Strategic Planning
Most organizations know when they need help with Strategic Planning. They turn to SYMMETRICS when facing these types of issues:
• We need a clear strategic plan that everyone buys into
• To be a success, we're going to need a practical planning process that works for us
• If we don't get this team focused in the right direction, we'll never get anywhere
Our particular strength lies in integrating discipline into a real world, practical approach to planning. The five-step © Symmetrics Planning Process is a fundamental discipline that we bring to each and every assignment. Our practical knowledge stems from 25 years of client-side and consulting experience with corporate and non-profit leaders.
Facilitation
Facilitating strategy development through group decision-making is an art that requires many skills, but above all requires a firm understanding of what the strategic output should look like.
SYMMETRICS believes it should look like your strategic plan on a few pages.
After each workshop, participants are asked to evaluate the session. Deborah's rating as a facilitator averages 9.5 out of 10, reflecting the value clients see in her efforts.
For examples of Strategic Planning assignments, click on your interest area below:
A break-out plan was what this pharmaceutical Global Marketing Team needed as they addressed the opportunity for new therapeutic applications for a core brand. Over 30 individuals from Marketing, Medical and Regulatory worldwide needed to be involved in prioritizing the development plan for several potential new market segments. Time was of the essence. Deborah Pankhurst designed the decision-making process and led the group in preparing a concise information package, identifying risk factors, and arriving at a consensus in a 2-day group meeting about priority markets. A summary of key decisions along with the verbatim output was in the client's hands within 72 hours of the meeting, in time to develop a recommendation that was embraced by the Board. This plan has driven growth for the brand for the past three years, adding an estimated $500M to the brand's worldwide sales.
When a mid-sized U.S. based pharmaceutical firm was nearing approval for their first new product launch in several years, they knew they needed to get the launch plan right. Deborah developed a planning process that established a Brand Team and engaged all members in developing the Situation Assessment, creating the Launch Plan including the Brand Positioning, and preparing a detailed activity timeline to launch. A follow-up session with the scientific team ensured that the 'scientific story' for this novel entity was well articulated. Coaching sessions with key managers rounded out Deborah's role. This process has now formed the foundation for the organization's subsequent new product launches and has dramatically improved the effectiveness and efficiency of the management team.
Advisory boards are a tool that many healthcare organizations find helpful when developing scientific or marketing programs, or for the design of therapeutic guidelines. Deborah has helped to plan sessions, design agendas, facilitate discussions, and consolidate learning for numerous ad boards on a wide variety of topics. She has been commended by professionals for her willingness to 'dig deep' to get to the heart of issues while maintaining a positive and engaging atmosphere.
“Thanks for a great workshop – I had a lot of pharmacists personally give me positive comments about your workshop.” Barbara Reynolds, Astellas Pharma
When a government agency undertook an initiative to assist Canada's kidney transplant community in developing a registry for difficult-to-match kidney transplant patients, they needed an experienced individual who could work with world-leading specialists to get concrete results in a short time frame. Deborah assisted the team of agency and transplant experts in developing an agenda for a major 3-day task force meeting, guiding the preparation of background information, moderating international speakers, and facilitating the design of a Canadian registry with the full consensus of participants. After preparing a detailed report, she then helped to obtain and consolidate feedback from additional stakeholders across the country. The proposed registry has the potential to significantly reduce wait times and save lives of kidney transplant patients who in the past have had limited chance of being successfully transplanted.
Deborah's experience as a Board member leading the strategic planning process for an independent school was invaluable when she assisted a large school targeted to students aged 18 months to 18 years with setting their strategic direction. Working closely with the Head and his senior team, she guided the group in the development of a Situation Analysis that gave a fresh perspective to the challenges facing the organization. Then through a series of workshops involving staff, faculty and Board members she helped the team articulate a vision, clear objectives, a brand positioning and top priorities for operational planning. Having clear alignment between the Board and the management team has re-invigorated the school in its quest for excellence and expansion.
Planning in a mature market with a complex portfolio of brands poses its own set of challenges. How to rationalize the product offering? How to allocate resources? How to identify and fill market gaps? How to obtain synergies? A leading gaming corporation turned to Deborah Pankhurst to help answer these questions for their $2B brand portfolio. She developed a detailed portfolio planning model including life stage assessment, spending and new product timing guidelines, viability assessment and resource optimization. The model is now an indispensable part of decision-making by the Marketing team, both as part of Annual Business Planning and in assessing opportunities.
How to revitalize a restaurant chain that most Canadians have grown up with? Almost 20 individuals from Marketing, Operations, Training, IT, Real Estate and Finance along with major franchisees needed to be involved in developing a new vision and key strategies for this well-established Canadian business. Deborah Pankhurst guided the team in the development of a focused Situation Assessment and designed the decision-making process which she facilitated at a corporate retreat. A summary of key decisions in a plan format was delivered to management within 72 hours of the meeting, and was then followed by meetings with the President to help develop linkages that would ensure the plan was operationalized.
When making an acquisition, this venture capital firm has a short window of time to conduct due diligence. Undertaking a joint strategic planning exercise is a critical part of assessing both the opportunity and the fit of the acquisition. Deborah's experience allows her to step in on relatively short notice and lead joint teams in a highly focused corporate planning activity that clearly identifies the potential of the two firms working together, as well as risks and sensitivities. Further, the facilitated sessions provide an opportunity for both parties to experience first hand how the other 'thinks' and makes decisions. Bringing a practical approach to planning across a range of business situations has made Deborah a highly valued part of this firm's acquisition teams.
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