Building Sustainable Organizations
Connecting strategy to operations across the organization
SECTOR
Association
SERVICE
Strategic Planning, Employee and Stakeholder Engagement
FORMAT
In person
The situation
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences engaged Springboard to develop an organization-wide strategic plan and then translate that direction into multiple unit-level plans.
The work came at an important point for the Academy. A new CEO had been brought in to help move the organization forward, while many long-tenured staff and stakeholders were accustomed to established ways of working. AAFS also wanted to involve a broad range of stakeholders, many of whom had never participated in organizational strategic planning.
The challenge was not simply to create a strategic plan. AAFS needed to establish a clear direction and then connect that direction to the work happening throughout the organization.
What we did
Springboard began by gathering stakeholder input to ensure the planning process reflected perspectives from across the Academy. We then facilitated virtual planning sessions with a committee comprised primarily of members of the AAFS Board of Directors.
Building from the Academy's new vision, mission, and values, the group developed a high-level strategic plan that established organizational direction and identified benchmarks for measuring progress.
Springboard then helped AAFS take the next step: translating the enterprise strategy into a series of tiered, interconnected plans. These plans helped connect the priorities established by the Board with the work of staff and individual units, creating greater alignment between strategy and day-to-day operations.
As part of the broader engagement, Springboard also worked with the Academy's standards-developing organization to benchmark peer organizations, explore funding and revenue options, and consider its path toward greater fiscal sustainability.
What changed
AAFS emerged with more than a high-level strategic plan. The Academy had an interconnected planning structure designed to keep the Board, staff, and individual units focused on common priorities.
By connecting organization-wide strategy with unit-level planning, AAFS created a clearer line between where the organization wanted to go and the work required to get there. The process also broadened participation in strategic planning and gave the new CEO a stronger framework for moving the organization forward.
The engagement demonstrates how strategic planning can become more than a document. By carrying strategy into the organization, Springboard helped AAFS create a practical connection between organizational direction, operational priorities, and implementation.
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THE NUMBER WE CARE ABOUT
THE SERVICE BEHIND THIS WORK
Strategic Planning
Part of Building Sustainable Organizations.
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