CF Strategic Planning Facilitation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A facilitator notices that the strategic plan being developed lacks measurable success indicators. Which tool should be introduced?
- Force field analysis
- SMART criteria framework (Correct answer)
- Affinity diagramming
- RACI matrix
Correct answer: SMART criteria framework
SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) criteria ensure that goals and objectives can be tracked and evaluated.
Question 2: When a strategic planning group disagrees on the organization's core values, the facilitator's role is to:
- Propose a set of values based on industry standards
- Facilitate a dialogue that surfaces authentic, shared values from the group (Correct answer)
- Remove values from the agenda to avoid conflict
- Ask leadership to determine values offline and report back
Correct answer: Facilitate a dialogue that surfaces authentic, shared values from the group
Authentic values must emerge from the group's own exploration; imposing them externally undermines organizational buy-in.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'backcasting' as used in strategic planning facilitation?
- Reviewing past performance data to identify trends
- Envisioning a desired future state and working backward to identify required steps (Correct answer)
- Broadcasting the strategic plan across the organization
- Casting a wide net to collect diverse stakeholder opinions
Correct answer: Envisioning a desired future state and working backward to identify required steps
Backcasting starts with a vivid vision of the future and identifies the milestones and actions needed to reach it from the present.
Question 4: A strategic planning group keeps revisiting previously decided issues. The BEST facilitator intervention is to:
- Reopen the discussion to build better consensus
- Remind the group of agreed decision-making ground rules and decisions made (Correct answer)
- Allow the revisiting since it signals important unresolved concerns
- Adjourn the session and reschedule
Correct answer: Remind the group of agreed decision-making ground rules and decisions made
Referring back to agreed ground rules and captured decisions protects the group's time and validates earlier work.
Question 5: In strategic planning, what does the term 'strategic fit' refer to?
- The physical layout of the planning venue
- The alignment between an organization's internal capabilities and its external opportunities (Correct answer)
- The degree to which all staff agree with the strategic plan
- The match between facilitator competencies and client needs
Correct answer: The alignment between an organization's internal capabilities and its external opportunities
Strategic fit describes how well an organization's strengths and resources match the demands and opportunities in its external environment.
Question 6: When using scenario planning in a strategic facilitation, the facilitator's primary task is to:
- Predict which scenario is most likely to occur
- Help the group develop plausible future narratives and identify robust strategies for each (Correct answer)
- Select one scenario and build the plan around it
- Use historical data to eliminate unlikely scenarios
Correct answer: Help the group develop plausible future narratives and identify robust strategies for each
Scenario planning builds resilience by preparing the organization to respond to multiple plausible futures, not just the most probable one.
Question 7: A facilitator should close a strategic planning session by ensuring participants leave with:
- A complete, finalized strategic document ready for publication
- Clarity on next steps, owners, and timelines for follow-through (Correct answer)
- A consensus that no further input is needed from stakeholders
- A presentation ready for the board with no further edits
Correct answer: Clarity on next steps, owners, and timelines for follow-through
Clear ownership and timelines convert strategic intentions into accountable action, preventing planning from stalling after the session.
CF Strategic Planning Facilitation 3
A facilitator notices that the strategic plan being developed lacks measurable success indicators.
Which tool should be introduced?