STRATEGIC

PLANNING
 What is a strategic plan?

KEY
LEARNING How can a First Nation
do strategic planning?
OBJECTIVES

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 WHAT IS A
STRATEGIC PLAN?
 A STRATEGIC PLAN IS A
ROADMAP TOHow SUCCESS
do we get where
A STRATEGIC PLAN IS we want to go?

Where are we now?

A ROADMAP TO Where are we now?
SUCCESS Where do we want
our community to go?
Where do we want our
community to go?

How do we get where we

want to go?

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WHY IS STRATEGIC
PLANNING IMPORTANT? Choosing your own path is
an important act of self-
determination.

Strategic Planning inspires

It guides the work of Council and the
a Nation to work together
administration. It tells them what the
towards a common vision.
Nation’s goals are and how to achieve
them.

It is the base for all other plans of the

Nation.

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THE VALUE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

NO VISION IMPOSED VISION SHARED VISION

• Groups moving in many • Planning without community or • Group planning
directions staff involvement • All groups moving forward
• No plans, little • Lots of energy, little forward together
coordination movement or buy-in • Plans become reality

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STRATEGIC PLANNING BENEFITS
FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP EMPLOYEES

Focuses activity on Empowers leadership Gives employees

the community’s to deliver on vision and
vision community’s goals direction

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WHO IS INVOLVED IN
STRATEGIC PLANNING?
The community’s goals and
vision should guide the plan.
Council engages with the
community.

A facilitator usually coordinates

and guides the planning session.
Nations may have individuals with
Council and all decision-making
planning experience that can
managers should be involved in
facilitate these sessions.
strategic planning.

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HOW CAN A NATION
DO STRATEGIC
PLANNING?
PLANNING SEQUENCE
Each level of planning gives life to community goals. Each level of planning
is linked to the next.

Mission, Vision, Values

Strategic Priorities

Activities

Annual Work Plans

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 The Mission, Vision, and Values give the plan its direction
and answer the question: where does our Nation want to go?

STRATEGIC PLANNING
WHERE DOES OUR • Why do we exist? • What is important to us?
• What do we want to be? • Where do we want to go?
NATION WANT TO GO?

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 VISION
MISSION

NEEDS OF
THE SOCIETY

MISSION, VISION,
AND VALUES
VALUES

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 VISION

MISSION

NEEDS OF
THE SOCIETY

MISSION, VISION,
AND VALUES
VALUES

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 If the members, leadership, and
staff understand and believe in the

MISSION mission statement, they will know

why their roles are important and
why their work matters.
The mission answers these questions:
Why does the Nation exist?
What is its purpose and who is it doing it for?
The mission statement should be short, clear,
and easily understood by everyone. A mission
is timeless and does not usually change.
Example mission statement:

To improve the lives of our people

both today and for future
generations

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 The vision statement shows the members,
leadership, and staff what everyone is working
towards. It is the North Star that guides what the

VISION community does until it gets to where it wants

to go.

The vision statement explains where the

Nation wants to be at a future time. What
does the community want to be like in the
future? It should also be short, clear, and
easily understood.
Example vision:
Our members, families, and government will
contribute to a healthy, safe, and prosperous
community.

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 Values are what the
Nation stands for.
Examples could be: Honesty and

VALUES Responsibility

Values guide how the Nation

works towards its vision. Culture
Values are timeless and do
not usually change.
Fairness

Respect

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 You need to know where you are before
you can get to where you want to be.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
WHERE ARE WE NOW? Where is the community What are the Nation’s strengths
compared to where it and opportunities? What are
wants to be? the threats and weaknesses?

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 What are the Are there What are the Are there
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS or
that we can that we need to that support the obstacles to
build on? address? Nation’s vision? achieving the
Nation’s vision?

S W O T
CURRENT STATE ANALYSIS
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 A Nation can map out a path towards its vision by
developing strategic priorities and activities.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
HOW DO WE GET TO What can we do now and How will we measure our
over the next several progress and success?
WHERE WE WANT TO years to work towards
GO? our Nation’s vision?

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STRATEGIC PRIORITIES A Nation should develop 6-10 strategic priorities to
support its mission, vision, and values.

Working towards a vision means that many different

parts of the Nation are working together as one.

QUICK KEY LONG TERM

WINS ACTIVITIES

BENEFITS
NOT NOT
PRIORITY STRATEGIC

COSTS

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ACTIVITIES
To meet any one strategic priority, a
Nation will require a number of
activities to support it.

Because of limited resources,

Nations will have to prioritize which
activities to concentrate on first.

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ANNUAL WORK PLANS
An annual work plan answers the question: what
will your department do this year to further the
strategic plan?

Work plans bring your strategic plan to life.

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HOW WILL WE
MEASURE OUR
PROGRESS?
Once a Nation has decided on strategic
priorities and activities, it should decide how
it will measure the progress of each activity.
This will help you understand how well you
are doing and to report back to your
members on your Nation’s progress.

Measurements should focus on the

wanted outcome of each activity.

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MEASURE GOALS
THAT ARE S.M.A.R.T. Specific

Time-related Measurable

Realistic Assignable

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IMPLEMENTING
THE STRATEGIC
PLAN Capital plan and
Annual
department work Risk management
multi-year
plans and annual plan
The strategic plan financial plan
budget

becomes the base

for all other plans
and activities.

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IMPLEMENTING THE
Capital plan
STRATEGIC PLAN and multi-year
financial plan

The strategic plan

Annual
becomes the base department
work plans
for all other plans and annual
budget
and activities.

Risk
management
plan

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MISSION, VISION, VALUES ACTIVITIES
Will not change. They stay the same Add, remove, and modify the
for the long term and guide future activities and measures to
planning. support the strategic
priorities every five years.

RENEWING THE
STRATEGIC
PLAN HOW LONG DOES THE
STRATEGIC PLAN LAST?
A strategic plan spans five
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES years. Every five years, your
Nation should revisit the
May add, remove, emphasize or strategic plan to plot the
reframe one or two when renewing next steps of your journey.
the strategic plan.

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STRATEGY MAP
TEMPLATE
MISSION VISION VALUES ACTIVITIES KEY MEASURES
Why do we What do we What do we What will we do How will we
exist? want to be? care about? over the next measure our
five years to put progress?
the strategic
priorities into
action?
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
What strategic priorities will
support the mission, vision,
and values?

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QUESTIONS?
Let’s chat.

First Nations Financial Management Board

Phone: 604-925-6665 | Toll free: 877-925-6665