Writing the Plan Isn't the Work - Doing the Work Is

By Lorri Matthewson

It feels productive to plan. It feels visionary. It feels like progress. But planning doesn’t accomplish anything if you’re not prepared to do.

We’re becoming very selective about who we take on for strategic planning. There are plenty of consultants out there who will help you “check the box,” produce a glossy document, and walk away — knowing full well nothing will change.

We are not that company.

The hardest part of strategic planning begins after the conversations, the workshops, and the visioning exercises. The real work is in the implementation plan — the part where priorities turn into actions, actions turn into accountability, and accountability turns into results.

We help you narrow your focus to a small number of priorities — never more than seven. A strategic plan with a kerzillion recommendations is a plan where most things won’t get done. Implementation requires clarity, not clutter.

And here’s the truth: We can’t implement your plan for you.

We can give you a workplan. We can outline the steps. We can show you how to put feet under your priorities.

But we don’t know your staff. We don’t run your operations. That final step — assigning responsibility and ensuring follow‑through — belongs to the CAO.

The message needs to be clear and consistent:

“This is assigned to you, with a deadline, and we’ll review progress at the next meeting.”

Without that, it becomes:

“We should get to that someday.”

And then they don’t. And then they blame the consultant because “the plan didn’t work.”

It wasn’t the consultant.

To actually implement a strategic plan, a municipality has to be willing to stop doing the things that no longer serve the mission. It has to change outdated processes. It has to make decisions based on data, not emotion.

Every municipality has behaviours that undermine progress. Strategic planning should result in doing the right work — not just more work.

The organizations that successfully implement their strategic plans — municipal governments, nonprofits, community groups — all share one trait:

Discipline.

They have the discipline to:

• Review the plan monthly

• Track progress

• Adjust when needed

• Hold people accountable

• Celebrate the wins

• Stay focused

Discipline during implementation is what turns a strategic plan into a set of actions that produce real results.

The reality is that many groups who ask for strategic planning support have no real intention of doing anything differently. They are not ready to change behaviour, make decisions, or commit to timelines. There is often no follow‑through at all.

If that’s the case, a strategic plan won’t help them. A strategic plan is a tool for municipalities that are serious about doing the work — not just talking about it.

Writing the plan is the fun part. It’s the easy part.

Implementation is where the rubber meets the road.

If you want a strategic plan that actually changes your organization, don’t ask, “What should we write?” Ask, “What are we willing to do.”

If you are that Council, we are that consultant.