Thank you for your offer to take a look at this set of scenarios.  The document I am planning to give the students will consist of the overview and the scenarios shown below.  My three questions for any or all of the scenarios are:

1. Do they appear realistic; a scenario in which a PCBS student could be involved?
2. What changes would you recommend?
3. Are there any scenarios missing?

Thanks

Overview

Leading Strategic Planning is not about giving you a plan.  It is about expanding your ability think and act strategically.  Because the students at PCBS have various industry and organizational perspectives it will be important to be able to apply your learning to your situation.  The six scenarios below are not exhaustive but will get you started in thinking about how you will apply what you learn in the course.  You can certainly create your own planning scenario and build your recommendation based on that scenario.

Small to Mid-Sized Bank

You are a senior leader in a small or mid-sized bank.  The CEO sees you as a rising star and thus sent you to PCBS to understand more about the industry, grooming you for your next move.  The bank has operated with moderate success in its markets but is now poised financially and from a leadership perspective to grow.  The CEO has asked you to recommend an approach for the development of the banks next strategic plan.

Construct your recommendation.

District Leader of a Large Bank

You are the District Leader for a moderately sized district within one of the nation’s largest financial institutions.  You have been in the role for a number of years and finally convinced your leader to allow you to attend PCBS.  Your leader was skeptical of the value of this type of education given you are not responsible for the balance sheet of the bank or even your District.  Nonetheless, you prevailed and now you want to show your leader and her superiors the value of what you learned.  To do that you are going to recommend a strategic planning approach for your District.

Construct your recommendation.

Department Head

You are the head of an internal service providing Department within the bank.  You have been a participant in the banks strategic planning process but don’t feel as though that plan does justice to what your Department does.  After attending this year’s PCBS session you decide to undertake your own strategic planning process.  Because this process will divert some of your resources away from current projects and because you will need to interface with other portions of the organization you need your leader’s approval to proceed.  Your leader is skeptical as to why this planning process is needed when the strategy of the organization is clear.

Construct your recommendation

Branch Manager

You are the manager of the flagship branch of your bank.  The recent financial crisis has caused havoc with customer and employees alike and you think that one way to allay the fears of all concerned is to do some strategic planning for the coming year.  Your branch has been successful so your leader will let you do whatever you want in this regard but your team does not see why this matters and has asked that you make a case for why strategic planning matters.

Construct your case

Large Bank

You are a member of the senior leadership team of a large bank that has a strategic planning process in place.  Based on what you have learned at PCBS over the past 3 years you think that some enhancements to the process could are in order.  You have expressed this notion to your leader who has asked for your recommendation about those improvements.

Construct your recommendation.

Regulator

You are a regulator responsible for the safety and soundness of banks in your jurisdiction.  One of the deficiencies you have noted in several recent bank reviews is the lack of a robust strategic planning process.  Your banks are willing to undertake the effort of creating a strategic plan but they want to make sure that it will work for them and satisfy your regulatory needs as well.  To that end the CEO of your most recent review has asked for your recommendation of how to proceed for her bank.

Construct your recommendation.