Has your GPS ever failed you? You know that moment of panic when said robot voice tells you to "turn left...in...50 feet" onto a road closed for repairs? "OH NO – these directions LIED, my plans are shot to pieces, AND I'm going to be late that big meeting!" Strategic planning is not so different...

That roadmap that worked brilliantly a year ago is may not be reflective of today's environment. Given that even the best plans will age – how can you know when it's time to reevaluate your organization's situation and potentially refresh "the directions"?

The following article introduces six important situations that may require refresh. The next question is how thoroughly to refresh in each situation. Finally, and most importantly, this article covers the "right way" to refresh" a strategic plan.

Situations that may require refreshing a Strategic Plan:

When an older plan has accomplished its goals: If the organization's strategic plan was created with a specific timeframe in mind, or if there were several major strategic initiatives outlined in the old plan which have already been fulfilled, then it's time to move forward by refreshing the strategic plan. Fortunately, in this case, the organization ought to be able to enjoy some strong momentum since the existing strategic plan succeeded so well!

Following key leadership changes: When new leadership comes on board an organization, they often will want to re-evaluate the strategic plan to make sure that its priorities reflect the priorities of the new leadership – and make adjustments if needed. Refreshing a strategic plan also gives new leaders a chance to imprint their own thinking and bring fresh ideas to the organization. Whether an organization's leaders are expected to "clean house" (make fundamental breaks with the past) or "stay the course," (ensure continuity with existing strategic priorities), the leaders' priorities and mandate ought to be reflected in writing within an updated strategic plan.

Following "environmental" changes: Even if an organization's key strategic initiatives are on track and the strategic plan seems to be working just fine, leaders might find that "the times, they are a changing." External "environmental" changes beyond the control of the organization can often create profound challenges (and amazing opportunities) that require the organization to shift its thinking and refresh its strategic plan accordingly. Types of "environmental" changes might include new laws being implemented, new types of competitors emerging, new media to organize through (i.e. Social media – 5 years ago, most organizations' strategic plans did not include the words "Facebook" and "Twitter"), changing workforce demographics (needing to know how to recruit and relate to new kinds of workers), new technologies which could radically change an organization's work processes, and changes in available resources like volunteers, materials, or funding.

When an organization feels stretched too thin: If the organization is dividing its attention and resources between too many competing projects that do not align with the organization's mission, that could be a sign that it's time to refresh the strategic plan. Refreshing the strategic plan gives leaders the chance to step back and take a broad view of the organization, and ask, "What should we be doing? Where can be most effectively spend our time and resources and energy? Are we doing the right things?" If leaders feel that their organization is just "jogging in place," trying to keep up with an ever-intensifying treadmill of "doing things right," it might be time to turn off the treadmill and re-evaluate which are the "right things" that the organization most needs to focus its efforts on.

Mandated changes: Some organizations' bylaws require their leadership to update the strategic plan on an annual basis, or to maintain the strategic plan on a 3-5 year timeframe. Sometimes the most effective way to refresh a strategic plan is to be required to do it – it's a powerful motivator to get different stakeholders to the table and create consensus.

The old strategy is just not working as expected: Finally, if the organization just is not getting the best results from its existing strategy, this is ultimately the most powerful reason to refresh the strategic plan and try again.

How much of a refresh does your strategic plan need?

Refreshing a strategic plan does not necessarily entail throwing out the entire plan and starting from scratch; many organizations are better off keeping the major elements of their plans but making a few adjustments. Other organizations need to think more deeply about what they want to accomplish, and perhaps re-examine and re-define their fundamental mission and purpose.

Here are three levels of refreshing a strategic plan, depending on the level of change required:

Tactical refresh: The organization keeps the same mission and objectives but makes minor adjustments in how they are implemented. Strategy consultant Bill Birnbaum writes that organizations need to change their tactics when they've been doing "the right thing wrong." A tactical refresh re-examines "how" your organization wants to achieve its goals, while keeping the goals and strategies in place.

Operational Refresh: This type of strategic plan refresh is implemented when the organization is keeping the same mission but moving into a new area or method of service. For example, when the Red Cross responded to Haiti's earthquake, the organization still had the same mission, but was embarking onto a new way of doing it – with significant differences in scope, scale and intensity of the mission. As another example, if a university has traditionally served upper-middle-class college-age students, and decides to offer expanded evening classes for lower-income adult English language learners, the strategic plan should be refreshed to reflect this change of emphasis and the different types of constituents being served – but the strategic mission of educating students has not changed.

Strategic Refresh: This is the most severe type of strategic plan refresh, requiring a fundamental re-thinking of the organization's purpose and goals. With a strategic refresh, the organization's mission needs to be changed with major changes in the way the organization is structured, funded, and measured for impact, as well as how employees are incentivized. One example might be a struggling museum that decides to sell off its permanent collection and rent out its space to artists – the mission needs to be rewritten to change the focus of the organization to be an arts education organization.

Another example could be a charter school that is falling short of state test score standards, so they decide to radically change the kinds of students they serve – perhaps they shrink their enrollment and focus on being a magnet school for music and art, or change their emphasis to special education, or focus on learning disabilities. Any of these shifts in mission requires a total re-evaluation of the organization's purpose.

It is not easy, and sometimes these strategic refreshes can be painful or even result in the demise of the old organization. But if the organization's leaders want to move forward in a way that will enable their organization and its resources to continue serving their stakeholders, it is crucial to begin the conversation.

Is there a "right way" to refresh a strategic plan?

The truth is that strategy management is not a "once a year" activity, it needs to be an ongoing part of the life of the organization. Every leader should ensure that the organizations strategic plan is relevant and understood. No matter if the refresh is Tactical or Strategic, it should be an exercise in listening, brainstorming, and generating ideas from all levels of the organization.

Strategic planning provides a great opportunity for leadership to listen to the organization's employees, "customers" and key stakeholders, to develop new connections and relationships, and to build excitement with a renewed sense of purpose and a better sense of direction throughout the organization.