STRATEGIC PLANNING IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS

1. STRATEGIC PLANNING IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS

2. Organizations that wonder if something is happening • Organizations that observe if something is happening • Organizations that make things happen Lee Jacocca, 1984 Bratislava Regional Center

3. WHY DO STRATEGIES SO OFTEN STAY ON THE SHELF?

4. WHY DO STRATEGIES SO OFTEN STAY ON THE SHELF? • Developed by consultants and employees who were not involved; • Strategy is unrealistic: objectives are not in line with resources available (financial, human); • Organizational structure does not reflect strategic objectives; • …….. Bratislava Regional Center

5. KEY OBSTACLES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES © Kaplan R.S., Downing L., 2000 Bratislava Regional Center

6. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR YOUR LGA?

7. BENEFITS OF STRATEGIC PLANNING • Helps generate commitment by involving all the key stakeholders • Helps to rationalize resources • Unifies different approaches • Allows LGA to be demand driven • Creates political and organizational framework for achieving LGA objectives • …….. Bratislava Regional Center

8. Work plans IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING Observe agreements assess progress Deal with problems monitor success Development of the plan Conclude, review REPORT Assessment Start © David H. Hargreaves, David Hopkins Bratislava Regional Center

9. STAGE I: Preparation • Self-assessment of supportive environment: resources, capacities, motivation • Organizational structure: steering group, working groups, project team • Work plan: process, deadlines, responsibilities, monitoring • Resources… Bratislava Regional Center

10. Key questions to ask about preparatory process • Do we have supportive environment to develop and implement strategic plan? (does everyone affected understand the reasons for the plan and are able to raise concerns?). • Do we have sufficient resources (financial, human) to develop the strategy? • Do we have organizational system and action plan to develop the strategy? • Do we have appropriate leadership? Bratislava Regional Center

11. STAGE II: Strategy development • Strategic situation assessment • Formulation of vision and mission • Strategic priorities and objectives • Work plans/programmes + financial plan • Monitoring system Bratislava Regional Center

12. STRATEGIC SITUATION ASSESSMENT Environment Opportunities Threats Competitors Partners Clients/stakeholders Organization Interest groups Resources Capacities Structures Values, culture Bratislava Regional Center

13. Strategic goal 1: Our LGA plays a leading role in strengthening local government system in Turkey. Objective 1: Develop technical expertise to provide quality advice/inputs on legal framework.Objective 2: …… Bratislava Regional Center

14. All objectives should be action-orientated and SMART • Specific - So, not “to increase our revenues", but “to increase our revenues from products A, B and C". • Measurable – Objectives should be measurable • Achievable - Objectives should be challenging but realistic, so they are likely to be built on past performance. • Resourced - Objectives should not be set without committing the necessary resources whether that is financial, human, or whatever. If the resources are not available, there is no point in setting the objective. • Timed - So, not “to launch a newsletter", but “to launch a newsletter by June and thereafter publish the newsletter every month". Bratislava Regional Center

15. STAGE III: Strategy implementation • Monitor implementation (reporting) • Communicate results to members (annual report to the Board and General Assembly) • Celebrate achievements • Review strategy, review/develop annual action plan Bratislava Regional Center

16. Key questions to ask about implementation • Do we have monitoring and reporting system in place? (how often, reporting lines). • Do we have the right organizational structure to implement the plan? (structural units, coordination and decision making mechanisms) • Do we have relevant competences to be able to implement our objectives? • Do we have sufficient funding and our budget is in line with strategy and annual work plan? • Do we have incentive system to motivate employees? Bratislava Regional Center

17. WHAT IS AN INDICATOR? • An indicator helps us to understand where we are, where we are going and how far we are from the goal. • It must be a clue, a symptom, a pointer to something that is changing. Indicators are presentations of measurements. • They are bits of information that summarize the characteristics of systems or highlight what is happening in a system. http://hostings.diplomacy.edu/baldi/malta2001/statint/Statistics_Int_Affairs-27.htm Bratislava Regional Center

18. EXAMPLE: • Objective: All municipalities pay a membership fee to LGA by 2010. • Indicator: % of municipalities paying membership fee • Baseline: 40 % of municipalities are paying membership fee at the moment • Target: 100% municipalities Bratislava Regional Center

19. Task: Assess the quality of strategic planning process in your LGA (35 min.) • Group 1: Assess the quality of strategic planning using performance benchmark (factor 1). • Group 2: Analyze the quality of preparatory process. • Group 3:Analyze the quality of strategic planning document. • Group 4: Assess the quality of implementation. Bratislava Regional Center

20. Task: Preparations for the development of strategic plan Group 1: Prepare an action plan for the development of the strategy. Group 2: Carry out stakeholder analysis. Group 3: Carry out self assessment in strategic planning. Bratislava Regional Center