Strategic planning sessions
Turn ideas into direction and direction into action.
A well-facilitated strategic planning session gives teams clarity, focus and motivation to move forward together.
Create and Evaluate designs interactive, practical and energising planning workshops that help boards, committees and leadership teams define their goals and agree on clear next steps.
Whether you’re refreshing an existing plan or starting from scratch, we’ll guide you through a process that captures ideas, builds consensus, and translates vision into action.
Our approach to strategic planning is built on collaboration, participation and a focus on practical, agreed outcomes.
Each session is tailored to your organisation’s needs and the knowledge already in the room. Your session can include:
- Clarifying purpose, goals, and measurable outcomes.
- Exploring the broader context and identifying key priorities.
- Understanding strengths, opportunities and challenges.
- Turning discussion into a concise, actionable plan.
- Agreed next steps to maintain momentum.
We work with boards, executive teams, management committees and partnership teams across Queensland, delivering sessions in-person or online.
Our workshops use plain-English facilitation, visual tools and engaging processes to make planning productive and enjoyable for everyone involved.
Client Testimonials
“I highly recommend Renée for facilitation requirements, particularly strategic plan reviews. Renée’s approach and communication skills make her fantastic at getting people to become involved and contribute. The feedback from my Board members was that the way in which Renée undertook the task asked of her matched exactly what we were looking for. Thank you Renée.”
Wayne Crase, CEO at Everglow Community Care
“Thank you for facilitating a professional and productive Strategic Planning session for our local children’s charity Renée. We appreciate your advice, guidance and expertise to support our volunteer Board and senior management to develop our latest Strategic Plan. You are a pleasure to work with, your warmth, enthusiasm and expertise is truly appreciated.”
Denise Lumsden, CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities North Australia
“What we’ve covered today [in our strategic planning session with Renée] could not be done in a whole year of Board meetings. We now have a good skeleton to build the next year on.”
Pat Driscoll, CEO at Drive It NQ
Teams we’ve worked with to set strategic direction
Experience
Create and Evaluate has helped dozens of organisations transform broad ideas into practical, results-focused strategies.
Our planning sessions consistently lead to plans that are used, not shelved – driving measurable progress and shared ownership among teams.
Examples of our strategic planning in action:
Helping the DriveIt Board plan for the next stage of their $23M driver education and motorsport facility.
Creating a strategic plan with a team of 30 staff, delivery partners and a technical working group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers from our Principal Consultant Renée Madsen:
What is a strategic plan and how long does it take?
A strategic plan is a long‑term guide for where your organisation is heading. It includes your vision and mission, priority areas of focus, and your long‑ and short‑term goals.
Most plans are developed in a facilitated session of around 6–7 hours, with some preparation beforehand. The written plan is usually completed within a couple of weeks.
If you’d like more details, I’ve created a plain‑English guide to what a strategic plan is and why it’s useful.
Who from our organisation needs to be involved, and what is the time commitment?
This depends on your size and structure. Your workshop might include:
- The Board/Management Committee and CEO.
- The Board, CEO and senior leadership team.
- People who aren’t in formal leadership roles but know the organisation well, e.g. long-term staff, volunteers or trusted advisors.
- Your whole team, if you’re a small organisation.
The strategic planning session itself is usually 6–7 hours, followed by time to review the draft plan once it’s written up as a concise document.
We already have a strategic plan – can we just update it?
Yes. A refresh works best when it builds on your previous plan, but goes beyond simply updating the dates or carrying over previous goals.
I’ve created a 5-step guide to reviewing your strategic plan, or feel free to contact me to discuss the best approach for your organisation.
How do you make sure the strategic plan doesn't just sit on a shelf after it’s done?
Every strategic planning session I facilitate is focused on practical, realistic goals, including clear short-term actions to maintain momentum. I use a facilitation approach that encourages participation from everyone, which builds ownership and a shared desire to see the plan implemented. My role as facilitator is to ask the right questions to keep your team grounded and on track, while still enabling good ideas and strategic thinking.
Do you write up the plan, or just facilitate the session?
I can do both. Many organisations ask me to write up the plan so it’s completed promptly and doesn’t add to your team’s workload. Other organisations choose to have the strategic plan professionally designed by a graphic designer. I’m flexible and can work with the option that suits you best.
Have more questions? Visit our full FAQ page or contact Renée.
Plan with purpose.
Design a strategic planning session that delivers real results for your team.