A strategy session is where the leaders of an organisation step back from the day job and agree where they are going and what they will stop doing. A facilitator keeps it honest: they test assumptions, stop the session from becoming a long report-back, and push the group to choose. Strategic planning facilitators run management off-sites, board strategy days, bosberaads and lekgotlas, and annual performance planning for government. Give us the organisation, the group and the timing, and independent facilitators in your area quote you directly.
What a strategy session covers
Most sessions follow a familiar arc: where are we now, where do we want to be, and how do we get there. That usually means reviewing results and the environment, a SWOT or similar analysis, agreeing a small number of strategic priorities, then turning each into actions with owners, dates and measures. The facilitator's job is to keep the list short. Ten priorities are a wish list; three to five can be resourced.
Bosberaad, lekgotla and the off-site
Strategy works better away from the office, which is why so many teams go to a lodge, a guest farm or a country hotel for one or two days. A residential off-site adds an evening for informal conversation, often where the real issues come out. Choose a venue with a quiet plenary room, a breakaway room or two, wall space for flip charts and reliable backup power. Keep the group to the people who make the decisions, often 8 to 25.
Strategic planning for government and SOEs
National and provincial departments, municipalities and public entities run strategic planning sessions to prepare the Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan (APP). These sessions usually fall between October and January, ahead of the April to March financial year, so facilitators who know the planning frameworks book up early. Ask for someone who can link outputs, indicators and targets to the plan's structure, and who can work with large groups and several directorates. A graphic recorder can help a big lekgotla see its own conclusions.
Preparing for the day
The best sessions start weeks before. The facilitator usually interviews the CEO or chair and a few team members, reads the current plan and results, and sends a pre-reading pack. Agree up front who decides when the group is split. Afterwards, ask for a written strategy report and a follow-up session three or six months later to check progress, because most plans fail in the implementation, not the off-site.
Watch for the common traps. A session that spends the morning on long presentations leaves no time to decide, so ask the facilitator to keep report-backs short and send detail as pre-reading. A plan with no budget behind it stays on paper, so bring the finance lead into the room. And if the group keeps circling one difficult issue, a good facilitator will name it, give it a fixed slot on the agenda and help the team either settle it or agree how and when it will be settled.
What to include in your brief
- Who will attend and how many
- New strategy, refresh or APP planning
- One or two days, residential or not
- Preferred area or venue
- The report and follow-up you want
Strategic Planning Facilitators for business, government and communities
- Companies and head offices: executive off-sites, business unit strategy days and planning before the financial year end
- Government departments and municipalities: Strategic Plan and APP sessions, municipal planning lekgotlas and entity board strategy days
- Schools, colleges and universities: university and college strategy sessions, and school development planning with governing bodies
- NPOs, churches and community groups: NPO board strategy days and three-year plans prepared for funders
- Small and family businesses: an owner and key staff setting priorities for the year, often for the first time
- Mines, plants, factories and farms: mine, plant and agribusiness leadership sessions on growth, costs and safety
- Event organisers and associations: association and professional body strategy days for councils and committees
- Training and skills development providers: training provider planning sessions on programmes, accreditation and growth
Frequently asked questions
How long should a strategy session be?
Should the CEO run the strategy session?
What will we receive after the session?
Do you provide the facilitators yourselves?
Strategic Planning Facilitators by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg