SME Strategy is a strategy consulting company that specializes in aligning teams around their vision, mission, values, goals and action plans. Learn more about how we can help you and your team create a strategic plan with our strategic planning and implementation services.
Organizations of any size and in every sector will benefit from a strong strategic plan. How often you should update your strategic plan depends on your specific industry. Organizations who utilize fast changing technology may need a new strategy every year, while other companies might opt for a five year strategic plan.
We've compiled examples of publicly available strong strategic plans from Canada, BC, USA, and around the world. The chosen plans are a snapshot of a variety of industries and show how important planning and implementation is for any organization.
Canadian Strategic Plans
Sports
Canadian Soccer Association
The Canadian Soccer Association is a large organization governing both the men's and women's Canadian national soccer teams. This strategic plan does a great job of clearly stating the organization's visions, missions, and goals and the steps they need to take to reach them. One of their biggest long term strategic goals outlined in this plan is to win the bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mission Statement:
To provide leadership in the pursuit of excellence in soccer, nationally and internationally, in cooperation with its members and partners.
BC Athletics
BC Athletics is a not for profit organization for amateur sports. The BC Athletics strategy spans four years, from 2013-2016 and will most likely be reviewed in the near future. They have a well outlined strategy that not only spans their current strategy period, but also looks at the longer term, until 2020. BC Athletics did a great job of outlining specific goals for their pillars of athlete development, coaching, competition, and organizational capacity. They break these areas down into specific goal statements, areas of emphasis and strategic objectives that clearly identify the steps needed to reach these goals both in the short and long term.
Mission Statement:
Through leadership and the delivery of dynamic programs and services, BCA drives the growth and development of Athletics in BC.
Medical, Health & Science
Canadian Mental Health Association
The Canadian Mental Health Association is a charitable organization and also one of the oldest health associations in Canada. This strategic plan has, like others, outlined their mission, visions and goals for the planning period, but also has one very important goal with the capacity to propel this organizations vision forward: to increase knowledge and awareness about mental health issues and to decrease the stigma associated with these disorders of the brain. This is a great example strategic plan because their goal fully aligns with their mission, and they have outlined clear steps to reach and unite their mission, vision and goals.
Mission Statement:
As the nationwide leader and champion for mental health, CMHA facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness.
Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation is a well known Canadian charity that focuses on education, awareness, prevention and treatment of a variety of related conditions. With heart disease being extremely prevalent in North America, this organization focuses a large part of their strategy on education and prevention through a variety of campaigns. Although 70,000 Canadians die each year from heart disease, we have seen a great improvement as death rates have declined as much as 75% in the last 60 years. This strategic plan outlines two important goals that they plan to reach by 2020:
- By 2020, significantly improve the health of Canadians by decreasing their risk factors for heart disease and stroke by 10 per cent.
- By 2020, reduce Canadians’ rate of death from heart disease and stroke by 25 per cent.
Mission Statement:
- Prevent disease
- Give children and youth the best start for a long, healthy life
- Empower Canadians to live healthy lives
- Save lives
- Enable faster, better cardiac emergency response and treatment
- Enable faster, better stroke response and treatment
- Promote recovery
- Enhance support for survivors, families and caregivers
We can help you align your team around a clear vision, mission, values, goals and action plans,
so you can lead your organization more effectively and get better results.
Community Living BC
Community Living BC is a non profit organization dedicated to helping adults with a wide range developmental disabilities. This plan focuses on three strategic priorities for the planning period that ends this year, in 2016: enhancing participation and citizenship, increasing sustainability, and promoting innovation and resilience. Rather than only helping those with disabilities, Community Living BC aims to enable them to become active members of their communities.
Mission Statement:
In partnership with our stakeholders, CLBC facilitates and manages a responsive and sustainable network of supports and services that assists adults with developmental disabilities to be full participants in their communities.
Genome BC is a multifaceted non-profit organization that focuses on large scale genomics research projects. Areas include: human health, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, energy, mining, and agri-food. Their 2015-2020 strategic plan began with an open consultation process to garner input from the community as well as the provincial government. Through these consultations, they were able to identify important themes, concerns, and priorities from communities and government. Although Genome BC's strategic plan is available online, they have a statement of propriety information requiring it to not be written about publicly, so we have not included specific information about this plan. However, you can access the plan through the above linked page.
Mission Statement:
Genome BC leads academia, government and industry to develop a world-class genome sciences region that will deliver social and economic benefits to British Columbia, Canada and beyond, through:
- Excellent projects and technology platforms,
- Innovative applications for the life sciences cluster,
- Strategic international collaborations, and
- Proactive leadership in exploring societal impacts of genome sciences.
CBC Radio Canada is a part of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and operated a variety of radio stations in Canada operating in English, French, and eight other languages. At one point, CBC radio was largely funded by government. Due to cuts in funding, they have had to implement an advertisement strategy to combat this loss in funds. In their 2015 five year strategic plan, they outlined their network programming strategy, regional programming strategy, and digital programming strategy. Following this, there are clear steps outlined with how to reach these goals. It's important to note that radio is one of the industries that sees rapid shifts in regards to fast changing technology, so a good strategy is of the utmost importance to an organization like CBC Radio.
Mission Statement:
For nearly 75 years, CBC/Radio-Canada has provided high-quality programming across the country. We address Canadians as citizens who want to be informed and challenged, as well as entertained. They want to be exposed to a broad range of subjects, opinions and ideas that reflect the diversity and complexity of Canadian society, and that add depth to its democratic life.
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) produces films and digital media in English and French. Headquartered in Montreal, it is an agency of the Government of Canada. As with any government organization, strategic planning is crucial for the success of NFB. Their current strategic plan spans from 2013-2018. As a publicly funded organization, their strategy is built around their mission, especially as they want Canadians to feel that they produce meaningful content from a Canadian perspective, as it's funded by Canadian citizens.
Mission Statement:
The National Film Board’s mission is to provide new perspectives on Canada and the world from Canadian points of view, perspectives that are not provided by anyone else and that serve Canadian and global audiences by an imaginative exploration of who we are and what we may be.
Provincial & Municipal Government
Province of British Columbia
This provincial wide strategic plan focuses on a variety of priority areas, such as economy, job creation and investment, natural resource sectors, and knowledge based sectors. A key main goal of this plan is to create a strong, environmentally sustainable economy.
Mission Statement:
To focus on the customer by transforming the way we deliver services in employment and assistance, using effective and outcome based practices, and working in collaboration with ministries, other levels of government and service agencies.
Vancouver BC's Greenest City Plan
As its paramount strategy, Vancouver aims to become the greenest city in the world, while continuing to grow and offer abundant opportunities for residents. This plan covers economy, climate leadership, buildings, transportation, waste management, access to nature, clean water and air, and more.
Mission Statement:
The City’s mission is to create a great city of communities that cares about our people, our environment and our opportunities to live, work and prosper.
Need help with your strategic planning process? A facilitator can help:
USA Strategic Plans
Washington State Department of Health
This three year state strategic plan is designed to help residents maintain good health and prevent disease and illness. Their three pillars of focus are to: protect from communicable disease and other health threats, prevent illness and injury and promote ongoing wellness, and improve access to quality, affordable, integrated health care.
Mission Statement:
The Department of Health works to protect and improve the health of people in the state of Washington.
Washington State University
This university's strategic plan, running from 2014 to 2019, has two main emphases: one focuses on student experience, while the other focuses on university research. This plan builds on their previous one and addresses both short and long term goals for the institution.
Mission Statement:
Washington State University is a public research university committed to its land-grant heritage and tradition of service to society. Our mission is threefold:
- To advance knowledge through creative research, innovation, and creativity across a wide range of academic disciplines.
- To extend knowledge through innovative educational programs in which students and emerging scholars are mentored to realize their highest potential and assume roles of leadership, responsibility, and service to society.
- To apply knowledge through local and global engagement that will improve quality of life and enhance the economy of the state, nation, and world.
California State University - San Bernardino
The California State University's strategic plan runs from 2015-2020. The university focused in on their core values to identify their five main focuses and goals. After completing their strategy, they moved forward and created an implementation plan that will serve as a guide until 2020.
Mission Statement:
CSUSB ensures student learning and success, conducts research, scholarly and creative activities, and is actively engaged in the vitality of our region. We cultivate the professional, ethical, and intellectual development of our students, faculty and staff so they thrive and contribute to a globally connected society.
Global Strategic Plans
Hunger Project Sweden (English Version)
This Swedish non-profit organization aims to end world wide famine, malnutrition and poverty. Their strategic plan runs until 2018 and highlights their 10 principles: human dignity, gender equality, empowerment, leverage, interconnectedness, sustainability, social transformation, holistic approach, decentralization, and transformative leadership. This strategy aligns with the UN's goal of ending world hunger by 2030, and outlines three strategic priorities that they will follow through with during the span of the plan, with clear and measurable implementation steps.
Mission Statement:
To end hunger and poverty by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centered strategies and advocating for their widespread adoption in countries throughout the world.
Reykjavik Municipality (English Version)
This long term municipal plan and strategy runs until 2030, and covers areas such as: city planning, creativity, sustainability, environmentalism, diversity, neighbourhood planning, and more. This 64 page, in depth plan, goes in to great detail on how each item will be implemented and monitored throughout the 20 year process.
Mission Statement:
No mission statement available in English.
Australian Council for the Arts
The Australian Council for the Arts is a part of the Australian government and is responsible for funding and promoting a variety of arts projects in Australia, including film, dance, theatre, literature, aboriginal stories, performance art, and visual arts both locally and for audiences overseas. Their current strategic plan will expand these categories and grant funding also to those who have an art form that may not necessarily be categorized, especially in regard to aboriginal heritage and culture.
Mission Statement:
Our culture is unique. It is a culture that is deeply shaped by more than 70,000 years of continued, unbroken Indigenous storytelling. It reflects Australia’s two centuries of settlement from around the world.
