Why do so many strategic plans fail? All too often a lack of understanding about the wants and needs of the community, poor communications, unrealistic goals, and a lack of emphasis on implementation lead to failure. The end result… Plans written with the best of intentions and lofty ideas end up being set aside on shelves, to be forgotten and do nothing more than gather dust on their pages.
Many community association planning projects fail because of inadequate planning preparation, poor communication, a lack of leadership during the planning process, failure to reach out to the community to obtain homeowner input, and an inability to motivate association volunteers who will have to carry out the plan. These problems are often compounded after planning is completed as a result of poor implementation and insufficient board oversight to ensure that objectives are properly met.
The CAPSERV Planning Solution
It is important to understand that successful strategic planning goes far beyond a well written plan. Successful planning is a process that fosters pro-active communications, a deep understanding of a plan’s mission and goals, and a greater sense of ownership of the plan within the association’s volunteer base and the community. CAPSERV harnesses the power of well thought out plans supported by pro-active communications, and purposeful implementation that can be the foundation for work that can be done to create communities that we can all be proud to call home.
The CAPSERV Strategic Planning Process can help the board of directors and association volunteers to avoid pitfalls that could cause their plans to fail. It is a formal process that organizes planning functions into three distinct phases – advance research and preparation, the planning session, and post planning session plan implementation:
- PHASE 1: Advance preparation work and research is conducted to make certain that planning session participants know what they will be required to do; that they understand the expected outcomes of the planning session; and that they have information about the association and community that they will need to develop a viable plan.
- PHASE 2: A planning session is held that is structured to enable participants to stay on task with enough time to thoroughly develop the plan’s goals and the strategies required to achieve those goals.
- Phase 3: After the strategic plan has been written and approved by the board of directors, association volunteers are given the opportunity to establish and initiate action steps required to carry out the plan’s various strategies. These action steps are added to the plan along with periodic work status updates. Plan implementation activity is then closely monitored with sufficient board oversight to ensure timely completion of plan initiatives within the framework of the association’s budget.
CAPSERV simplifies the process and emphasizes an important factor that many planners overlook… a practical well organized common-sense approach that reinforces the benefits of sound planning leadership, effective communications, and the need to promote the planning agenda at all times.
Do you want to know more?
Author Alan Robbins wrote MASTER PLAN: A Community Association Strategic Planning Guide for Homeowners Associations, Condominiums, and Housing Cooperatives to provide an easy-to-read reference tool that can be used to develop and carry out masterful plans.
Beginning with its prologue and ending with its epilogue, this book tells a compelling story about Forest Grove, a fictional community that utilized CAPSERV Planning Solutions to develop and implement a successful strategic plan that proactively changed the course of its future. By connecting Forest Grove’s story with the planning process outlined in this book, you can benefit from an insightful learning experience and gain a deeper understanding about how to develop and carry out an effective plan that can enable your association to achieve its goals and fulfill the long-term aspirations for your community.
“A must read for board members and association volunteers! Alan Robbins, a seasoned real estate and banking executive, has been a visionary advocate for America’s housing and community association industries for more than thirty years. In his book, Master Plan, Robbins explains why it is so important to do strategic planning. His common-sense approach provides an easy-to-follow blueprint for carrying out effective long-term plans that lead to strong associations and successful communities.”
LARRY KELLY, Finance Committee
Vista Lago Homeowners Associations
Rated 5/5 by readers
Latest CAPSERV InfoBites
From the desk of Alan Robbins
Sometimes, everything seems to be blurred… So much to do, so much information to absorb, and so little time to get the job done. I wrote Master Plan and started this website as a means to provide information bites and common-sense advice to volunteers who spend so much of their precious time to make their communities better places to live.
If you feel the need to reach out to me about a specific problem or issue, you can get in touch with me here.
Latest CAPSERV InfoBites
From the desk of Alan Robbins
Sometimes, everything seems to be blurred… So much to do, so much information to absorb, so little time. I created CAPSERV Planning Solutions to empower community association volunteers.
Keep an eye out for my latest InfoBites and blogs that will provide helpful information about community association board governance and management.
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