Strategic Planning

At McLaughlin & Associates, we specialize in strategic plans that inspire people to achieve intentional results. We rescue boards, leadership teams and organizations from the perils of ineffective planning and mediocre implementation.

Whether you need skilled facilitation for a planned event, or an end-to-end strategic planning process, our team will customize an approach to meet your specific needs. We design and facilitate strategic planning retreats; vision, mission and values workshops; market scans and SWOT analyses; strategy assessments; scenario planning; and strategic execution workshops. We bring well-honed research and analytical skills combined with a practical approach to implementation including metrics, visible scorecards, progress check-ins and other accountability mechanisms.

“I have participated in hundreds of strategy sessions, and too often they are the ‘same old same old’. Like watching paint dry. But not this one. Kathy made it highly engaging, and we came away with practical tools and techniques that we still use to ensure our strategy is on point.”

- Board Chair, Not for Profit services organization

L-R: Lea Anne Sexton, Kathy McLaughlin, Maureen Pilgrim

Services Offered:

Market scans and situation analyses
Client, public, board, staff and stakeholder consultation processes
Stakeholder engagement surveys - design and execution, analysis and summary
Focus groups, design thinking workshops, town halls and public meetings
Large group engagement and feedback processes including polling, break-out groups and World Café facilitation
SWOT/TOWS analyses (threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths)
Market and competitor scans
Scenario development to test strategic options
Measurement and key performance indicator (KPI) development
Implementation action planning templates
Retreat design and facilitation
Writing, presentation and one-page placemat design
Employee kick-offs, road shows, video presentations and interactive launch events
Integration of annual business /operating plans, budget, staff and board/committee work plans

Scenario Planning

An alternative to the classic strategic planning approach, Scenario Planning—also called Scenario Thinking or Scenario Analysis—is a method used in the strategic planning process to help businesses make agile long-term plans. The process encourages long range thinking to identify environmental uncertainties and risks. This enables the generation of plausible scenario “stories” – what-if scenarios – that can then be used as a backdrop to identify risks, plan contingencies and validate that current strategies are robust enough to see the company through a variety of possible futures.

Strategic Planning Talks and Webinars

Kathy is a frequent speaker and workshop facilitator on effective strategic planning for management teams, boards and CEOs. Kathy has provided keynotes and workshops at numerous conventions, national conferences and private events. Her popular talk Best Practices in Strategic Planning is a top-rated professional development webinar for the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

Kathy's talks are known for being lively, interactive and provocative, and provide an engaging catalyst for conferences and retreats.