ASBOG Strategic Plan

Background and History of Planning Process

This document provides a broad overview of the background and history behind the development of ASBOG’s Strategic Plan. This plan is the result of a years-long collaborative effort involving stakeholders across the ASBOG community. It is intended to serve as a living framework that will be regularly evaluated and refined in response to emerging opportunities, challenges, and stakeholder needs. This document recounts how the process evolved through time and showcases the stakeholder engagement throughout the process.

History of the ASBOG Strategic Planning Process

The current ASBOG strategic planning effort began in 2024 with a recognition that the organization was entering a period of significant change. Rather than focusing solely on new initiatives, ASBOG first sought to identify the characteristics that had made the organization successful throughout its history. The goal was to preserve those strengths while creating a framework that would allow ASBOG to adapt and grow in the future.

In July 2024, ASBOG convened a strategic planning workshop that brought together current leaders, former leaders, and other key stakeholders. This group—informally known as the "Detroit Dozen"—represented a broad cross-section of institutional knowledge and experience within the organization. Working with ThinkHaus (a professional marketing and strategy firm), the participants examined ASBOG's culture, history, and aspirations for the future. Rather than beginning with specific projects or objectives, the discussion centered on a fundamental question: What makes ASBOG successful, and what must be preserved as the organization evolves?

Several common themes emerged from these discussions. Participants consistently identified ASBOG's collaborative culture, strong volunteer network, commitment to professional integrity, dedication to public service, and highly engaged membership as defining characteristics of the organization. These discussions provided the foundation for the next phase of the planning process and established principles that would guide future strategic decisions.

Developing a shared vision for the organization proved to be both challenging and rewarding. The process required extensive discussion, refinement, and consensus-building among participants with diverse perspectives. Rather than seeking to optimize existing operations, the group embraced the philosophy that strategic planning should challenge assumptions and define where the organization wants to be in the future. This approach, influenced by the Playing to Win strategic framework, encouraged participants to think beyond incremental improvements and instead focus on ASBOG's long-term purpose and aspirations.

Following the workshop, ThinkHaus synthesized the discussions into several draft versions of ASBOG's Mission and Vision statements. Participants were encouraged to evaluate the overall intent of each statement rather than combine individual phrases or attempt to create a "perfect" document. Additional feedback was collected from participants, and further meetings between ThinkHaus and ASBOG leadership refined the language into the final Mission, Vision, and Values statements approved by the ASBOG Executive Committee in October, 2025 (see below).

With the Mission, Vision, and Values established, ASBOG shifted its attention from defining organizational identity to developing a structured strategic planning process. The organization adopted the Playing to Win framework as the foundation for future planning. This framework provides a logical progression from ASBOG's overarching aspiration to specific strategic priorities, organizational capabilities, and management systems needed to achieve long-term success. Rather than treating strategic planning as a one-time exercise, the framework establishes an ongoing process for setting priorities, measuring progress, and adapting to changing conditions.

As part of this transition, several recommendations were made to support long-term implementation. These included creating a part-time position dedicated to strategic planning leadership (Growth & Development Director), developing clear governance and accountability structures, and implementing management tools such as RACI charts to clarify organizational responsibilities. The planning process also identified several enduring strategic focus areas that would become the foundation for future planning efforts and subsequent action plans.

The strategic planning effort was intentionally designed as the beginning of an ongoing organizational process rather than the completion of a single project. While the Mission, Vision, and Values established a shared understanding of ASBOG's purpose and aspirations, the broader objective was to create a sustainable planning system capable of adapting to future leadership transitions, technological change, evolving professional needs, and the changing regulatory environment. The work initiated in 2024 established the foundation upon which ASBOG continues to build its strategic priorities and organizational initiatives today.

From Framework to Implementation (2025–2026)

With its Mission, Vision, and Values established, ASBOG shifted from defining its identity to determining how it would achieve its long-term aspirations. To guide this effort, the organization adopted the Playing to Win strategic framework developed by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin, providing a structured methodology for translating strategy into actionable initiatives.

Using this framework, ASBOG identified four strategic priority areas that collectively represent the organization's long-term strategy:

These strategic priorities became the organizing structure for the remainder of the planning process. Rather than creating isolated projects, each priority area was further divided into focus areas, objectives, goals, and implementation tasks. This cascading approach ensured that every initiative could be traced directly back to ASBOG's overarching mission and strategic intent. ASBOG volunteers are spearheading the initiatives in each of the four planning areas.

Implementation planning focused on developing measurable objectives, assigning responsibilities, establishing timelines, and identifying the organizational capabilities needed to support execution. New leadership roles, improved governance, communications planning, and management tools such as RACI charts were introduced to embed strategic planning into ASBOG's day-to-day operations rather than treating it as a periodic exercise.

An important characteristic of this phase was the recognition that strategic planning could not occur in isolation. Throughout 2025 and 2026, ASBOG actively sought input from member boards, affiliated societies, academic institutions, industry partners, and other stakeholders before finalizing major initiatives. Presentations describing the developing framework were used not simply to communicate progress but to solicit feedback that could improve the resulting plans. This collaborative approach reflected the same culture of engagement that had shaped the initial strategic planning workshop and reinforced the belief that successful implementation would require broad participation across the geology profession.

The resulting strategic plan extends well beyond examination administration. While maintaining excellence in licensure examinations remains a core responsibility, the planning process identified opportunities for ASBOG to expand its impact through enhanced relationships with universities, improved communication with member boards, stronger partnerships with professional societies, expanded educational resources, thought leadership on issues affecting professional licensure, and new products and services that support the geologic profession. Initiatives such as the Faculty Ambassador Program, university resource development, collaborative publications, expanded outreach activities, and new examination preparation resources illustrate how the organization intends to pursue these broader objectives while remaining firmly grounded in its mission of protecting the public through competent professional practice.

Building the Strategic Plan (2026)

With the strategic framework in place, ASBOG turned its attention to developing the strategic plan itself. The four strategic priorities served as the foundation for organizing the planning effort, with each priority divided into focus areas representing major aspects of the organization's work.

Planning teams developed and evaluated a large number of potential initiatives across all areas of the organization. These ideas were refined, consolidated, and organized into objectives that aligned directly with ASBOG's Mission, Vision, and strategic priorities. Objectives were then prioritized based on organizational impact, available resources, and logical sequencing to create a realistic multi-year implementation roadmap.

Each objective was further developed into an actionable work plan with defined responsibilities, timelines, and measures of success. Throughout the process, draft plans were reviewed by leadership and key stakeholders to ensure they reflected organizational priorities and could be successfully implemented.

The result is a living strategic plan that provides a structured process for guiding ASBOG's future decisions while remaining flexible enough to adapt to changing needs and opportunities. Rather than serving as a static document, the plan is intended to be reviewed regularly, updated as priorities evolve, and used as the primary framework for directing the organization's long-term growth and development.

Continuous Engagement and Improvement (2026 and beyond)

Today, ASBOG's strategic planning process is intended to be continuous rather than episodic. The Mission, Vision, and Values provide the organization's enduring foundation, while the strategic priorities, objectives, and implementation plans are expected to evolve as circumstances change. Regular review, stakeholder engagement, and performance monitoring ensure that the plan remains relevant and responsive to emerging opportunities and challenges. In this way, strategic planning has become an integral management process that guides organizational decision making while preserving the collaborative culture and commitment to public service that have defined ASBOG throughout its history.