The second step in Systematic Outcomes Analysis is developing strategy (the Strategy Building Block). In this step, you use the outcomes model you developed in the first step to decide on priorities and actions you and others will take. Depending on why you are doing Systematic Outcomes Analysis, you may not need to do this step at an early stage or at all (e.g. if you are just using it for monitoring and evaluation planning).
Step 2.1: Use your outcomes model for strategic planning
2.1.1 Your outcomes model can be used to develop a vision and mission statement if a separate written statement of this is needed. Once you have build an outcomes model, the highest level of the outcomes model can be used in place of your vision and mission statement. However, if for any reason you need to have a separate vision and mission statement, it can be prepared from your list of high-level outcomes within your outcomes model. From the technical point of view this is a better way of working than developing a formal vision or mission statement before you build your outcomes model. Vision and mission statements often have artificial constraints on them, such as being a 'short pithy statement one sentence long'. The compromises involved in drafting vision and mission statements to meet these constraints often make them less than useful for fully defining the top level of an outcomes model. Of course, if you already have a vision or mission statement it can be useful to help you work out what your model's high level outcomes should be.
2.1.2 Use your outcomes model to establish priorities for your next planning period. An outcomes model should provide a map of all of the steps which need to be undertaken to achieve the high level outcomes you are aiming for. It should be a comprehensive map of the real world outside your program or organization. Such a map will give you the best basis for thinking strategically about what it is you are trying to do and your priorities for doing it. Due to limited resources, you will usually have to make some decisions about how you are going to prioritize your activity. Working with a comprehensive outcomes model helps you make sure that your prioritization decisions are the most appropriate decisions. If you have built and appropriate model in the initial step of the Systematic Outcomes Analysis process, all you need to do at this stage is to examine the outcomes model and decide which lower level steps are your highest priorities for immediate action. This requires that you have drilled down your outcomes model to a suitably low level.
2.1.3 Agree with involved players (staff, organizational units, collaborators etc.) who is going to do what by mapping responsibilities onto your outcomes model. You can also map onto the outcomes in your outcomes model who is going to do what. This allows you to assign responsibility for actions and also to identify if there are important steps which have not been assigned to any player. You may also find that there are certain steps which are being focused on by too many players. Again this requires that you have drilled down your outcomes model to a suitably low level.
2.1.4 Drill down even further to lower levels of your outcomes model for more specific business planning if you wish. You can use your outcomes model as the start for drilling down to more and more specific levels beneath it. At these levels you can set out responsibilities of individual staff, teams or other collaborators.