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Strategic planning survey questions for staff and board

Sixteen questions for staff and board, answered once before the planning cycle opens. Answer it here first.

  • 16questions
  • About 6 minto answer
  • Staff and boardone question set
  • SWOTfour open lines
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Strategic Planning Survey · answer to move through it
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Question 1 of 16 Where you sit
Which of these best describes your role at this organization?
Front line or delivery staff
Team leader or supervisor
Senior leadership or executive
Board member or trustee
Volunteer
Something else
Question 2 of 16 The mission
I could explain to someone outside what this organization is trying to achieve.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 3 of 16 The mission
Our stated mission still describes what we should be doing over the next three years.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 4 of 16 The mission
The work I see day to day matches what we say we are here to do.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 5 of 16 SWOT
What is this organization good at that the next plan should build on?
Question 6 of 16 SWOT
What is the biggest weakness the next plan should fix?
Question 7 of 16 SWOT
What change outside this organization is the biggest opportunity for us over the next three years?
Question 8 of 16 SWOT
What change outside this organization is the biggest threat to us over the next three years?
Question 9 of 16 Capacity
We have the people we need to deliver what we are already committed to.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 10 of 16 Capacity
We have the money we need to deliver what we are already committed to.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 11 of 16 Capacity
Our systems support the work we are already committed to.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree
Question 12 of 16 Capacity
Which of these would most get in the way of a new plan here?
Not enough people
Not enough money
Systems that do not support the work
Too many priorities at once
Decisions taking too long
Teams not working together
Something else
Question 13 of 16 Priorities
Over the next three years, how much should this organization change what it does?
Stay on the current course
Adjust in places
Change significantly
Change direction entirely
I do not know enough to say
Question 14 of 16 Priorities
Which one of these should the next plan put first?
Growing what we already do well
Reaching people we do not reach today
Improving the quality of what we deliver
Building the team and its skills
Putting the finances on a firmer footing
Systems, data and technology
Partnerships and relationships
Something else
Question 15 of 16 Priorities
If we had to stop doing one thing to make room, what should it be?
Question 16 of 16 The process
I trust that answers to this survey will shape the plan.
1
2
3
4
5
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree

The 16 strategic planning survey questions

A strategic planning survey is a short questionnaire an organization sends to its staff and board before it writes its next plan. It asks whether the mission still fits, what the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are, where capacity is short and what to put first. All sixteen questions open in the free online survey builder.

Plain text, one question per line, with the answer scale.

Where you sit (1 question)

The answer every later result is split by.

  1. Which of these best describes your role at this organization?Pick one of 6Rename the options to match your own structure.

The mission (3 questions)

Whether the direction you have still fits.

  1. I could explain to someone outside what this organization is trying to achieve.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agree
  2. Our stated mission still describes what we should be doing over the next three years.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agreeA low score here sets the agenda for the planning day.
  3. The work I see day to day matches what we say we are here to do.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agreeCompare front-line answers with leadership answers.

SWOT (4 questions)

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, one line each.

  1. What is this organization good at that the next plan should build on?Short answer, optional
  2. What is the biggest weakness the next plan should fix?Short answer, optional
  3. What change outside this organization is the biggest opportunity for us over the next three years?Short answer, optionalAsks about outside changes, so answers are not internal wishes.
  4. What change outside this organization is the biggest threat to us over the next three years?Short answer, optionalA change named as both opportunity and threat deserves a session.

Capacity (4 questions)

People, money and systems rated apart, then the main obstacle.

  1. We have the people we need to deliver what we are already committed to.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agree
  2. We have the money we need to deliver what we are already committed to.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agree
  3. Our systems support the work we are already committed to.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agreeShow the three capacity scores side by side.
  4. Which of these would most get in the way of a new plan here?Pick one of 7One choice each gives you a ranked list of obstacles.

Priorities (3 questions)

How much to change, what comes first and what to drop.

  1. Over the next three years, how much should this organization change what it does?Pick one of 5
  2. Which one of these should the next plan put first?Pick one of 8Report the share choosing each option.
  3. If we had to stop doing one thing to make room, what should it be?Short answer, optional

The process (1 question)

One closing rating.

  1. I trust that answers to this survey will shape the plan.1 to 5, strongly disagree to strongly agreeRaise it by publishing which plan lines came from the answers.

How to use the strategic planning questionnaire

Send it to everyone whose view should shape the plan: staff at every level, the leadership team and the board. Send it once, before the planning cycle opens, so the answers reach the planning group ahead of the first draft. Keep it anonymous so people name weaknesses plainly.

The effort pays back. A meta-analysis of 87 correlations from 31 empirical studies found that strategic planning has a positive, moderate and significant impact on organizational performance.[1]

For the seven rated statements, report the share who chose 4 or 5, split by question 1. Sort the written answers into themes and count them. A theme that both staff and board name goes on the planning agenda first.

Two groups of response cards flowing through one funnel into a short ranked list, and from there into a closed plan document
Two groups, one question set, answered before the plan exists.

Strategic planning survey FAQ

What are good strategic planning survey questions?

Questions that feed a line of the plan. Ask whether the mission still fits, what the organization does well, what it should fix, which outside changes matter, where people, money or systems are short, and which priority should come first.

Who should answer a strategic planning stakeholder survey?

The people inside the organization who will carry the plan: front-line staff, team leaders, senior leadership, the board and long-standing volunteers. Question 1 records the role, so you can compare what each group said.

Can a survey replace a SWOT analysis workshop?

It feeds the workshop. Questions 5 to 8 collect strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats from everyone ahead of time, so the session opens with counted themes and spends its hours on decisions.

Related business survey templates

If the answers point at how people work together, follow up with the culture survey. When one group is the sticking point, send that group the team survey. Once the plan has a launch date, the change readiness assessment shows who is ready for it. For a plan with environmental goals, the sustainability survey asks employees what they see in practice. A year in, program evaluation questions tell you how each funded program landed with participants. Every other planning and operations set sits with the business survey templates.

EmployeeOrganizational Culture SurveyWhen the answers point at how people work together.16 questions, 4 min EmployeeTeam SurveyWhen one team is the sticking point and you want that team's own view.14 questions, 3 min BusinessProgram Evaluation SurveyA year in, when participants can say how a funded program landed.16 questions, 4 min BusinessSustainability SurveyWhen the plan carries environmental goals and you want what employees see.14 questions, about 5 min EmployeeChange Readiness AssessmentOnce the plan has a name and a date, and you want the read before you launch it.16 questions, 4 min BusinessOperational Efficiency SurveyAfter the plan exists, when the subject is how well the work runs rather than what the work should be.15 questions, 7 min

Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 2 October 2026 · How templates are reviewed

Sources (1)
  1. George B, Walker RM, Monster J. "Does Strategic Planning Improve Organizational Performance? A Meta-Analysis." Public Administration Review 79, no. 6 (2019): 810-819. scholars.cityu.edu.hk

Ask your people before the plan is written

Sixteen questions, about six minutes, with your own organization named in them.

Use this template