Learn how you can strengthen your strategy foundation for lasting success. Featuring LBL Strategies and the International Association of Strategy Professionals (IASP).
Key Takeaways
  • Map your strategy work to the six SMPS phases. The Wheel is framework-agnostic, so Balanced Scorecard, OKRs or SWOT can sit inside it.
  • Crosswalk your strategy process to a performance excellence framework like Baldrige. Strategy management sets the process; performance excellence sets the criteria for achievement.
  • Use strategy software for execution and performance management, Phases 5 and 6. Champ saw it make execution and reporting manageable inside U.S. government agencies.
  • Earn an IASP certification such as the SPP or SMP. Then join the Government Community of Practice to trade practices with state, local and federal peers.
  • Watch the full recording for the frameworks in detail. Rollinson and Champ walk through The Wheel, the Baldrige crosswalk and certification.
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ClearPoint hosted two experts to talk about what it takes to succeed in local government strategy. I sat down with LBL Strategies’ Randall Rollinson, President and Co-Founder, and Robin Champ, Vice President of Strategic Foresight, to discuss strategy frameworks, performance excellence, and the tools that help organizations get results.

Watch the full recording here

We covered the Strategy Management Performance System (a.k.a. “The Wheel”) and other frameworks, and how to use the International Association of Strategy Professionals’ Body of Knowledge (BoK) and Competency Model to build and execute a strategic plan that adapts to current challenges. Below are the frameworks, the case for certification, and ideas for building alignment in your agency.

LBL Strategies and the Strategy Management Performance System (SMPS)

LBL Strategies is a certified veteran-owned business specializing in strategic management since 1985. LBL partners with institutions like the Baldrige Foundation to help leaders think, plan, and act strategically.

The Strategy Management Performance System (SMPS) is a six-phase framework for strategic management:

"The Wheel"
  1. ‍Initiate: Setting the foundation for strategic projects.
  2. Environmental Analysis: Using tools like strategic foresight and scenario planning.
  3. Strategy Formulation: Establishing direction and high-level strategies.
  4. Strategic Planning: Developing actionable operating plans.
  5. Strategy Execution: Aligning the organization with the operating model.
  6. Strategy Management: Managing strategy as an ongoing process.

Rollinson stressed a framework-agnostic approach that works with methodologies such as Balanced Scorecard, OKRs, Porter's Five Forces, and SWOT analysis. The SMPS gives a generic but complete structure, so organizations can plug in different frameworks as needed.

Our goal is to align and integrate both frameworks at the strategic level.

Much of the session covered how strategy management and performance excellence fit together. While strategy management is semi-prescriptive and focuses on processes, performance excellence (like the Baldrige framework) sets aspirational criteria for organizational achievement. LBL’s crosswalk connects SMPS with performance excellence systems, so the two work as one approach.

The City of Germantown, Tennessee, shows the payoff of running both together. In 2019, the city prepared a 55-page application covering all seven Baldrige criteria for performance excellence. Its strategic plan and ClearPoint tracking supported the Strategy criterion, and its public Community Dashboard supported the Customers criterion. Having much of the required information already organized in ClearPoint made the application significantly more manageable, because the team could export data for the submission. Germantown received the 2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and became one of only four municipalities nationwide ever to receive it.

The Washington Department of Licensing (WDOL) learned a different lesson from Baldrige. It adopted the Baldrige Criteria to challenge and stretch itself, and by 2009 had built a “Results Management System.” By 2017, though, the system included over 150 measures and was becoming too overwhelming to be effective. WDOL relaunched with a “person-centered” approach and kept only the measures most critical to its mission. A framework helps, but it still needs focus.

The Role of Strategy Software

Champ described using strategy software during her time in U.S. government agencies, and how much it helped with strategy execution and reporting.

ClearPoint Strategy

Spoiler Alert: this is why ClearPoint Strategy exists. It covers Phases 5-6, supporting both strategy execution and performance management. It works with different frameworks, includes generative AI, and simplifies routine tasks. Automate the manual work so you can focus on what matters most.

The City of Coral Springs, Florida, another Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, puts this into practice. Nicole Giordano, Performance Management Manager, names two primary contributors to strategic success with ClearPoint: automation and customization. Automation lets staff focus on strategic rather than administrative tasks. Customization lets the city tailor dashboards, reports, and performance metrics so leadership has a clear and current view of progress against goals. The city also links its strategic plan closely to the budget and publishes a Community Dashboard where residents can track progress on key initiatives.

Building Strategy Success Through Certification: The International Association of Strategy Professionals (IASP)

We also had to plug strategy certification through the International Association of Strategy Professionals (IASP). Certifications like the Strategy Planning Professional (SPP) or Strategy Management Professional (SMP) set professionals apart, deepen their expertise, and bring value to their organizations. The certifications suit strategy professionals who want more confidence in strategic planning, including those newly assigned to a strategy role. LBL Strategies offers prep courses with a high pass rate.

IASP Government Community of Practice (CoP)

IASP also leads a Government Community of Practice (CoP), for state, local, and federal government professionals to share best practices and insights. Shameless Plug 2.0: Join me for “Overcoming Challenges in Government Strategy Reporting” to look at where strategy management is headed. We’ll cover practical techniques for common planning challenges and for making strategy reporting work. ClearPoint Strategy helps organizations turn plans into measurable progress. To see how, schedule a free demonstration with one of our strategy experts.

Special thanks again to Randall Rollinson and Robin Champ for sharing their expertise!

See how ClearPoint would run your plan — book a demo

Common questions

What is the Strategy Management Performance System (SMPS)?

The SMPS, nicknamed "The Wheel," is a strategy management framework taught by LBL Strategies. It lays out the full cycle of thinking, planning, and acting strategically, giving leaders a structured way to move from setting direction through to executing and managing performance against it.

Who is LBL Strategies?

LBL Strategies is a certified veteran-owned business that has specialized in strategic management since 1985. It partners with prominent institutions, including the Baldrige Foundation, to help leaders think, plan, and act strategically, and it teaches the Strategy Management Performance System known as "The Wheel."

Where does ClearPoint Strategy fit in the strategy cycle?

ClearPoint Strategy was built to bridge Phases 5 and 6 of the strategy cycle, the execution and performance management stages where plans most often stall. It supports different frameworks, integrates generative AI, and simplifies reporting tasks so strategy moves from documents into measurable, tracked progress.

What is the International Association of Strategy Professionals (IASP)?

IASP is a professional body that offers strategy certifications such as the Strategy Planning Professional (SPP). Certification validates expertise and strengthens credibility. IASP also runs a Government Community of Practice for state, local, and federal professionals to share best practices and insights.

Why does strategy software matter for government agencies?

In U.S. government agencies, strategy software streamlines both execution and reporting, the parts of strategy that are hardest to sustain manually. It keeps progress visible, reduces administrative burden, and helps teams report on outcomes consistently, so the strategic plan stays a working tool rather than a static document.

Ted Jackson
Ted Jackson
Co-Founder & Alabama Native

Co-Founder and Managing Partner of ClearPoint. Former VP at Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard Collaborative.

Ted Jackson is the co-founder of ClearPoint Strategy, a B2B SaaS platform that empowers organizations to execute strategic plans with precision. Before ClearPoint, he was Vice President at the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative — later the Palladium Group — the firm Drs. Robert Kaplan and David Norton founded to put their framework into practice, where he led global sales and support for its strategy management software and wrote three articles for the Balanced Scorecard Report. A Duke and Harvard Business School alumnus, he brings over 30 years' experience in strategy execution, including 15 years implementing the Balanced Scorecard in the field. Ted works closely with customers to ensure the software meets unique challenges, continually refining the platform with his global expertise.