Case Study

Assessments and Strategic Planning

 

Rockwood engages with critical stakeholders to understand and assess the current state, solidify the future state, and design and draft strategic plans and governance structures to achieve the future state

The Client

A director within the Defense Security Enterprise (DSE), responsible for standardizing and increasing the effectiveness of security functions, policies, and processes.

Client Challenge

Despite publishing the DSE Strategy in July 2021, the client’s governance bodies were not acting as collaborative forum, thus failed to effectively drive action. With a complex stakeholder environment and increasing threats, the DSE needed support to collaboratively develop a vision and strategy and to improve the governance structure to drive results .

Rockwood’s Approach

Rockwood supported the DSE senior leadership to develop a cross enterprise 5-year vision, a strategy to achieve this vision, and a governance structure to elevate, integrate, and optimize defense security in a formidable threat environment.  

Rockwood executed the following approach:  

  • Researched the operating environment and policies and guidance.  

  • Conducted internal and external stakeholder interviews.

  • Themed and analyzed data to provide a solid starting point for the strategy.

  • Engaged specific key stakeholders to help shape a draft vision statement and a strategy to galvanize collective action toward the desired future state. 

  • Facilitated a vision and strategy alignment session with senior DSE leadership to finalize the materials and gain commitment to drive change.

  • Operationalized the enterprise vision through the creation of a multi-year strategy.

  • Developed and implemented a tactical communications plan to convey the DSE vision and strategy to stakeholders.

Results

The DSE community has a clear vision and is driving to the outcomes outlined in their strategy through an efficient governance structure. As a result, the DSE continues to make significant progress on complex cross-government security challenges and rapidly responds to real-world security situations as an enterprise.  

 
The more positive feedback I get, the more I marvel at what we have accomplished. We published two high-level, high-impact Strategies in two years. I’m so pleased and excited about the work ahead.
— Deputy Director for Defense Intelligence, CL&S–DSE, Sept. 2022