Over the last several years I have advised hundreds of leaders on a wide range of management topics. Since many common themes emerged from these conversations, I documented some of my suggested approaches and frameworks. I compiled these into a single document, Managing With Clarity. The executive summary of the document is:

• Clarify the mission, then align strategy, operations, and finance to achieve it
• Mission
  • Ensure that the mission is right:  clear, compelling, distinctive, and worthwhile
• Strategy
  • Create a three-year strategic plan
  • Create a one-year operational plan (towards achieving the three-year plan)
  • Consider a plans / hopes / dreams framework where appropriate
  • Be strategic and opportunistic, and monitor the external environment carefully
• Operations
  • Clarify decision-making roles
  • Decide who does what, when, and how
  • Focus on business process design – what do we need to do well repeatedly?
  • Make trade-offs effectively, prioritize when necessary – no magical thinking!
  • Respect the trade-offs among scope, schedule, and resources
  • Conduct ongoing reviews using a management dashboard (usually quarterly)
  • Update the one-year operational plans annually
• Finance
  • Assess current cash balance and determine whether there is a cash crunch
  • Create a monthly cash flow forecast 
  • Create an annual budget (align with the one-year operational plan)
  • Analyze costs and revenues (funding sources) by program
  • Use an appropriate financial architecture to enable safe growth and innovation
  • Create operational financial statements to accompany standard reports
  • Create a long-term finance narrative (align with the three-year strategic plan)
• Measurement of impact
  • Choose carefully whether, why, and how to measure impact
  • For the leadership team:  determine whether the product / service actually works
  • For prospective funders and clients:  demonstrate impact to gain support
• Culture
  • Cultivate culture and organizational values strategically and intentionally
  • Create and implement values that work for you
  • Leverage collective intelligence
• Board – Executive relationships
  • Navigate these critical relationships effectively and productively
• Initial organization diagnostic and first steps
  • Assess what is “on fire,” address urgent needs, then determine how to proceed

While I often share the full file with my clients, a subset of topics have proven to be particularly common and valuable:

The four management questions

DCI Matrix (Decider, Consulted, Informed)

Definitions of “strategy” and “decision”

The four key questions for running a professional services organization

A financial architecture that enables innovation and growth while
preserving peace of mind

A framework for influence

Plans / Hopes / Dreams framework

I have also created many types of simple tools that have been helpful for my clients. While many of these are obviously custom, some have consistent functionality that could be used as a starting point for other organizations (or used as they are in some cases).

Cash flow forecasting tool – single scenario

Cash flow forecasting tool – multiple scenarios

Cash flow forecasting tool – example file

Costs and funding sources by program – template

Management dashboard – template

Management dashboard – example file

Note: individuals interested in implementing the management dashboard may want to read the section on this topic in Managing With Clarity starting on page 26.