Building Better Leaders. Securing Enduring Impact.
StevenArmstrong.ca and The PARATUS Group specialize in transforming organizations through proven expertise in strategic planning, leadership development, and regulatory governance.
We provide cutting-edge, evidence-based consulting rooted in extensive, first-hand experience across private, non-profit, and regulated sectors.
Strategic Planning for Enduring Success (General)
A strategic plan is your blueprint for the future. It must be more than a document; it must be a visionary, practical, applicable, and achievable roadmap that secures your organization’s relevance for a decade or more. We partner with leadership teams to transition from broad goals to focused, measurable action.
Our Cutting-Edge Strategic Planning Process:
We facilitate a highly collaborative, multi-phase process designed to empower your team and ensure the final plan is owned and championed internally.
Phase | Activity | Outcome |
Discovery | Immersive Stakeholder Engagement (interviews, focus groups, surveys) and Deep Dive Analysis (SWOT, PESTLE). | A comprehensive understanding of internal strengths and external market opportunities/challenges. |
Strategy Development | Collaborative Workshops to co-create a compelling, long-term Vision Statement and define strategic priorities. | An agile, future-proofed Strategic Plan that integrates innovation and long-term sustainability. |
Implementation | Establishing robust Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) for every goal. | A clear Implementation Roadmap with assigned responsibilities and a framework for monitoring progress. |
Addressing the Deficiencies of Traditional Plans:
Our process directly addresses common strategic planning weaknesses:
- Lack of Vision: We help articulate a compelling desired future state with a year-long horizon.
- Limited Measurability: We define SMART objectives and KPIs to ensure every strategy can be tracked and evaluated for effectiveness.
- Insufficient Innovation: We integrate innovation as a core principle to explore new regulatory approaches and service delivery models.
Case Study: Celebrating a Milestone: The CADA Strategic Plan 2025-2030
The Challenge: Evolving Beyond Tradition
As an HPA-regulated profession, the College of Alberta Dental Assistants (CADA) recognized the need to move beyond traditional, short-term planning. The regulatory environment demands an agile, visionary, and public-facing strategy. The existing plan required an update to address:
- The need for a longer-term vision for professional relevance and sustainability.
- The Imperative for Enhanced Public Trust and Effective Stakeholder Engagement in a Changing Regulatory Landscape.
- The transition from generalized goals to a measurable, actionable 5-Year Roadmap with clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
CADA sought a partner with lived experience in regulatory Governance—as both governors and staff—to navigate these complexities and co-create a plan rooted in the public interest.
The PARATUS Group Approach: Collaboration and Evidence
The PARATUS Group, led by Steve Armstrong, partnered with CADA in February 2025, committing to a nine-month, fully inclusive strategic planning process. Our methodology was built on the core value of partnering with the client to ensure the final plan was trusted, robust, and championed by the entire community.
- Immersive Stakeholder Engagement
Success was anchored in listening to the community. We executed a strong communications plan to ensure every voice was heard:
- Quantitative Insights: Comprehensive surveys reaching 593 registrants provided a foundational understanding of the community’s priorities and concerns.
- Qualitative Depth: In-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with Board members, CADA staff, Educators, and Partner Organizations to gather diverse perspectives and build consensus.
- Gamified Strategic Development
To ensure high engagement and transformative outcomes, The PARATUS Group facilitated a dynamic strategic planning retreat. This innovative, gamified approach successfully moved stakeholders from providing feedback to co-creating a shared future, ensuring alignment between CADA’s mission and its daily operations.
Key Outcomes and Strategic Pillars
The collaborative process culminated in a unified Vision and the establishment of Four Core Strategic Pillars that now serve as the foundation of the CADA Strategic Plan 2025-2030:
- Defining CADA’s Role: Clarifying the mandate and scope of the College in the broader oral health ecosystem.
- Elevating the Profession: Enhancing the professional standards, recognition, and capacity of dental assistants.
- Strengthening Trust & Engagement: Building deeper relationships with registrants, the public, and partner organizations, centralizing the concept of Public Trust.
- Optimizing Our Organization: Ensuring CADA’s internal structures, Governance, and resources are agile and effective for long-term sustainability.
Deliverable: The 5-Year Action Plan
The PARATUS Group delivered a comprehensive 5-Year Action Plan that transforms the four pillars into executable strategies, complete with clear success metrics and a detailed implementation roadmap. Governance approved this plan and is now the critical framework guiding CADA’s operations and future growth.
Impact & Conclusion
The CADA Strategic Plan 2025-2030 is a monumental achievement rooted in trust and collaboration. It is a powerful example of how The PARATUS Group’s lived experience in regulatory Governance and commitment to immersive, evidence-based strategic planning can equip a regulated college to meet the evolving expectations of the public and their registrants.
This plan is more than a roadmap; it is a declaration of CADA’s shared future, ensuring the College continues to fulfill its profound responsibility to protect the public and advance the profession of dental assistants.
Specialized Services for Regulated Professions (Governance & Strategy)
The governance landscape for regulated professions is profoundly human and rapidly evolving.
We provide the knowledge and first-hand transformational experience necessary to meet escalating stakeholder expectations and ensure the public trust is upheld.
Strategic Alignment with Public Interest 
For regulated professions, strategic planning must be intrinsically linked to the public interest mandate. We ensure your strategy serves both your registrants and the broader public good.
- Public Interest Mandate: Deep dive into the meaning and implications of the “Public Interest” to ensure the strategic plan is compliant, compelling, and clearly demonstrates the profession’s value.
- Stakeholder Navigation: Leveraging our lived experience as governors and staff within HPA-regulated colleges to expertly manage stakeholder engagement, regulatory compliance, and political dynamics.
- System Refinement: Reviewing governance mechanisms (decision-making, rule-setting, risk management) to ensure they are simple, effective, and fully support the implementation of the strategic plan.
Modern Governance Excellence
We help move your Board beyond basic compliance, developing a governance culture and system that is a “fulsome and wholesome partnership” between management and the Board.
- Regulatory Reform: Implementing and refining cutting-edge governance models, such as Right-Touch Regulation and Reform Governance, to ensur
e that public protection is always prioritized, moving beyond outdated models (e.g., Carver). - Board Effectiveness & Coaching: Providing specialized, evidence-based coaching and support to the CEO, Board, and Committee Chairs to navigate new provincial regulations and the complexities of Boards with a 50-50 blend of public and regulated members.
- Evidence-Based Assessment: Utilizing a Four-Step evidence gathering process—What we read, What we see, What we hear, and What we review—to inform unbiased and actionable recommendations.
- Governance Culture Review: Assessing the existing tone, values, and ethical culture of Board and Committee meetings, emphasizing probity, ethics, inclusivity, respect, and accountability.
The PARATUS Group Advantage
- Lived Experience: We offer extensive experience as governors and staff, bringing a nuanced perspective to regulatory compliance and stakeholder engagement.
- Commitment to Public Interest: We possess a unique and compelling understanding of the “Public Interest” and its implications for both governance and strategic direction.
- Partnership Approach: We avoid transactional work, focusing instead on partnering with our clients to build internal capacity and ensure the final solution is owned and championed by your team.
