| HCD PRACTITIONER
From Challenges to Clarity:
Building a Department's FY25 Strategy
When organizational changes require a robust strategy from all of their employees
BACKGROUND
The Refinery is a mission-driven department within a government consulting agency that supports public sector impact through cross-functional expertise and strategic collaboration.
Comprising engineers, data scientists, and project managers, the department works closely with federal, state, and local agencies including partners like the Oklahoma State Department to deliver solutions that address complex public challenges.
In addition to external work, The Refinery manages internal client relationships and oversees critical contract operations. Though the department operates within a large organization, it maintains a culture of thoughtful innovation and responsiveness, especially during periods of organizational change.
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Challenge
The Refinery department was facing organizational changes that require a clear and unified strategy for the upcoming year.
Without input from all of the employees in their department, there was a risk of misalignment and missed opportunities in addressing new challenges and
priorities.
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Role: Lead facilitator
Timeline: 7 days
Number of Attendees: 34
Team: Myself and a co-facilitator
Stakeholders: Jamie Lin (Director) and Jordan Reed (Department Manager)
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PROCESS
1. Understand Client Needs
2. Design Workshop Proposal
3. Prepare Materials and Logistics
4. Facilitate Workshop
5. Evaluate and Follow Up
UNDERSTANDING CLIENT NEEDS
The department reached out to me via a referral as they were looking for assistance in engaging their department in this strategy development route. I held a 30 minute meeting with them to understand their goals, needs, and motivations.
When engaging with clients some questions I ask include:
1. What is the best possible outcome for this meeting?
2. What product do you see having in your hands after the meeting?
3. Are there any dynamics of difficult team members I should be aware of?
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After my initial consultation call with the department leadership they informed me that they wanted inputs to be generated for their strategy for the following year. Ideally they wanted to incorporate all of their team member’s ideas and consider all team member’s perspectives.
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The time for this workshop was limited to 2 hours which required me to think about how we could hit all of the clients goals in the short time span we had, and build consensus with the workshop attendees.
Key insights from the initial consultation call
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Reflect on the Past Year’s Strategy: In order to level set with the team, and have them voice what worked with the last year’s strategy and areas for growth
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Desire to Ideate: The client wanted to make sure we generate as many actionable ideas and insights as possible
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Prioritize future efforts and ideas: It was equally important that during the workshop attendees voiced the efforts that were most pertinent to puruse and include in the following year’s strategy
“We really want to co-create with all of the project managers and leaders in our department, they may see things we do not”
DESIGNING THE WORKSHOP PROPOSAL
The workshop proposal is a key documentation tool to communicate with the client about what they hope to see during the workshop. When designing the proposal I had to think strategically about what activities provided the most value to the client.
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One resource I used to help me decide on the type of workshop activities to undertake is the Innovation Tool Kit. While this resource serves as a starting point, I decided to update and create new tools based on the information I had received.
The proposal included the following
PREPARE MATERIALS AND LOGISTICS
The workshop was designed as a hybrid session to accommodate both in-person and virtual participation, maximizing attendance across the team.
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MURAL was used as the primary platform to support collaboration and real-time communication. Following the format decision, the team secured a meeting space and sent out a department-wide email with session details and logistics.
FACILITATE WORKSHOP
Introduction
This is where the fun began and everything came together. As an experienced facilitator, I know that last-minute changes are a common part of hosting workshops.
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To open the session, I introduced myself and shared the goal of the meeting, followed by opening remarks from department leadership.
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We kicked things off with an icebreaker: “Describe your day as an animal.”
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While the question may have seemed lighthearted, it encouraged divergent thinking and helped participants ease into the session’s activities.
Continue Activity
After presenting last year’s strategy, the group transitioned into identifying which activities should be carried forward into the upcoming year. The strategy was structured around four key pillars:
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Maximize Impact
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Diversify Our Work
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Streamline Processes
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Empower Employees
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Participants reviewed the previous strategy and added relevant activities to the MURAL board. As they shared, I facilitated the conversation by asking clarifying questions like:
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“Say more about this piece.”
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“Does anyone else feel similarly?”
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“What stands out most to you here?”
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This interactive approach encouraged thoughtful reflection and group engagement. The resulting MURAL board captured the team’s shared insights and priorities.
Continue Activity
Given the limited time in this two-hour workshop, components of the SWOT analysis were collected in advance through a survey distributed to attendees. Responses were pre-populated into the MURAL board before the session.
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During the activity, participants reviewed the SWOT content with a focus on aligning broader company objectives with department-level goals. This approach helped attendees understand the larger organizational context and see how their department contributes to that vision.
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After reviewing the content, attendees were asked to vote on which department-level opportunities felt most important to pursue. Each participant was given two stars to place on the board.
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Below is a snapshot of the board following this activity.
“We need to focus on our employees and educating them to improve their skillset so we can keep up with the changes in the market.”
Impact Effort Matrix
The activities leading up to this point helped set the foundation for this final session, which was designed to generate inputs for the department leadership team as they plan for the upcoming year.
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The top-voted opportunities from the SWOT analysis were placed on an impact/effort matrix. Each item was discussed collaboratively, with the group first rating it from low to high impact, and then from high to low effort.
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One benefit of doing this activity as a group is that it creates space for constructive disagreement. Participants can offer perspectives others might not have considered, leading to richer insights.
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Below is the final impact/effort matrix created by the group.
Closing
The workshop concluded with a brief recap of the day’s activities, followed by closing remarks from department leadership, who thanked attendees for their time and contributions.
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To end on a reflective note, participants were invited to drop an emoji or image in the chat that captured how they felt after the session.
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Here are a few of the emojis shared:
🤘 😎 🤩 😅
OUTCOME
The workshop surfaced multiple distinct ideas for the department’s FY25 strategy, directly shaping the roadmap used by leadership. Just as importantly, participants left feeling heard, engaged, and more connected to the department’s direction.​
The process helped align past reflections with future priorities, sparking critical conversations and clear next steps all in just two hours.By blending facilitation, structure, and space for honest input, the session created more than a strategy it built shared ownership and momentum.
REFLECTIONS
Balancing Structure with Flexibility
While having a clear agenda is essential for guiding a workshop, I learned that flexibility is just as important. I had to adapt in real time creating space for quieter participants to share and adjusting to shifts in conversation as they naturally unfolded.
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Clear Communication Helps Manage Expectations
Setting realistic expectations early on is key to aligning a workshop’s scope with the client’s goals. The initial consultation helped clarify priorities, but also required me to clearly outline what was achievable within a two-hour session. Asking the right questions was essential to build mutual understanding.
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Hybrid Facilitation Requires Intentional Design
Designing for both in-person and virtual participants meant thinking through every step of the experience. Tools like MURAL helped bridge the physical and digital divide, but I still needed to be proactive in keeping remote attendees engaged and included throughout.
