From blueprint to buzz: Communicating and celebrating your strategic plan

A strategic plan is your organization’s roadmap to the future – a powerful vision for growth, innovation, and impact. But too often, these meticulously crafted documents end up gathering dust. The secret to a truly impactful strategy lies not just in its creation, but in actively communicating and enthusiastically celebrating its journey. Successful implementation hinges on stakeholders’ understanding of their role and feeling invested in the outcomes. Early efforts to build awareness and momentum lead to sustained enthusiasm and connection to the organization’s work. 

So, how do you do this?  

Communicate: Make your strategy a living conversation

Move beyond static PDFs and one-off emails. To truly embed your strategic plan, it needs to become part of the organization’s regular, ongoing dialogue. 

• Simplify and personalize: Break down complex goals into easily digestible, jargon-free messages. Create one-page frameworks, summary brochures, or even engaging videos to explain “What’s in it for you?” and “How does my role contribute?” This fosters ownership. 
• Go multi-channel and be consistent: Leverage every communication channel. This includes dedicated strategic planning web pages (on both public and intranet sites), internal newsletters, social media, and email blasts. Use visual tools like posters, banners, and digital message boards to reinforce key messages, linking daily activities back to strategic pillars. Consistent updates on progress, challenges, and successes keep the plan top-of-mind. 
• Encourage two-way dialogue: Create forums – from town halls to online feedback sections – where questions, feedback, and ideas are welcomed. When employees feel heard and involved, they become advocates for strategy. 

Strategic Plan Communication in Action: Spotlight on PWD 

The website developed to host the Philadelphia Water Department’s strategic plan allows the utility to share: 

• The strategic plan and framework 
• Progress and implementation updates (which users can read on the site or sign up to receive in their inboxes) 
• A timeline of activities associated with the strategic plan 
• Answers to frequently asked questions 

The website also has a feedback form where employees and other stakeholders can ask questions and provide ideas for implementation.  The site is regularly updated, referred to in organizational communications, and is a ‘one-stop shop’ for all strategic plan-related information. 

Celebrate: Fueling momentum and morale

Strategy implementation is a marathon. Recognizing milestones and achievements along the way is crucial for maintaining momentum and boosting morale. 

• Kick off with enthusiasm: Launch your strategic plan with dedicated events, big or small, to generate excitement and clearly signal its importance. Use event marketing to ensure strong participation. 
• Track and recognize progress: Don’t wait until the grand finale. Identify key checkpoints and celebrate their completion. Utilize customized implementation progress reports and performance dashboards to visibly track and display achievements. 
• Highlight contributions: Publicly acknowledge the hard work of the individuals and teams driving the strategy. Link these successes directly back to the strategic goals to illustrate how contributions are making the vision a reality. 

By transforming your strategic plan from a static document into an ongoing conversation and a cause for celebration, you’ll not only achieve your goals but also build a more engaged, motivated, and successful organization. 

Strategic Plan Engagement in Action: Spotlight on Richmond DPU 

Twice each year, Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) hosts all-hands meetings, which generally include 400-500 employees. In 2024, the Fall All-Hands focused on sharing DPU’s new strategic plan with the organization – employees rotated between stations where they heard what was happening in each focus area from their peers, had the opportunity to ask questions, and share what they were most excited about. 

Now, one year later, DPU is hosting a similar event – but instead of rolling out a new plan, the focus is on celebrating the progress that the utility has made on key strategic initiatives, including: 

• Implementation of CivicReady, which shares long- and short-term project information with residents when it is likely to impact them 
• Project Synergy, which is a large-scale update to the utility’s customer information system (CIS) 
• Key affordability and billing accuracy enhancements 
• Updates and accomplishments related to DPU’s lead-free water program 

Employees also learned about how the work that they’re doing supports the City’s recently completed strategic plan. 

Turning a strategic blueprint into measurable action requires more than robust planning; it demands a vibrant, sustained communication and engagement strategy. By proactively simplifying complex goals and leveraging consistent, multi-channel dialogue, organizations ensure the strategy is not only understood but truly internalized by every team member. Recognizing implementation checkpoints and enthusiastically celebrating employee successes transforms the execution phase into a shared success story, fueling ongoing momentum and bolstering organizational morale.  

For more information on strategic plan development and implementation, contact Catherine Carter at ccarter@raftelis.com.