Why AI Can Support (but not replace) Strategic Planning Consultants

By: Lynne Dupuis (supported by AI)

Yup. AI helped me write this article… but this article was most definitely curated, adapted, transformed and edited by me and my experience… read on!

As artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, its role in strategic planning is growing and we definitely rely on it for many tasks here at LMDSolutions. From automating data analysis to generating reports and even suggesting strategic directions, AI is becoming an impressive co-pilot for the organizations we serve when navigating complex decisions. 

My most favourite and useful tool is having ChatGTP read the hundreds of post-its that we use in our strategic planning sessions! Yup, take photos of your walls, and they will read and transcribe them all! 

Yet, despite all the advances, AI is still no substitute for seasoned strategic planning strategies that we have been using for over a decade at LMDSolutions… and here’s why.

Strategy Is Human

Strategic planning is not just about crunching numbers or mapping out timelines or even spitting out a framework (it truly CAN do this!). Strategic planning is actually about understanding the people within the organization: what motivates them, how are they interacting, where do their strengths lie and what blind spots do they have? This last one is very important! “We don’t know what we don’t know!”

When we’re working with our clients, we bring lived experience, emotional intelligence, and experiential insight to a process that is fundamentally about aligning people toward a shared future. There’s nothing more exciting to me than a group of people who truly identify to their plan! 

It’s no wonder that our new LMDSolutions Model on engagement speaks to human emotions in the boardroom and within the organization. It’s very hard to pinpoint the sources of anxiety, concern, satisfaction, fear with AI. We do this. 

AI can easily identify trends and suggest best practices, but it doesn’t sit in a room and feel the tension between board members (this is one of the reasons we are brought in for most!). It doesn’t pick up on the anxiety in a leadership team unsure of their next steps (this is present for many!). We see these little (big) things… That nuance is often the turning point in a successful strategy. People need to talk to each other to understand and get a common understanding about their roles and responsibilities within the team, the organization and within the new plan they are building! 

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Identifying Real Needs Requires More Than Data

AI can help identify surface-level challenges based on patterns and performance indicators, but identifying root causes (particularly those that stem from culture, communication, or governance) requires us to do the deep listening and critical questioning.

Our job is to ask the uncomfortable questions. We sense when something is being left unsaid and we facilitate conversations that unlock insights that  CHATGPT could never surface. 

In short, we do more than observe and provide a plan… we intervene, we adapt, and we interpret verbal and non verbal cues.

Predicting Human Outcomes Is Still an Art

No algorithm can accurately predict how a new strategic direction will be received by staff, stakeholders, or community members. THIS IS KEY! So many people come into play when we are thinking of a strategy and its implementation. 

People (and their unique scenarios) are not linear. Change is emotional. And successful strategy is as much about predicting emotional reactions as it is about planning the next move. We have seen what works and what doesn’t and through our LMDSolutions Model, we even know why it doesn’t work! 

AI lacks context, intuition, and the ability to perceive organizational undercurrents and culture that often determine whether a strategy lives or dies. We can also evaluate the make up of the teams to see who is best suited to work on what. It’s subtle, but this makes our plans more realistic, more successful and more in tune with the organization. 

We help navigate those waters. We coach leaders through resistance, we offer tailored guidance, and we adjust the approach when morale dips or priorities shift. (Because they do and they will!)

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The Value of a Trusted Third Party

Hiring us isn’t just about external expertise, it’s about our neutrality and our experience. We offer an objective perspective that AI cannot replicate.

While AI processes internal data, we challenge it. We bring comparisons from other sectors, real-world experience from similar organizations, and we have the courage to say, “This won’t work here,” when we need to.

Our clients need and want that kind of accountability. They need us to come in and challenge the echo chamber, mediate opposing views, and bring structure to ambiguity. I love this part of my job! 

AI Enhances the Work… It Doesn’t Replace the Worker

Now, don’t get me wrong… AI is a valuable tool that can speed up tasks, enhance diagnostics, and improve access to information. But the real magic happens when we can harness AI to augment our work… sometimes right on the spot to help us dive into information and data as we plan! 

We are already using AI to summarize complex reports, forecast trends, and visualize data, but our super power is that we know when it sounds off, when something is missing and we know when to challenge a report that was spit out by AI! 

We  still have to very tactfully lead the conversations, read the room, and drive change in the group (often while they are already trying to predict the next steps through AI in front of our face!). 

AI is a powerful tool for planning… no doubt. We are definitely partners in this job now. But…in  strategic planning, our combined experience and knowledge bring the full spectrum of insight, empathy, and experience needed to turn good plans into great outcomes.

AI may be the future of efficiency. But as for us, we are still the future of true transformation within organizations.