The Custom Plan You Need
OA Sprint™ is the custom engagement OA builds around the specific strategy or leadership problem your destination is facing.
The Whiteboard That Refuses to Erase
Every CEO has a whiteboard in their office with one question on it that has been there for weeks. Sometimes months. It’s important but just big enough to put off until tomorrow because they don’t have enough time, but just small enough that is seems so simple that it could be done tomorrow. And it just sits there day after day.
These are the questions leaders can bring to OA.
OA Sprint™ is the custom engagement built around the question on the whiteboard. OA will develop a shared strategy designed to eliminate problems so organizations can keep pressing forward.
Richmond Region Tourism brought a regional sports alignment question. Visit Seattle needed a custom organizational assessment that did not fit a standard format. OA built each Sprint around the specific question, not the other way around.
The most important strategy and leadership questions a destination faces are rarely the ones a standard product was built to solve. They are the questions that stay on the whiteboard until OA Sprint finally erases them.
How We Sprint
Custom Scoping. Every Sprint begins with a scoping conversation where the question is defined and a timeline is developed and scheduled.
Discovery. Where OA learns what the question really is. The shape of Discovery is custom to the engagement. Some Sprints, OA reviews the relevant documents (bylaws, budgets, prior assessments, board minutes) and writes up what was found. Others bring confidential one-on-one interviews with the stakeholders closest to the question. Some engagements call for a facilitated working session with the right people in the room. Others call for a presentation, a training, or a combination of all of these. The scoping conversation defines the right Discovery for the engagement.
Report and Recommendations. Every Sprint ends here. A written report capturing the process and the findings. The practical recommendations the organization can act on. The report becomes the document leaders return to for the next decision, the next stakeholder conversation, and the next move forward.
Real Questions. Real Solutions. Real Momentum.
At the close of every OA Sprint™, the leader holds:
- A custom engagement designed around the specific question they brought to OA.
- The Discovery work the project required, whether document review, stakeholder interviews, a working session, a presentation, a training, or a combination of these.
- A written report capturing the process and the findings.
- Practical recommendations the organization can act on.
- A complete record of the work the organization would not have been able to produce alone.
One custom engagement. One plan. One clear path forward.
When the Sprint Becomes a Marathon
Some Sprints close cleanly. The question is answered. The recommendations are acted on. The destination moves forward.
Other Sprints surface a larger issue. A single problem turns out to be a symptom of a structural one. In those cases, the natural next step is not a full strategic plan. It is the OA Scorecard™. OA’s comprehensive diagnostic names where the destination actually stands across every dimension of organizational health and tells the CEO and the board exactly where the work is.
The Sprint surfaces the question. The Scorecard answers it.
Custom Regional Sports Alignment Project
Richmond Region Tourism
The Situation
The Richmond region has some of the best sports tourism minds and sports facilities in the country; punching way above its weight class. But this growth has also began to cause inefficiencies and confusion in the sales process. OA was tasked with creating a new playbook followed by all parties.
What We Did
OA conducted 20 interviews with key regional sports leaders, facilities and clients to find out where there were opportunities for improvement. A half-day workshop brought all partners together for tough and honest conversations and to develop that playbook.
The Outcome
The 90-Day roadmap has launched, the regions DMOs, sports commissions and Richmond Region Tourism are working individually and collectively to create strategies for success and trust in growing. The future is bright for Richmond region sports.
Real Questions
How long does a Sprint take?
It depends on the scope. A focused Sprint can land in roughly four weeks. A broader Sprint with deeper Discovery runs longer. The scoping conversation defines the timeline.
What kinds of problems does a Sprint address?
The strategy and leadership problems leaders bring to OA. A regional alignment question between multiple organizations. An organizational structure that has not kept pace. A leadership transition without a playbook. A funding model that needs evaluation. A stakeholder partnership that has gotten complicated. The Sprint is the engagement OA designs around the specific problem.
What does Discovery look like?
The shape of Discovery is custom to the engagement. Some Sprints are document review and a written report. Others bring confidential one-on-one interviews with the stakeholders closest to the question. Some call for a facilitated working session, a presentation, or a training. The scoping conversation defines the right Discovery for the project.
Who is involved?
The scoping conversation defines the participant list. Typical voices include the leader who brought the question, the senior team, the board chair where relevant, the partner organizations the question touches, and any other voices the engagement requires.
What is in the final report?
The process the Sprint followed. The findings from Discovery. The areas of consensus. The practical recommendations the organization can act on. The report becomes the document leaders return to for the next decision, the next stakeholder conversation, and the next move forward.
Related: OA Method™ Strategic Planning · OA Scorecard™ · Board Blueprint™
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