🚀 go-pugleaf

Date: 13 Oct 92 12:09 +0800
From: Tony Bates <tonyb@ola.bc.ca>
To: banpln-m@acs.ucalgary.ca
Message-Id: <477*tonyb@ola.bc.ca>
Subject: Planning: process
 
Under the topic of process, I'd like to discuss planning models and
techniques within those models. At OLA, we have been using a strategic
planning model for over three years. This model is derived from
the business environment, and is the one 'taught' by the American
management Association. Basically, it consists of the following steps:
        Define a mission/mandate statement for the organization
                (what do we do)
        Scan the external environment: what is happening outside
                the Agency that may affect its work?
        Develop a SWOT analysis: what are the strengths/weaknesses/
                opportunities/threats for the Agency in the external
                environment?
        Issues definition: what are the main issues facing the Agency?
        Define strategic directions: what are the main directions that
                we want the Agency to go in?
        Define clear objectives for the next 3-5 years, in measurable
                terms
        Develop strategies to achieve those objectives
        Develop a budget to reflect these objectives/strategies
        Operationalize a plan to achieve objectives/strategies within
                the constraints of actual or likely budgets for the 
next
                year
        Measure the achievement or other wise of objectives
        Evaluate plan ready for next year's planning process.
We have now produced a strategic plan three times for the Ministry,
received a lot of praise and moral support for our mission and 
strategic
directions, but still been funded at more or less the same level as
all other post-secondary institutions. We are as a consequence
seeking to broaden our base of funding (our Ministry now provides
just two-thirds of our revenues, and this proportion is slowly
declining each year).
Questions:
        1.      Do you have a similar planning process? If so, what
                are your experiences? Has it worked? What are its
                limitations?
        2.      Do you have a different process? If so, what is it and
                what are your views on it?
        3.      If you don't have a process, but want to learn more
                about it, what areas are of particular interest?



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