Strategic Planning 101: The Basic Tools for
Success
Mark W. Kiker
Owner - www.caddmanager.com – www.bimmanager.com
AUGI Executive Director
© 2011 Autodesk
Class Summary
Strategic Planning is a effort that that entails many differing processes, inputs,
styles and procedures. When you get down to it – it can be a simple of very
complicated process. This class will provide a simple process that will be useful in
the majority of times you plan. By taking the time to plan today, you can make
progress tomorrow and into the future.
© 2011 Autodesk
Learning Objectives
At the end of this class, you will be able to:
 Know why Strategic Planning is so critical to success
 Break down the Planning process into manageable components
 Define the five critical steps in mapping out a strategic plan
 Combine Tools, Talent, Resources and Budget to unlock the future
 Create positive Business Alignment
© 2011 Autodesk
Before we start…
Any Questions?
 Building a strategic plan is just an attempt to answer a series of questions.
 Asking the right questions is a starting point
 Getting the right answers is the finish line
© 2011 Autodesk
What we are NOT going to do
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We will not define the perfect planning method
We will not cover the grand scope of planning
We will not discuss every option and critique current wisdom
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What we are going to do…
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Give you a starting place
 Give you a framework for creating a strategic plan
 Set you in motion
 Let you define/expand your processes
© 2011 Autodesk
Why Strategic Planning is so critical to success
Let’s see why we need to develop Strategic Plans
© 2011 Autodesk
Why you need a Strategic Plan
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Without a Strategic Plan…
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Your budgets are difficult to get approved
You cannot get people to agree that a CAD Standard is valuable
There are teams of people who ignore your advice
Things are getting worse rather than getting better
Random silos of technology are competing for attention
© 2011 Autodesk
Why you need a Strategic Plan

With a Strategic Plan…
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You increase your credibility with the business leaders
You gain closer alignment between CAD and business objectives
You improved teamwork between CAD and internal business partners
Your efforts are easily visible to others because they appear as firm wide successes
The environment is supported and infused with budget line items because of the
achievement of company goals.
© 2011 Autodesk
Breaking down the Planning Process
Look to the PAST
Strategic Planning 101:

Step One: Look to the Past
 Step Two: Look at NOW
 Step Three: Look Toward the Future
 Step Four: Define your Goals
 Step Five: Identify Objectives
Look at NOW
Look Toward
the FUTURE
Define your
Goals
Identify Objectives
The Completed Plan
© 2011 Autodesk
Step One: Look to the Past

What is the CAD history at your firm?
 How quickly does the firm embrace new technology?
 What challenges did it face and how did it handle those challenges?
 What have you learned through past changes?
© 2011 Autodesk
Step One: Look to the Past
The Product of this Step:
 A good narrative
or

A list of:

what has happened in the past
 how you got there
 what you learned
 what you would avoid in the future
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Two: Look at Now

Review these Four areas to Unlock the Future

Team
 Talent
 Resources
 Budget
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Two: Look at Now

Team and Talent:
The makeup of the group you are working with will impact your ability to reach a goal.
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Can you gather the Team you need?
Can they be counted on?
Do you know the talents that each brings to the table?
Do they have the skills they need to get the job done?
Do they follow the standards?
Do they have the training needed?
Are they excited about change for the better?
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Two: Look at Now
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Resources and Budget:
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Do you have the needed access to management and are they behind your efforts?
Can you create communication methods to expand your impact?
Do you know people in the industry that can give you insight?
Can you get approvals on purchases?
Is the company profitability going up or down?
Is there a line item for CAD software that may need to be purchased?
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Two: Look at Now
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Where are you now?
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Perform a SWOT analyses on your present operations.
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SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
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Analyze your environment and your processes according to the four SWOT categories.
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There is no such thing as a business without weaknesses or a business without threats
from outside sources.
© 2011 Autodesk
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Two: Look at Now
Helpful
Harmful
Internal
Strengths
1.
2.
3.
4.
Strong CAD trained staff
Up to date software
Numerous Super Users
Consistent workload
External
Opportunities
1.
2.
3.
4.
Firm desires to move to BIM
Firm moving into international markets
Competitors slow to adopt new technology
Opening new local offices in 2012
Weaknesses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Limited budget
No Unified Standard
Aging Plotters
Outdated CAD Standard
No CAD Quality Assurance
Threats
1. Bigger firms already using BIM
2. International Market BIM needs unknown
3. Cost of moving to BIM (software and
training)
4. Changing to BIM processes
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Two: Look at Now
The Product of this Step:
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A short list of possible and probable areas of opportunity
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Step Three: Look toward the future
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What vision do you have for your environment in one year? Five years?
Drawing on the data and knowledge you have obtained from steps one and two,
create a picture of how you want your environment to be.
Do you want a new processes or different software?
Is there a change in your clients needs in design technology?
Where is the industry headed?
What are other firms like yours doing?
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Three: Look toward the future
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Don’t worry about “HOW” yet
Dream a few big dreams
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Examples of what you might come up with:
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Become a leader in the use of BIM software tools
 Reissue a revised CAD Standard for AutoCAD 2012
 Improve CAD productivity through custom and third party tools
 Develop a library of Details and the interface to use them
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Three: Look toward the future
The Product of this Step:
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A coalescing Vision of what you want to do going forward
 10-12 general targets of review and possible action
 Gathered input from others who agree in general to your targets
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Four: Define your goals
The Product of this Step:

Define the main goals you will want to reach
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Example:
Get projects started in Revit
 Develop a library of Details

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You may think that you just want to start at step 4 – Don’t do it
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Four: Define your goals
The Product of this Step:

Define the main goals you will want to reach - Prioritize

Example:
Get projects started in Revit
 Develop a library of Details


You may think that you just want to start at step 4 – Don’t do it
© 2011 Autodesk
Creating Business Alignment
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Your main CAD initiatives, in terms of budget and resources, should be directly
linked to business goals and objectives
The business managers should drive or back every major initiative
Understand that not all of the goals that your firm develops will be connected to
CAD
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There may very few that really can be used to create alignment
 The point is not quantity but quality
 If you can align to several specific strategic goals then others will be able to help you
achieve them
© 2011 Autodesk
Example:
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Firm Goal: We will reduce our project delivery time by 10% by increasing our
employee’s productivity.
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CAD Goal: We will customize our interface to provide 15% improvement in
speed of the user’s processes.
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CAD Goal: We will create custom content that will alleviate the need for each
project to create content which will reduce production time for CAD files.
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CAD Goal: We will replace aging plotters with high speed plotters – one plotter
every two months.
© 2011 Autodesk
Example:

Firm Goal: We will extend our ability to deliver project expertise by sharing staff
among offices. Each project will be staffed with the best talent from differing
offices.
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CAD Goal: We will enable secure file sharing between offices by establishing
guidelines for CAD file transfer, remote file sharing, laptop storage and backup
requirements.
To assist knowledge workers in traveling between offices we will standardize
CAD folder structures of all offices and CAD system setups so that they can use
any machine in any office and see the same setup.

© 2011 Autodesk
Step Four: Define your goals
The Product of this Step:

A prioritized list of general goals
 Aligned to the firms goals – as much as possible
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Five: Identify your Objectives
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Using your Vision as a guide, develop a list of goals
Using SMARTER Goals – or at least use S-M-T…
Letter
Major Term
Minor Terms
S
Specific
Significant, Stretching, Simple
M
Measurable Meaningful, Motivational, Manageable
A
Attainable
Appropriate, Achievable, Actionable, Action-oriented, Ambitious, Aligned
R
Relevant
Realistic, Results-oriented
T
Time-bound Time-oriented, Time-Specific, Time limited, Trackable, Tangible
E
Evaluate
Ethical, Excitable, Enjoyable, Engaging, Ecological
R
Reevaluate
Responsive, Rewarding, Reached
November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Five: Identify your Objectives
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Your objectives are the Action Plans you will take to meet your goals. (the How
and When)
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Include Specific, Measurable objectives that have a Due Date
Software Transition
1.
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Get 4 projects started in Civil3D by May 1 2012
Detail Library
2.
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Create a standard location for all details in 30 days
Develop a library of Details by adding 30 details per month
Define a method for laying out a Detail Sheet in under 30 minutes by retrieving standard details via
our Intranet by March 30th
© 2011 Autodesk
Step Five: Identify your Objectives
The Product of this Step:

Specific, Measurable and Time bound Goals
© 2011 Autodesk
Wrapping it all up - the Final Step
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Write it up
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Keep it as simple as possible
 Have an executive summary
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Get it approved
Start Moving
© 2011 Autodesk
Always be Planning
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Remember that strategic planning is an ongoing activity
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Don’t be afraid to change course
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Look at inside and outside influences that may change your perspectives
© 2011 Autodesk
The End Product of Strategic Planning
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A agreed upon Vision for the Future
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Goals to achieve, Short term and Long Term

Action Plans to Achieve your Objectives
© 2011 Autodesk
Autodesk, AutoCAD* [*if/when mentioned in the pertinent material, followed by an alphabetical list of all other trademarks mentioned in the material] are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and
services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. © 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2011 Autodesk