Strategic Planning Facilitation
Your leadership team has the knowledge to set the right strategy. What they need is a structured process, a neutral facilitator, and the space to think clearly. FUSE designs and facilitates strategic planning sessions that produce real alignment, clear priorities, and an executable plan — not a binder that collects dust.
Who Strategic Planning Facilitation Is For
Strategic planning facilitation is for leadership teams, boards, and executive groups who need to make consequential decisions about direction, investment, and priorities. It is especially valuable when there are competing perspectives at the table, when the stakes are high, or when previous planning efforts have produced plans that were never implemented.
Our clients include energy companies navigating market transitions, technology firms scaling beyond their founding team, municipalities aligning departments around shared goals, and nonprofits balancing mission with operational sustainability. The common thread is that the decisions are too important to leave to an unstructured meeting.
If your team has tried strategic planning internally and ended up with a plan that nobody follows, or if your last offsite felt productive but led to no measurable change, facilitated strategic planning can break that cycle.
Our Approach to Strategic Planning
We do not arrive with a pre-built strategy. We arrive with proven frameworks and the facilitation skill to help your team build their own. Every engagement begins with discovery: we interview key stakeholders, review existing plans and performance data, and identify the real tensions — not just the ones on the agenda.
In the session itself, we guide your team through a structured process that surfaces the decisions that matter most. Depending on your context, we draw from several frameworks:
Playing to Win
Developed by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin, this framework organises strategy around five cascading choices: winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, capabilities required, and management systems. It forces clarity on the specific choices that define your strategy rather than allowing vague aspirational statements.
Start With Why
Simon Sinek's framework helps leadership teams articulate the purpose that drives their organisation. We use this when teams are struggling with alignment because they have not clearly defined why they exist beyond revenue generation. It is particularly effective for organisations undergoing transformation or mergers.
OKR (Objectives and Key Results)
For teams that have a clear strategy but struggle with execution, we facilitate OKR workshops that translate strategic intent into measurable quarterly objectives. This bridges the gap between the annual planning cycle and the daily work that needs to happen.
Vertical Development and Systems Thinking
For complex adaptive challenges — the kind where the problem itself is unclear — we draw on Vertical Development (VeDA) and ORSC (Organisation and Relationship Systems Coaching) to help leaders develop the capacity to hold multiple perspectives and work with ambiguity rather than against it.
What to Expect in a Facilitated Strategic Planning Session
A typical engagement involves three phases: pre-session preparation, the facilitated session itself, and post-session follow-through.
During preparation (one to two weeks before the session), we conduct stakeholder interviews, review existing strategic documents, and design the session agenda collaboratively with you. This ensures the session addresses the right questions and that participants arrive prepared.
The session itself typically runs one to three days depending on the scope. We facilitate in person at your offices, at a retreat venue, or in a hybrid format. Throughout the session, we manage group dynamics, ensure every voice is heard, challenge assumptions constructively, and keep the conversation focused on decisions rather than discussion.
After the session, we deliver a summary document capturing all decisions, action items, and owners. We can also facilitate quarterly check-ins to ensure the plan stays alive and adapts to new information.
Results from Our Strategic Planning Facilitation
We have facilitated strategic planning sessions for organisations across Canada, from Fortune 500 companies to growing mid-market firms. Our work with Suncor's Mining Solutions Division produced a shovel performance workshop that aligned cross-functional teams around operational improvements. Our facilitation for Pembina Pipeline helped leadership teams navigate complex stakeholder dynamics during a period of significant organisational change.
A financial services firm engaged FUSE to facilitate a company-wide vision alignment retreat. Over two days, 120+ participants across four business lines developed a shared strategic framework that replaced three competing visions with one coherent direction.
An environmental services provider brought FUSE in to facilitate cross-business-line collaboration workshops. The sessions broke down silos that had persisted for years and resulted in two new joint service offerings launched within six months.
Your Strategic Planning Facilitation Team
Erkan Kadir (PCC, LMC, ORSCC, CEC, CTC) brings over 17 years of facilitation experience with Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and high-growth organisations. He specialises in guiding leadership teams through high-stakes decisions and cross-functional alignment.
Brock Argue (PCC, LMC, ORSC, CEC, CTC) has over 20 years of experience in Agile transformations, leadership development, and large-scale facilitation. His background spans strategy sessions for energy companies, technology firms, and public sector organisations.
Mishkin Berteig (CST, LCP) is one of approximately 250 Certified Scrum Trainers worldwide. With over 30 years of experience, he brings deep expertise in Agile strategic planning, organisational design, and innovation facilitation.
Where We Facilitate Strategic Planning Sessions
We are headquartered in Calgary and facilitate across Canada. Popular venues for offsite strategic planning sessions include The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore, Banff Park Lodge, Hockley Valley Resort in Ontario, and the Sea to Sky corridor venues near Vancouver. We also facilitate at your offices or in hybrid formats combining in-person and virtual participants.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a strategic planning facilitation session take?
Most sessions run one to three days depending on the scope and number of participants. A focused session with 8-12 executives can accomplish significant work in a single day. Larger groups or more complex challenges benefit from two to three days, often at an offsite venue.
How much does a strategic planning facilitator cost in Canada?
Facilitation fees vary based on scope, preparation required, and session length. A typical engagement including stakeholder interviews, session design, facilitation, and a summary deliverable ranges from $5,000 to $20,000. Contact us for a custom quote based on your specific needs.
What is the difference between a strategic planning facilitator and a consultant?
A consultant analyses your situation and recommends a strategy. A facilitator helps your team develop the strategy themselves. The advantage of facilitation is that your team owns the result, understands the reasoning behind every decision, and is far more likely to execute. We bring frameworks and process expertise, not pre-packaged answers.
Do you facilitate virtual strategic planning sessions?
Yes. We have facilitated over 200 virtual and hybrid sessions using tools like Miro, MURAL, and Zoom. Virtual sessions work best with shorter blocks (3-4 hours) spread across multiple days rather than a single marathon day.
How do we prepare for a strategic planning session?
We handle the preparation. Before the session, we conduct stakeholder interviews, review your existing strategic documents, and work with you to design the agenda. Participants receive a brief pre-read so they arrive ready to engage rather than spending session time on background.
What if our team has conflicting views on strategy?
That is exactly when facilitation adds the most value. A skilled facilitator creates a structured process for surfacing disagreements, exploring them productively, and reaching decisions the team can commit to — even when not everyone agrees on every point.
Ready to Plan Your Strategy Session?
Book a no-cost discovery call and we will discuss your strategic planning needs, recommend an approach, and provide a custom proposal.
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