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Ursa Major's approach to strategic planning services is (1) tailored, (2) informed, (3) collaborative, (4) effective, and (5) focused.  We regularly team with International Leadership Consulting / Catoctin Consulting and provide an experienced team to facilitate consensus on goals, objectives, strategies, performance measures and targets, and reflect the business knowledge of the organization and its stakeholders that participate in the process.

  1. Tailored.  We understand the specific needs of the organization, and tailor the methodology to meet their needs.
    We have extensive experience with a number of frameworks, including brainstorming, creative problem solving, the Balanced Scorecard, performance-based budgeting and the logic model.
  2. Informed.  We analyze the current state of the organization compared with existing strategic and business plans, and the external environment, review perforamnce results, and interview key stakeholders to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis, and possible goal areas. We may do data mining or trend analysis of performance data or conduct gap analyses.
  3. Collaborative. We conduct design meeting(s) with the organization's planning team and plan group and stakeholder participation to develop buy-in through facilitated collaboration. We tap into existing experience of diverse stakeholders and obtain cross-organizational input.
  4. Effective.  We have an extensive set of field-tested tools and templates and may develop strawman plans to speed the process. We use non-threatening techniques and small group work to draw out those who may be reluctant to speak, honor everyone's participation, and focus the discussion. We use technology where appropriate.
  5. Focused. We design and facilitate meetings and workshops to achieve objectives. We document meeting results and support the organization in implementation, assessment, and performance management.
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One of Ursa Major's strengths is project management, which is important in every domain.  In addition to a great many years of project management experience, our consultants are also certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) as Project Management Professionals (PMPs).

Earning the PMP designation indicates that project managers understand the use of standardized methodologies for project management, including issues such as risk management, stakeholder analysis, resource management, and performance analysis.  Good project managers know how to deliver cost effective projects on time.

In theory, this means prioritizing and balancing cost, schedule, and scope. In practice, in addition to building a reasonably complete work breakdown structure, accurate estimate, and achievable schedule, it means listening and communicating as well as managing within a contract.  It also means tackling areas of perceived risk to reduce or eliminate them early in the process.

So rest assured, we'll keep you up to date on project progress and work with you to ensure success!

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Writing winning proposals is something that requires preparation as well as execution. We:

  • Assist clients in assessing opportunities
  • Research and assess potential competitors
  • Support development of win strategy and pricing strategy
  • Conduct background research
  • Learrn the client and domain
  • Extract knowledge from technical experts who prefer not to write proposals
  • Orchesterate the contributions of teammates
  • Write, edit, and develop graphics
  • Plan and run proposal review / color teams
  • Evaluate proposals for compliance
  • Produce and deliver an excellent proposal.

We understand Federal procurement processes. Our experience was gained from Shipley training and more than 30 years of experience working with businesses large and small, as well as winning work ourselves.