Support Solutions — Leading a Strategic Planning Process
Engagement record permalink
- Client — Support Solutions
- Service — Strategic planning
- Scope — Leadership of the strategic planning process; business planning and project evaluation
- Span — Many years of collaboration
- Client sponsor — CEO
Led by Dr. Kevin Westbrook, founder and principal consultant — background and credentials.
The challenge permalink
A planning process only works if the people who must carry it actually buy in. Strategies argued over by leadership alone die in a deck. The harder work is engaging the supervisors, line staff, and external customers who have to live with the plan — and giving every stakeholder a genuine way to participate throughout the process.
The approach: align the people who must carry it permalink
Dr. Westbrook led Support Solutions’ strategic planning process with stakeholder engagement built in at every level — leadership, supervisors at all levels, line staff, and external customers.
That is the stakeholder assessment step of the eight-step Disciplined Aim planning process, and it reflects the doctrine’s third principle: planning fails when key voices are missing, so align the people who must carry it — before launch, not after.
The outcome, in the client’s words permalink
“Dr. Westbrook has been a valued collaborator and consultant for our company for many years. He has successfully led our strategic planning process and excels in engaging multiple stakeholders to effectively participate throughout the process. Kevin is an outstanding communicator and relates well to all stakeholders including leadership, supervisors at all levels, line staff and external customers. I would highly recommend him to any organization that needs outside expertise in business planning, project evaluation, or other business needs.”
— CEO, Support Solutions
The recommendation is the proof point: years of collaboration, a planning process the CEO calls successful, and stakeholder engagement strong enough to name every level of the organization.