Advancing Statewide Spatial Data 

Infrastructures in Support of the National 

Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) 

Strategic Planning Process Map 

For use by all Stakeholders in the Geospatial Community 

Produced for the Federal Geographic Data Committee 

(FGDC) to Support the Cooperative Agreements Program 

(CAP), Category 3: Fifty States Initiative 

Revised: May 2009 
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Advancing Statewide Spatial Data Infrastructures in Support 

of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) 

Strategic Planning Process Map 

 For use by all Stakeholders in the Geospatial Community 

This document replaces the “Strategic Plan Process Map” (March 2006) that was 

produced by the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) under 

contract (05HQCN0034) to the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). This 

replacement version was produced under a contract: issued by the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS), FGDC Secretariat 

Contract Number: 08HQCN0024 

Prime Contractor: 

Subcontractors: 
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Foreword 

Strategic planning is a critical process for articulating a shared vision, and for building 

the partnerships that are necessary for disparate organizations to work together on 

common goals. The key is to identify the business needs for geospatial data and 

services that are shared by many stakeholder groups. For instance, it is easy to 

envision that statewide orthoimagery acquired on a routine basis would be useful to 

almost all stakeholders in the geospatial community, as might be a widely accessible 

geocoding service. Effective planning is essential for moving collaborative programs 

forward and for gaining the required support for investments in your statewide spatial 

data infrastructure (SSDI). 

This project is part of the Fifty States initiative from the Federal Geographic Data 

Committee (FGDC), in close cooperation with the National States Geographic 

Information Council (NSGIC) and other stakeholders in the geospatial community. A 

core component of this Initiative is establishing more formal statewide geospatial 

coordination councils that will help to govern and complete the National Spatial Data 

Infrastructure (NSDI) by enabling all stakeholders. The principal goals of this project are 

to: 

• Encourage implementation of statewide spatial data infrastructures through 

effective strategic and business planning efforts 

• Provide guidance on planning activities 

• Encourage the formation of partnerships and alliances that will improve planning 

process 

• Provide a uniform national framework for strategic and business plans, for 

comparative analysis to reveal national trends 

Several documents have been created to support the geospatial community in these 

planning efforts, and can be found on both the NSGIC and FGDC websites, including: 

• Strategic Plan Guidelines that provides a structure for “mapping” a clear path 

from present conditions to a vision for the future into a plan document. 

• Strategic Planning Process Map that divides the process of creating the 

strategic plan into five simple steps or phases that are each characterized by 

certain activities, tasks, and accomplishments. 

• Business Plan Guidelines that provides a detailed description of how goals and 

objectives will be achieved, along with the necessary justification for action. 

The Strategic and Business Plan Guidelines each include major section headings with 

key information and a series of questions that should be considered. Your planning 

team will determine which questions are applicable for their activities and use the 

answers to these questions to help draft an effective plan. This approach was 

developed, because “one size does not fit all” for these plans. However, the 

organizational structure of the main sections can and should be consistent with the 

Guidelines, even though the specific content of each section will vary for a variety of 

reasons, reflecting the differences in the organizations undertaking the plans. 

For Fifty States Agreements, the main section topics of the Strategic Plan Guidelines are 

considered “mandatory.” This does not make everything within each section mandatory, 

but rather, requires that each of the main sections be addressed in an appropriate 
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manner. These “mandatory” sections should be planned for in the early stages of the 

strategic planning process. 

Using these Guidelines will help you navigate through the entire process of preparing 

high quality and effective strategic and business plans. By simply substituting terms 

such as “countywide” and “citywide” for “statewide,” the Guidelines should work well for 

most stakeholder groups. 

Over the past three years, the states using these Guidelines have discovered that the 

“process” of working with people to create these plans, including the partnerships that 

are formed, may be more valuable than the actual plans. Please make the process a 

valuable learning experience that leads to trust and new partnership opportunities. 
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Table of Contents 

Introduction ...........................................................................................................9

Phase 1 - Getting Started ...................................................................................11

Phase 2 - Preliminary Planning...........................................................................12

Logistics........................................................................................................................ 12 

Resource Planning ........................................................................................................ 12 

Approach....................................................................................................................... 12 

Schedule........................................................................................................................ 12 

Organization.................................................................................................................. 12 

Phase 3 - Strategizing.........................................................................................13

Scoping ......................................................................................................................... 13 

Goal Assessment........................................................................................................... 13 

Generating Support ....................................................................................................... 13 

Phase 4 - Authoring ............................................................................................14

Phase 5 – Monitoring and Marketing ..................................................................15
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Introduction 

By using the Fifty States Strategic Plan Guidelines any group of stakeholders in the 

geospatial community can develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan that will help them to 

implement their vision of a shared statewide spatial data infrastructure (SSDI). The 

Guidelines provide an organized approach and process for creating a Strategic Plan. 

The guidelines have a comprehensive list of subjects to be discussed, debated, and 

decided on by the group of stakeholders that is tasked with developing a Strategic Plan 

(i.e. your Planning Committee). During the strategic planning process, this Committee 

will meet and work together to plan your approach, strategize, and author the plan. 

Once a plan has been formally adopted by the Committee, its members will need to 

market the plan’s adoption and monitor progress on its implementation. 

For Fifty States Agreements, the “Strategic Plan Guidelines” include main section topics 

that are mandatory. This does not make everything within each section mandatory, but 

rather, requires that each of the main sections be addressed. Plan for the mandatory 

sections in the early stages of the strategic planning process, to make sure they are 

adequately covered. Refer to the “Strategic Plan Guidelines” for details on mandatory 

elements. 

This Strategic Planning Process Map (SPP Map) has been developed to help the 

Committee author a Strategic Plan. The SPP Map divides up the process of creating a 

strategic plan into five simple steps or phases. Each phase is characterized by certain 

activities, tasks, and accomplishments. Your Committee is encouraged to use the SPP 

Map to help get organized, focused, and productive. Its simple format will help you get 

the job done quickly and efficiently. 

As with the Strategic Plan Guidelines, the SPP Map offers a structure and approach that 

should be appropriately modified to suit the needs of your situation as you undertake the 

strategic planning task. 

Good Luck! 
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The Figure above shows the five phases of creating a strategic plan and 

managing the process. A feedback loop ensures that progress towards 

achieving plan goals is being monitored and that appropriate strategy 

adjustments are made to account for changing conditions. This diagram is 

intentionally meant to be a simplified view of the process. It is essential that you 

seek and incorporate management and stakeholder feedback during every phase 

of the planning process. Working through the planning process with all of the 

stakeholders can be a valuable bonding experience that leads to trust and 

improved cooperation. Try to create an environment that encourages mutual 

trust between the stakeholders.
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Phase 1 - Getting Started 

 Identify likely Planning Committee participants and determine their willingness to 

participate 

 Establish a Strategic Planning Committee that is able to effectively identify the issues, 

develop practical solutions, and create clear objectives 

 Define roles and responsibilities for completing the strategic planning process 

 Assign roles and responsibilities 

 Assign the role of Facilitator for the planning process 

 Nominate a Committee Chair 

 Specify the target audience for the Strategic Plan 

 Determine the plan approval process 

 Identify and engage the appropriate people who need to participate in the Strategic 

Plan development effort (e.g., Federal, state, tribal, regional and local government 

agencies, regional utility companies, private sector, academia, etc) 
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Phase 2 - Preliminary Planning

Logistics 

 Schedule a kick-off meeting 

 Determine future meeting frequency and dates of planning committee 

 Determine the venue(s) for meetings and if there is an appropriate budget for 

amenities such as food service 

 Establish Strategic Planning Committee tools for communication exchange 

 Define locations and dates for stakeholder informational gathering sessions 

 Resource Planning 

 Determine what resources are needed to complete the effort 

 Assess what resources are available and how any existing gaps can be bridged 

 Document and understand the impact of any relevant constraints to the planning 

process itself (time, money, people availability) 

Approach 

 Define the overall planning approach (e.g., are we going to complete the exercise 

internally, or use consultants?) 

 Define brainstorming approaches that will be used 

 Determine whether a survey mechanism will be used to gather input from 

stakeholders 

 Identify exemplary strategic plans completed by other organizations that can be 

used as reference material 

 For Fifty States Agreements, review “mandatory” sections of the Strategic Plan 

Guidelines 

Schedule 

 Identify any timing considerations, such as grant application deadlines, or other 

planning efforts (such as statewide IT plans) 

 Develop a schedule and establish milestone dates for completing the plan 

Organization 

 Establish a Strategic Planning Committee Charter 

 Establish sub-committees as necessary and ensure that subcommittee chairs 

understand what is expected of them 

 Identify factors that will ensure a successful planning process 
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Phase 3 - Strategizing 

Scoping 

 Review any existing Strategic Plan(s) 

 Review Primary Strategic Goals 

 Review other intra-organizational mandates and mission statements that impact 

the current activity 

 Identify political initiatives that the Strategic Goals can support 

 Indentify roadblocks or political barriers that may inhibit the Strategic Goals 

 Review other documents and materials that are relevant to this effort 

 Understand the breadth and scope of the Strategic Plan 

 Determine period covered by the new Strategic Plan 

 Review Strategic Plan Guidelines Questions and tailor as appropriate (Facilitator) 

Goal Assessment 

 Develop templates for capturing information in a structured manner, for example, 

develop a form for the Planning Committee to list strengths and weaknesses 

 Identify preliminary programmatic sub-goals 

 Itemize, prioritize, refine, and validate programmatic sub-goals 

 Validate objectives with stakeholders, management, and executives 

 Identify programmatic goals with a ‘quick win’ potential and use them to show 

early progress 

 Develop strategies for realizing each programmatic sub-goal 

 Identify any roadblocks or barriers and tactics for overcoming them 

 Analyze Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) 

 Iterate with stakeholders to establish consensus view 

Generating Support 

 Enlist political champion(s) 

 Identify and generate consensus among involved stakeholders and executives to 

become advocates for the plan objectives 

 Develop a marketing strategy to promote the plan’s objectives 
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Phase 4 - Authoring 

 Develop content aimed at the target readership in terms of style and presentation 

 Draft a preliminary plan 

 Identify external reviewers 

 Solicit feedback from external reviewers 

 Parse and incorporate feedback as appropriate 

 As necessary, complete further review iterations 

 Publish the Strategic Plan 
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Phase 5 – Monitoring and Marketing 

 Determine the level of progress monitoring required for this planning activity and how 

feedback will be incorporated into the process 

 Develop metrics to assess progress over time 

 Identify those responsible for overseeing the status review process 

 Determine the frequency of status review meetings 

 Review emerging Opportunities and Threats and apply course corrections as 

necessary 

 Identify and market to specific individuals whose support can further guarantee a 

successful planning outcome 

 Identify appropriate forums for the active and broad marketing of the strategic plan 

goals and objectives, (these could be conferences, user group meetings or other 

similar gatherings) 

 Determine how feedback from marketing efforts will be incorporated into the process