We hope you will fully optimize the new design to fully engage your team and grow your company by converting strategy into action.

Thank you,

Erica Olsen

Learn more about the redesign in the short 5-minute video.

For a complete review of the changes, please read further.

Guided Home Page: The new home page redesign not only offers our users a new, fresh and professional feel, it offers a system by which to implement and execute your strategies. This new landing page does a better job of providing you with both information and next steps. The home page now implements a level of intelligence in two stages:

• Increased guidance through the process. The “tiles” will help guide users through the key “strategic process” steps (intelligence based). This provides more of a “system guide.” As the system monitors your activity, it will propose your next actions. It will also provide direct resources to the respective item.

• Assistance through the performance management phase offers our users constant updates to navigate through their plan. Quicker access to execution tools and reports improves the effectiveness of using a management tool. For example, using the scorecard approach provides quick access to the number of actions/goals you have that are on target vs. off target. This perspective offers the busy executive, as well as all managers and team members, a “60,000 ft.” level view of plan accomplishments. The home page also offers Tips box that provides general strategic planning tips, thought provoking questions, jokes, and more; a view of upcoming free trainings; and best practices from the M3 team.

Before	After

Navigation changes: Besides the design changes, you will find some of the most noticeable changes are in the navigation at the top of each page. These changes provide you with tools that will most noticeably increase efficiency and productivity. Take your time exploring during your “re-acquaintance” period! We have streamlined the process and removed a number of clicks to get to key pages. Please note: Some of the top navigation tabs will have drop down links. Once on a section the secondary navigation will be moved to “side” navigation. This workflow more closely follows a typical strategic planning process and meets the request that many users wanted to see incorporated.

Before
After

Site-wide Appearance: We have taken the new design and incorporated it throughout the rest of the website. The space is better positioned taking advantage of white space to make the system easier on the eyes. It also provides more room for data entry, as well as more information to help you on the specific topic. The changes speak for themselves. Here are a few additional changes applied to many of the “interior pages” that we want to highlight:

• Tips box: Process pages will include a new “Tips” box to provide specific and important information to the task on that page.
• More Info box: Process pages will include a new “More Info” link to dig deeper into information on the section including examples and videos. More details on this below.

Before	After

More Info Link: Many of you will notice the iFrame box is no longer there. We have given our users full control of assessing the information and tips they individually need! This change provides you with greater control of available resources and allows you to decide if you want more details. If you do want more information and assistance, we offer many more examples + direct link to Virtual Strategy Guide via one quick click! You decide. We are also implementing organizational specific resources. To start, the examples provided will be different depending upon whether you have a MyStrategicPlan, MyNonprofitPlan or MyChurchPlan account. We will continue to build this out over the next year, but this is a great start. These “More Info” tabs will also link you directly to the Virtual Strategy Guide if you want to dig deeper. We have built out this resource further so it is a full blown strategic planning process.

Before	After

Reports: We are breaking away from the “highly technical” look and feel! The new reports page allows you to quickly see the listing of available reports and access them more effectively. You have two more clicks but the total time savings should be well worth it. Quick Access drop down menus allow you to navigate through departments to individual team members much more rapidly.

Before	After

Accounts Page: The plan administrator will notice the layout of the account page is more streamlined. The new page offers a department listing in a drop down menu, while team members are also displayed in a drop-down at a level lower than the department listing. Click through this new feature, it helps expedite user management workflow.

Future Development: MyStrategicPlan is not just a web application (or point solution with planned output). It is an end-to-end business process application. We are dedicated to enhancing the system to meet your business needs. Customer feedback drove these changes and if you want to have a voice in the next round, we welcome your feedback. We have a list a mile long. With your continued support and recommendations to friends and colleagues we are committed to making your job easier. As recommendations are submitted, we evaluate them and commit resources to those most mission critical. Here are some items scheduled for the next 6 months:

• API: The first pass at an API has been developed and is ready in write form. We look to connect to an industry leading application for testing. If your organization needs to connect MyStrategicPlan to a 3rd party application, please let us know.
• Mobile application: We know you want a mobile app and we do too!
• Powerpoint Report: Accelerate your strategy reviews by automating the production of a PowerPoint presentation that will pull in the information from your Track Goals and Actions page.

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Erica Olsen is the COO and Co-Founder of M3 Planning and the developer of MyStrategicPlan, our online strategic management tool. She is an established speaker and facilitator on strategy, who enjoys sharing her knowledge of business and the strategic management process with people around the world.

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Participants will learn:

• How and why having a strategic plan is critical to your organization’s sustainability
• The key elements of a strategic plan
• The top five most important guidelines in your planning efforts
• A schedule and process to develop your plan
• Tips and tricks to using MyStrategicPlan

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1. Inviting everyone The old cliché too many cooks spoil the broth couldn’t be closer to the truth. While it’s imperative that key employees have a voice in planning, not everyone has to literally be at the meeting table. Too many people in the room can lead to chaos and confusion, resulting in a strategic plan by committee instead of through educated decisions and leadership. Groups of between 10 to 15 are the ideal size for strategic planning meetings. If you have more people than that, you can always break up into small teams.
2. Neglecting to conduct any research before the meeting If you neglect to conduct research before the meeting, you get into your session and realize you don’t have information you need in order to make sound strategic decisions. The only way to have a solid strategic plan is to incorporate information about your external environment and your internal operations. Some research is better than none. So if you find yourself in a pinch the day before or the day of the meeting, do what you can to get data about your customers needs, your competitors actions, and your employees opinions.
3. Holding an annual retreat Huh? Isn’t this section about holding strategic planning meetings and therefore retreats? Yes, it is. But one common thought process in strategic planning is that you have to hold a retreat. Setting aside a couple of days in an off-site location where everyone gathers in their sweatshirt and jeans drinking cocoa is a typical vision of a strategic planning meeting. Oftentimes a retreat is an annual event and all strategic decision making is reserved for that occasion. Strategic planning should be a habit, not an event. Hold your strategy meetings regularly (more than once a year) to realize enhanced performance. With that said, annual retreats are okay, but make sure that they aren’t your only meetings of the year.
4. Getting through the agenda no matter what Strategic planning is hard work. It takes a lot of mental energy to pull all the pieces of the puzzle together, see the future, make strategic decisions, and organize it usefully. At every strategic planning meeting I’ve facilitated, people are mentally exhausted by the end. Getting through the agenda is usually what it takes to have a completed plan.  However, sometimes it’s just not possible to get it all done.Do have an agenda so everyone knows the structure of the day, but don’t be so rigid that you stick to it no matter what. Try some of these tips to help the mood stay light throughout the day: Loosen up a little bit. Have some fun. Interject some games and downtime. Take breaks and switch gears from time to time.
5. Assuming everyone thinks like you Of course everyone thinks like you do, right? As a good leader, you know that’s not the case. Unfortunately sometimes you forget what’s obvious and end up structuring a meeting based on your own preferences. In reality, it’s pretty hard to step into other people’s shoes and ways of thinking. But in strategic planning, you want everyone in the room engaged. To get everyone engaged, make sure to secure a comfortable environment. People feel the most comfortable when they’re operating in their own thinking preference.
6. Ignoring the elephant in the room Would you like to see a strategic planning meeting go down in flames, or any meeting for that matter? Forge ahead, even though you know you have some staff issues. If any key staff member is upset or has an outstanding problem, your strategic planning meeting may likely be disrupted. That person may sit in the meeting like a brooding elephant and finally blow his top and get the meeting of course.The best way to handle staff concerns is to have a one-on-one discussion with every person who will be attending the strategic planning session. Give your employee the opportunity to voice issues or concerns privately. Make sure that you clarify that your intent is to clear up any problems that may inhibit his or her full participation during the strategy session.
7. Ending on a low note You did it! You successfully made it all the way through your meeting. You accomplished everything you intended. You have the key pieces of your strategic plan in place. You’re feeling great. Everyone is slowly packing up their stuff and heading out the door, but you sense a feeling of exhaustion and maybe a little anxiety. You’re wondering why. What just happened is you unintentionally ended your strategic planning meeting on a low note. In most cases, you have more to cover in your meeting than you have time for. You end up rushing the last part of the meeting to get it all done. I recommend, no matter where you are in your agenda, structuring the last half-hour to end on a high note by getting everyone excited about the new strategic direction.
8. Overlooking life after the meeting It’s so easy to get wrapped up in planning for the meeting and the meeting itself, that follow-up is often overlooked. Committing time and resources to implementing the plan is almost more important than the plan itself. Don’t underestimate how much effort it takes to execute your plan. Here are a few tips:

• Within a week after your strategic planning meeting, send out a timeline that contains the next steps and deadlines for completing the plan. Make sure to communicate this timeline to everyone in your organization so your employees know what is happening with the strategic planning process.
• Send out the strategic plan on the deadline you set, regardless if it is complete or not. As with the previous tip, you reinforce the importance of the plan.
• Post a visible result of the planning session in a common area. Items to post include your mission, vision, and values statements or a poster of your strategic plan.
• Do not, under any circumstance, cancel the next meeting in your planning or implementation process. As the leader, you are responsible for setting the example that the strategic plan is important. Canceling a meeting signifies it is not important. After all, execution is arguably more important than the planning itself.

Here’s to holding your most successful strategic planning meeting ever. And, as a post script, with a little tweaking these tongue-in-cheek tips can help you make all meetings more effective – something everyone would appreciate.

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But, how do you make them work? For most organizations, even finding the time can be daunting, but If you’ve been implementing strategic planning for any period of time you know just holding meetings isn’t enough; you have to be aware of the potential pitfalls.

Below, we’ve collected a handful of things that can ruin your strategic planning process, along with a link to a few more. So, what’s lying in wait to sabotage your planning meetings? Let’s count off four things you need to avoid right now:

1. Inviting everyone

The old cliché too many cooks spoil the broth couldn’t be closer to the truth. While it’s imperative that key employees have a voice in planning, not everyone has to literally be at the meeting table. Too many people in the room can lead to chaos and confusion, resulting in a strategic plan by committee instead of through educated decisions and leadership. Groups of between 10 to 15 are the ideal size for strategic planning meetings. If you have more people than that, you can always break up into small teams.

2. Neglecting to conduct any research before the meeting

If you neglect to conduct research before the meeting, you get into your session and realize you don’t have information you need in order to make sound strategic decisions. The only way to have a solid strategic plan is to incorporate information about your external environment and your internal operations. Some research is better than none. So if you find yourself in a pinch the day before or the day of the meeting, do what you can to get data about your customers needs, your competitors actions, and your employees opinions.

3. Holding an annual retreat

Huh? Isn’t this section about holding strategic planning meetings and therefore retreats? Yes, it is. But one common thought process in strategic planning is that you have to hold a retreat. Setting aside a couple of days in an off-site location where everyone gathers in their sweatshirt and jeans drinking cocoa is a typical vision of a strategic planning meeting. Oftentimes a retreat is an annual event and all strategic decision making is reserved for that occasion. Strategic planning should be a habit, not an event. Hold your strategy meetings regularly (more than once a year) to realize enhanced performance. With that said, annual retreats are okay, but make sure that they aren’t your only meetings of the year.

4. Getting through the agenda no matter what

Strategic planning is hard work. It takes a lot of mental energy to pull all the pieces of the puzzle together, see the future, make strategic decisions, and organize it usefully. At every strategic planning meeting I’ve facilitated, people are mentally exhausted by the end. Getting through the agenda is usually what it takes to have a completed plan. However, sometimes it’s just not possible to get it all done.Do have an agenda so everyone knows the structure of the day, but don’t be so rigid that you stick to it no matter what. Try some of these tips to help the mood stay light throughout the day: Loosen up a little bit. Have some fun. Interject some games and downtime. Take breaks and switch gears from time to time.

For 4 more things to avoid, visit our blog post listing all 8 ways to screw up strategy meetings.

You may also be interested in:

• Eight Ways to Ruin Any Strategic Planning Training Meeting The two words strategic planning provokes reactions anywhere from sheer...
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1. Inviting everyone
   The old cliché too many cooks spoil the broth couldn’t be closer to the truth. While it’s imperative that key employees have a voice in planning, not everyone has to literally be at the meeting table. Too many people in the room can lead to chaos and confusion, resulting in a strategic plan by committee instead of through educated decisions and leadership. Groups of between 10 to 15 are the ideal size for strategic planning meetings. If you have more people than that, you can always break up into small teams.
2. Neglecting to conduct any research before the meeting
   If you neglect to conduct research before the meeting, you get into your session and realize you don’t have information you need in order to make sound strategic decisions. The only way to have a solid strategic plan is to incorporate information about your external environment and your internal operations. Some research is better than none. So if you find yourself in a pinch the day before or the day of the meeting, do what you can to get data about your customers needs, your competitors actions, and your employees opinions.
3. Holding an annual retreat
   Huh? Isn’t this section about holding strategic planning meetings and therefore retreats? Yes, it is. But one common thought process in strategic planning is that you have to hold a retreat. Setting aside a couple of days in an off-site location where everyone gathers in their sweatshirt and jeans drinking cocoa is a typical vision of a strategic planning meeting. Oftentimes a retreat is an annual event and all strategic decision making is reserved for that occasion. Strategic planning should be a habit, not an event. Hold your strategy meetings regularly (more than once a year) to realize enhanced performance. With that said, annual retreats are okay, but make sure that they aren’t your only meetings of the year.
4. Getting through the agenda no matter what
   Strategic planning is hard work. It takes a lot of mental energy to pull all the pieces of the puzzle together, see the future, make strategic decisions, and organize it usefully. At every strategic planning meeting I’ve facilitated, people are mentally exhausted by the end. Getting through the agenda is usually what it takes to have a completed plan.  However, sometimes it’s just not possible to get it all done.Do have an agenda so everyone knows the structure of the day, but don’t be so rigid that you stick to it no matter what. Try some of these tips to help the mood stay light throughout the day: Loosen up a little bit. Have some fun. Interject some games and downtime. Take breaks and switch gears from time to time.
5. Assuming everyone thinks like you
   Of course everyone thinks like you do, right? As a good leader, you know that’s not the case. Unfortunately sometimes you forget what’s obvious and end up structuring a meeting based on your own preferences. In reality, it’s pretty hard to step into other people’s shoes and ways of thinking. But in strategic planning, you want everyone in the room engaged. To get everyone engaged, make sure to secure a comfortable environment. People feel the most comfortable when they’re operating in their own thinking preference.
6. Ignoring the elephant in the room
   Would you like to see a strategic planning meeting go down in flames, or any meeting for that matter? Forge ahead, even though you know you have some staff issues. If any key staff member is upset or has an outstanding problem, your strategic planning meeting may likely be disrupted. That person may sit in the meeting like a brooding elephant and finally blow his top and get the meeting of course.The best way to handle staff concerns is to have a one-on-one discussion with every person who will be attending the strategic planning session. Give your employee the opportunity to voice issues or concerns privately. Make sure that you clarify that your intent is to clear up any problems that may inhibit his or her full participation during the strategy session.
7. Ending on a low note
   You did it! You successfully made it all the way through your meeting. You accomplished everything you intended. You have the key pieces of your strategic plan in place. You’re feeling great. Everyone is slowly packing up their stuff and heading out the door, but you sense a feeling of exhaustion and maybe a little anxiety. You’re wondering why.
   What just happened is you unintentionally ended your strategic planning meeting on a low note. In most cases, you have more to cover in your meeting than you have time for. You end up rushing the last part of the meeting to get it all done. I recommend, no matter where you are in your agenda, structuring the last half-hour to end on a high note by getting everyone excited about the new strategic direction.
8. Overlooking life after the meeting
   It’s so easy to get wrapped up in planning for the meeting and the meeting itself, that follow-up is often overlooked. Committing time and resources to implementing the plan is almost more important than the plan itself. Don’t underestimate how much effort it takes to execute your plan. Here are a few tips:

• Within a week after your strategic planning meeting, send out a timeline that contains the next steps and deadlines for completing the plan. Make sure to communicate this timeline to everyone in your organization so your employees know what is happening with the strategic planning process.
• Send out the strategic plan on the deadline you set, regardless if it is complete or not. As with the previous tip, you reinforce the importance of the plan.
• Post a visible result of the planning session in a common area. Items to post include your mission, vision, and values statements or a poster of your strategic plan.
• Do not, under an circumstance, cancel the next meeting in your planning or implementation process. As the leader, you are responsible for setting the example that the strategic plan is important. Canceling a meeting signifies it is not important. After all, execution is arguably more important than the planning itself.

Here’s to holding your most successful strategic planning meeting ever. And, as a post script, with a little tweaking these tongue-in-cheek tips can help you make all meetings more effective – something everyone would appreciate.

You may also be interested in:

• Eight Ways to Ruin Any Strategic Planning Training Meeting The two words strategic planning provokes reactions anywhere from sheer...
• Four Things To Avoid When Conducting Strategic Planning Training Meetings Strategic planning is tough; that’s why so many organizations either...
• Five Ways to Tank Your Strategic Planning Retreat Anyone who knows what good meetings look like, also knows...

Before we do, though, we want your input.

What would you want to see in a course. Imagine a 30 minute class based on a management principle that’s either piqued your curiosity or vexed you for some time. What would that be?

• Do you want broad-based theory?
• Hands-on workshops?
• Short whiteboard videos?
• Longer lectures?
• Advanced? Introductory?

Please put all of your suggestions and requests in our comments section and we’ll take any input to heart as we formalize the curriculum and format of this powerful training package before we launch it.

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Reno, NV (PRWEB) May 14, 2009 — M3 Planning, the Internet’s foremost source for strategic planning resources, announced this week that Erica Olsen, VP of Marketing and author of Strategic Planning for Dummies, will be traveling to Dubai next week to run a two day intensive on strategic planning. Participants, including executives from leading Middle Eastern companies, will receive training and practical applications in this course that runs from May 17 to May 18.

Olsen says that being invited to speak to businesses in Dubai was an exciting prospect. “So much progress is being made in the Middle East, and the center of this is Dubai.” Conference organizers Gulf Business and Middle East MICE & Events reportedly contacted Olsen after discovering M3 Planning’s online recession planning toolkit, Strategy on a Shoestring’. “Since the onset of the global financial crisis, companies around the world have been turning to strategic planning,” says Olsen, “in order to shore up their own future.” Olsen plans to unveil M3 Planning’s newly revised comprehensive planning system at the event.

So much progress is being made in the Middle East, and the center of this is Dubai.

Since the onset of the global financial crisis, companies around the world have been turning to strategic planning

in order to shore up their own future.

These companies already have mission and vision statements, so we won’t be starting at the ground floor; these are companies interested in achieving the next level in their business.

Conference sessions will be broken into four different strategy areas: financial strategies, operational strategies, market strategies and human capital strategies. According to Olsen, attendees at the conference are seasoned business people, looking to sharpen their already existing business strategies. “These companies already have mission and vision statements, so we won’t be starting at the ground floor; these are companies interested in achieving the next level in their business.”

Entertaining over 37 million tourists a year, Dubai is a city of constant evolution. Construction crews work 24 hours a day throughout the city to complete some of the world’s most impressive and record-breaking high-rises and other achievements from giant island-type resorts to massive malls hosting actual black diamond ski slopes. In addition, Dubai is host to a thriving tech industry, sporting many top companies from the US and abroad.

About Erica Olsen:
Through M3 Planning’s online client base and onsite strategic planning facilitation work, Erica Olsen has developed and reviewed hundreds of strategic plans for organizations across the country. She has also authored several strategic planning books including Strategic Planning for Dummies and was named Entrepreneur of the Year by The Business Report of Northern Nevada in 2007.

About M3 Planning:
M3 Planning is a strategic planning firm that works with growth-oriented organizations to develop and execute their strategic plans. In addition to their online strategic planning system, MyStrategicPlan, the company is also a resource for other strategic planning tools, books, articles, workshops, and facilitations.

About Gulf Business and Middle East MICE & Events
Celebrating 10 years of publication, Gulf Business has remained the Middle Eastern region’s premier English-language business magazine. Gulf Business’s country reports, landmark features and incisive analysis of business news reflect the local market like no magazine has done before.

Middle East MICE & Events provides authoritative, informative and educational content for MICE bookers and event planners, hospitality industry professionals, venue managers, travel agents, airlines and government tourism departments, with regular features including destination reports, what’s new, people on the move and advice such as getting the basics right, site inspections and planners check-list.

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