Council Strategic Planning Program
Building a Strategic Plan You Can Actually Deliver
Too many strategic plans are attractive documents full of goals that were never realistically achievable. We believe a strategic plan should be your municipality's roadmap, not a document that sits on a shelf.
Honest Conversations, Practical Outcomes
We help Council determine what's actually possible, balancing ambitious ideas against financial capacity, staffing, legislation and existing commitments. A realistic plan that gets done beats an ambitious plan that never leaves the page.
Strategy Must Match Capacity
In most municipalities, 80–90% of staff time is already committed to day-to-day service delivery, leaving limited capacity for new initiatives. As former CAOs, we've lived that balancing act, and we bring that reality directly into the planning conversation.
Built Together with Council and Staff
We recommend the Senior Leadership Team participate throughout, bringing operational insight into capacity, budget and risk, so the resulting plan is ambitious and realistic.
A Collaborative Workshop
Fully tailored to your municipality, no generic templates. Together we:
- Understand Council's vision and priorities
- Explore opportunities and community challenges
- Evaluate organizational strengths and capacity
- Establish realistic strategic priorities
- Align initiatives with available resources
- Develop measurable objectives
- Create practical implementation strategies
The Ferrero Forward Reality Check
An honest, structured assessment of whether the proposed plan can actually be delivered in Council's term:
- Do we have enough organizational capacity?
- Are the financial resources available?
- Do staffing levels support these initiatives?
- What projects are already underway?
- What can realistically be completed within four years?
Sometimes the answer is fewer priorities. Sometimes it's more investment. Sometimes it's a longer timeline. One completed strategic initiative creates more value than five unfinished ones.
Strategy That Lives Beyond the Workshop
An optional technology platform turns your strategic plan into a living accountability tool, real-time dashboards, milestone tracking, project ownership and progress reporting throughout the term, not just once or twice a year.
Keeping the Plan Relevant
We recommend an annual Strategic Planning Review (or, at minimum, a comprehensive review in year two) to confirm direction, celebrate progress and adjust priorities as circumstances change.
Why Ferrero Forward?
We've implemented strategic plans, not just written them. We ask the hard questions, balance ambition with organizational reality, and help you build the right plan, not the longest one.
Success isn't measured by how many projects appear in a strategic plan. It's measured by how many get done.
Start a conversation
Tell us what your organization is facing.
Every engagement begins with a no-cost conversation to understand your objectives and whether we are the right fit. If we are not, we will tell you, and point you toward someone who is.