Goal #2: Improving Planning
Raising the Standard: How the Board Can Improve Planning in Big Canoe
Good communities run on clear communication. When information is easy to access, tailored to the audience, and open to feedback, trust grows—and problems shrink.
Our Board has made progress in recent years—but there’s still a long way to go. Right now, too many decisions are reactive, made under pressure, or disconnected from a clear strategy. We can do better.
One of the Board’s stated goals is to improve planning.
Here are seven specific, actionable ways the Board can improve both short-term and long-term planning, backed by proven practices and insights I shared in my book Loops: Building Products with Confidence & Clarity.
Align All Projects with a Clear Strategic Plan
What’s missing: We don’t have a unified, community-facing strategic plan that links annual budgets, capital projects, and amenity priorities to long-term goals.
To his credit, Rich McLeod led a prior initiative that produced a strategic planning guide. That was a great first step. But it’s unclear to what extent that work is being used—or whether it has meaningfully shaped ongoing decisions.
What to do:
- Create a 3- to 5-year Strategic Plan, informed by community input, that defines key priorities (e.g. infrastructure, financial stability, amenities, communications).
- Update the plan annually and use it to evaluate all major proposals before they go to vote.
- Publish an annual “report card” showing progress toward goals.
Why I can help: I’ve helped numerous businesses break that pattern by building vision-aligned operating systems that link daily actions to multi-year outcomes. That same thinking can guide Big Canoe’s long-term growth.
Adopt Rolling 12-Month Departmental Planning
What’s missing: Many POA departments operate reactively, especially when seasonal demands spike. Without proactive scheduling and interdepartmental alignment, we see last-minute decisions, staff overload, and missed opportunities.
What to do:
- Require every department to maintain a rolling 12-month plan, updated quarterly.
- Include staffing forecasts, maintenance schedules, capital needs, and community events.
- Use a shared planning calendar to improve coordination across departments.
Why I can help: One of the core principles is designing systems that anticipate—rather than just respond. This kind of rolling planning system reduces friction and builds resilience, a lesson I’ve seen work across industries.
Standardize Project Planning Templates
What’s missing: Some capital projects include timelines and budgets—others don’t. There’s no consistent way for the community or Board to evaluate scope, risk, or return on investment.
What to do:
- Require a standard project planning template for every initiative over a certain cost threshold (e.g. $25K).
- Include: purpose, scope, timeline, stakeholders, risks, dependencies, maintenance impact, and alternatives.
- Publish these for transparency before votes are held.
Why I can help: I’ve helped organizations adopt lightweight, scalable frameworks that reduce ambiguity and increase alignment using practical tools and activities.
Use Scenario Planning for Complex Decisions
What’s missing: Too often, we get one proposal and one vote. What we need is scenario thinking—asking: “What if we did nothing? What if we phased it? What if we partnered with someone else?”
What to do:
- Use three-option modeling for large projects: do nothing, do something small, do something big.
- Discuss trade-offs transparently with the community before making a decision.
Why I can help: Decision paralysis often results from binary thinking. Scenario planning opens up dialogue and leads to smarter, more inclusive decisions.
Tie Budgets to Measurable Outcomes
What’s missing: Budgets are often presented as spreadsheets—without clear connection to impact. How does this spending move us closer to our goals?
What to do:
- Require departments to propose budget requests alongside specific outcomes (e.g. “Add 2 new pickleball courts = serve 30% more players per week”).
- Review outcomes at mid-year and end-of-year for accountability.
Why it matters: I emphasize the importance of measurement systems that track what really matters—not just what’s easy to count. When budgets are tied to outcomes, you get real performance, not just expense management.
Create a Long-Term Community Master Plan
What’s missing: We don’t have a 10–20 year vision for where Big Canoe is headed—especially in areas like land use, amenities, transportation, or technology infrastructure.
What to do:
- Launch a community master planning process (with resident input) to define a long-term vision.
- Revisit it every 3–5 years and use it as the north star for growth and investment.
Why I can help: Master planning is a macro-level loop—it’s how organizations and communities maintain continuity across leadership changes. I’ve worked with companies to create master plans that outlast individual projects and personalities.
Leverage Professional Planning Tools
What’s missing: We rely heavily on spreadsheets, PDFs, and email threads. Professional tools could streamline everything from capital planning to scheduling.
What to do:
- Adopt simple tools like Trello, Asana, or Monday.com for shared planning boards.
- Use Gantt charts for project timelines.
- Make these viewable to residents for transparency.
Why I can help: I’ve implemented digital systems like these for both startups and legacy institutions. In Loops, I explain how the right tools—combined with the right habits—can free up mental bandwidth and reduce miscommunication.
Final Thought: Planning Builds Trust
Good planning isn’t flashy—but it’s foundational. It prevents surprises, reduces waste, and shows residents that decisions are thoughtful, not impulsive.
I’m running for the Board because I know how to build systems that work. I believe we can raise the standard—not by working harder, but by planning smarter.
Let’s stop reacting. Let’s start leading—with a plan.
Thank you for reading my platform. I hope you found it informative and helpful in understanding my vision for our community.
Have a question or something to say? Send me an email: jcfortheboard@gmail.comPrefer to talk? Book a time with me.
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J Cornelius — Candidate for the POA Board
jcornelius.com/poa
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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead