Purpose & Strategic Importance
Once data has been collected, the challenge is to make sense of it. Analysis turns raw information into insight that can guide strategic decisions.
Activities & Decisions
What to understand through analysis
- Where the National Society is now – the environment in which it operates, and how different stakeholders perceive its performance.
- Opportunities and threats – what challenges might emerge in the near future, and how the organisation can anticipate them.
- Root causes of challenges – understanding how problems are connected, and ideas for how they might be addressed.
- Future trends – which ones are most relevant and how they may affect the National Society.
- Aspirations for the future – what the organisation wants to achieve over the period of the strategic plan.
How to carry out analysis
- Data analysis can be a shared process with broad participation, or it can be undertaken by a smaller team.
- For credibility, the results should be shared transparently — for example through short written summaries, PowerPoint presentations, or briefing notes.
- Summaries should highlight the main points and options the National Society faces, keeping them accessible and easy to use in discussions.
Examples & Learning
Data gathering and decision-making — a conversation
Most decision-making in strategic planning comes from an ongoing conversation.
- Data gathered includes proposals from communities, branches, technical teams, and partners.
- Leadership listens to these, combines them, and sets out options.
- Proposals and new ideas are shared back for reactions and refinement.
This iterative conversation helps ensure that final decisions are both implementable at all levels of the organisation and supported by as many people as possible.
