E-Day, the 19th of November. Just another day?
Ron Bolin: Oct. 19, 2011
One month from today on November 19, the citizens of Nanaimo (and those who do not live here but do own property here) will have their final votes counted in an election which will bring the 25th Council of the City of Nanaimo to office. In the meantime we are left to evaluate the possible future performance in that Council of 22 candidates for Council seats and 4 candidates for Mayor. If past experience is any guide, the public will receive very little understanding of their backers, their issues, their desires, and how they propose to implement their objectives, let alone pay for them. I have run in three elections: the first as a lark; the second as part of a clearly identified slate (FPN); and the third as an independent grass roots candidate who would take no more than $50 from any single source. I was unsuccessful in these attempts for whatever reasons. I did, however, learn a lot about campaigning in Nanaimo.
First, it helps to be a long time, if not lifetime, Nanaimo resident. In a small town, as Nanaimo was, the connections made at school carry over through the decades. Second it is important to have the social and financial backing of one of the traditional two camps in town, namely the Chamber/Home Builders or the Labour Council/Unions. An examination of the election expense filings which are available from the city on line at:
http://www.nanaimo.ca/EN/main/departments/Legislative-Services/MunicipalElections.html
will demonstrate that these two camps are very active in supporting candidates and that the broader public is not. Money is a great aid in an election process. Third, the sports connections in Nanaimo are very strong.
Another phenomenon which seems to be a holdover from a previous era in Nanaimo’s history is the scrappiness with which the right and left, the south and the north, the chamber/homebuilders and the Labour Council contend. It is a regular battle of the body parts which leaves the body itself aching and constipated. How else could it be that a City with so much going for it could do so little with what it has for so much expense? How else could it be that the City peddles its assets for so little in return?
Yet it continues to survive its cramps, continuing to operate almost normally from day to day with only a severe case of urban acne to scar its fundamental beauty. How long can it take it out there on the mean streets? Probably a very long time…
But are there things that can be done about it? Of course there are! And we can do them. First we can examine why we are in the state that we are in. An excellent brief introduction to the subject can be found in this 7 minute long examination of why we are so apathetic about municipal government.
www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin_the_antidote_to_apathy.html
City Hall should pay attention to several of these points, particularly where transparency is involved.
We can follow this up by listening to the podcasts of interviews with candidates on CHLY radio if we go to www.chly.ca scroll down to October 17, click on Meet the Candidates, look at the schedule and then click on “Click here to play the podcast”. The first of these 45 minute interviews was recorded last Monday and was with Candidates Brennan, Olson and Maartman. Listen carefully. This is probably the longest time available for candidates to communicate with voters in the entire campaign process. After this there will be one or two 60 to 90 second chunks, short answers to preset questions, and ads and billboards. There is very little debate or exchange of ideas in Nanaimo campaigns.
What dialogue there is tends to be about the person, not about the primary issues, not about defining the problems and certainly not about any specific recommendations for action. If a doctor, or a lawyer, or an engineer or a financial advisor were as vague, we would walk away from them. Perhaps it is for this reason that far too many of us walk away –or should I say do not bother to walk to- the voting booth. But we can demand more specifics and we do not need to let our candidates off the hook. If we want good candidates, we need to reel them in after a struggle, not simply let them drift into our creel.
As a final note, I suggest you may wish to take a look at www.civicvote.ca. It appears to offer full services to candidates and in so doing offers citizens an apparently easy way to compare them: at least those candidates who sign on to their service(s). I am not touting this site or its services. If few candidates sign on, its value will be greatly, if not totally, diminished. But I find it a stunning example of the entrepreneurial spirit in a venue where such has been sorely lacking.
Posts and Comments on Nanaimo Governance 
PS: At the upcoming FPCOW (Finance and Policy Committee of the Whole) meeting to be held on Monday, October 24, at 4:30 in the City Hall Board Room, one of the major items to be discussed is a possible contract to develop a Strategic Plan. In the ongoing spirit of transparency, NOT, that the City has followed, a good deal of the discussion seems to revolve around the extent to which public participation should be involved. It seems that it will be simpler and cheaper to leave the public out of the equation.
The agenda for this meeting can be seen at:
Click to access FPCOW111024A.pdf
Thanks for the link to the radio station. I listened to the first podcast and I will probably listen to the next podcast, but if the second podcast is much like the first one, then I’ll probably find something else to do.
I wish we could encourage people to run because they recognize a need to make a difference. Instead we have at least three candidates who are only running for the honour.
I must say Darcy Olsen is a great disappointment. When will she realize that being uninformed and having no opinion is only slightly better then have an uninformed opinion? The other two strive a little too hard to maintain uninformed opinion.
I really tired of voting for people who don’t have a mission beyond getting elected.
As for the upcoming FPCOW, why are we contracting out the development of a strategic plan? If you have a competent planning department then this is an integral part of their regular job. Why don’t we just fire the incompetent clowns in our planning department, and hire people who can actually do the job?
I don’t believe the planning department at the city is there to plan strategy as compared to planning city layout. Two totally different things.
In developing a strategy for the city all departments should be involved as well as citizens at large. And not the same old same old citizens that get picked.
Lynn; One must wonder just who! does the planning , staff,Council or Plan Nanaimo?
One example could be.
Who decided that an “emergency supply of water ” was required & the following agreement with Harmac Pulp Mill??
I don’t believe there is a Strategic plan for Nanaimo so in that sense no one. There is planning for roadways etc but for the growth, which way Nanaimo wants to or should go no one as far as I am concerned. Just doing it by the seat of your pants I think.
I am sure there must be some people working for the city that have the know how but I fear they are being totally underutilized, if used at all.
It is my understanding that the Senior Management including the city manager do not really have performance reviews done yearly. That being the case then how do the powers that be know if anyone there is doing a good job. As well normally a person work objectives come from the Strategic Plan. That being the case if there is no plan what are the work objectives each employee are to meet?
Ron said:
“How else could it be that a City with so much going for it could do so little with what it has for so much expense? How else could it be that the City peddles its assets for so little in return?”
You could substitute the word City with Country, and be making fair comment on the state of our nation. The problem could be that we are all Canadians here and don’t really pay attention too much.
We don’t tend to vote much either.
That is a crying shame, but it seems to be the state of the nation. Democracy has only proven to me, we are indeed not intelligent enough to govern ourselves.
It will take much more than one or two new councillors to change much at city hall, IMHO it will take a change of some senior managers on staff.
My view is that all planning is strategic or it isn’t planning. Development should be a significant component of that strategic planning. It is so significant that if development is not included in the strategies, then the other planning might as well not be done.
I think that strategic planning should be the combined efforts of the senior managers. This is why any organization pays their senior managers the big bucks. If we have to pay a consultant to do strategic planning then we’re not getting our monies worth from our senior staff.
Some sort of restructuring needs to be done. Perhaps we should be breaking this down into two stages, restructure the senior management level and, also, restructure the planning department so that both can contribute to the strategic planning process.
The problem is going to take a lot of time and effort to solve; I don’t think hiring a consultant to do another report is going help.
But who will watch the watchers?
I think the city has no choice but to hire a consultant.I truly don’t believe there is anyone within the city that can lead this type of project. Although the City Manager should be able to do this he is one of the people so I have been told that has not really had a proper performance review. Therefore is he really qualified who knows!
There is no Strategic Plan and this city is just floating waiting to see where we land. A consultant should be able to lead an unbiased project where all concerned parties are able to put forth their thoughts and ideas. To me this is money well spent if the right consultant is hired. It is a Strategic Plan the consultant is to deliver not just a ‘report’. This plan should be the guide to Nanaimo’s future.
If you have ever been involved in developing a strategic plan you would know what I mean.
To Ron’s comment; we vote in the people who are supposed oversee and direct the planning effort.
To Lynn’s comment; the other choice is to hire senior staff who can do planning. Further, we are well beyond the point where one overarching plan will do any good at all. The world is changing far too fast, before even a part of such a plan can be implemented its obsolete.
As well, there is far too much going on in this city; so many different concerns, values, agenda’s and conflicts to allow one plan to act as an umbrella for all our aspirations. To work strategic planning requires a little more thinking on one’s feet, flexibility, messaging, grabbing opportunity when it presents itself and otherwise winning the war one battle at a time. If you can’t win the war one way, then you have to find another way.
The strategic planning you talk about does two things; It gives comfort to fools who think the future is going to go as planned, it gets translated into another set of regulations designed to stifle any innovation that comes along. This is how wars are lost.
I disagree Daniel. Plans can be adjusted that is why it is called a plan.
Here is some general information on how to start the process.
Strategic Planning
There is no one best way to approach strategic planning. The strategic planning process can be undertaken at virtually any level, a department, organization, program, and/or the entire community (a city, county, region, or state).
Processes are often as simple as an annual retreat in which departmental staff or a city council goes away for two or three days to assess where they are, where they want to be, set goals and decide among alternative strategies.
For the City of Nanaimo I would strongly suggest the contracting of an outside party with expertise in developing strategic plans for large organizations. Although it is understood there is a cost to this approach, I believe the cost can be justified. Nanaimo as it is, right now has no real direction and MUST remodel itself.
Regardless of the approach, successful, results-driven strategic planning addresses four major questions:
1. Where are we now?
2. Where do we want to be in the future?
3. How will we get there?
4. How do we measure our progress?
Goal, Objectives and Performance Measures as Elements of Strategic Planning
Section 1
Where Are We Now?
Internal/External Assessment
• Situation inventory/environmental scan
• Customer analysis
• Quality assessment and benchmarking
• Strategic issues
Section2
Where Do We Want to Be?
Mission and Principles
• Broad, comprehensive statement of the organization’s purpose
• Core values, conduct to achieve mission
• Employees and leadership Involved
Vision
• When combined with mission and principles, identifies organization’s uniqueness
• Compelling image of desired future
Section 3
How Do We Get There?
Goals and Objectives
• General end purposes toward which effort is directed
• Specific and measurable targets for accomplishment
• Leads to quality initiative goals and objectives
• Leads to resource allocation
Section 4
How Do We Measure Our Progress?
Action Plans
• Strategies used to accomplish goals and objectives
• Detailed work plans
Performance Measures
• Methods used to ensure results
• Ensure accountability and continuous improvement-linked performance targets
Monitoring and Tracking
• Systems to monitor progress
• Compiles management information
• Keeps plan on track
Step One: Planning to Plan.
This is the critical first step in which the organization assesses its readiness to engage in strategic planning and designs a planning process to match its purposes, resources, and political environment.
Before moving ahead, key players need to come to an agreement regarding the:
• Purpose of and need for the effort;
• Organization’s readiness, in terms of staff and financial resources, culture and commitment;
• Form and timing of any reports;
• Commitment of technical and financial resources;
• Steps/process to be followed; and the
• Organizational arrangement to be used to carry out the planning process.
The most common organizational arrangement involves the formation of a steering committee along with a number of task groups. The steering committee is generally responsible for overall direction and decision making. Task groups typically make recommendations to the steering committee based on in-depth examinations of particular issue areas.
Step Two: Gaining and Sustaining Commitment.
Identifying and involving key stakeholders, whether legislators, government employees, or citizens, is essential to strategic planning. Be sure to conduct a broad search in order to prevent turning up just the “usual suspects.” In fact, you might consider forming a special public involvement or outreach committee to plan, organize and implement involvement activities.
Techniques that governments have used to involve citizens and other stakeholders in the planning process include:
• Surveys, media announcements, descriptive brochures and community meetings at the launching of the strategic planning process.
• Public meetings, focus groups, surveys, periodic newsletters, newspaper inserts and electronic town meetings at key decision points in the process-not only to provide reactions to pending decisions but to guide future tasks as well.
• Hot lines, speakers’ bureaus and facilitation services throughout the process to respond to inquiries and organize discussions. Sustaining stakeholders’ commitment is equally important. Keys to sustaining commitment are to:
• Continually and visibly demonstrate the commitment of the organization and key players to the process;
• Make the process meaningful and high profile;
• Set a realistic timetable;
• Set realistic and appropriate expectations for those involved in the process;
• Use opportunities to celebrate milestones;
• Look for and exploit opportunities for quick, interim successes; and
• Continually communicate what is going on to those in the organization or broader community.
Step Three: Analyzing Customer and Stakeholder Needs and Desires.
Just as successful businesses pay close attention to the needs of their customers, governments are also adopting a customer orientation. This means seeking the advice of customers and other stakeholders early on in the planning process.
Customer and stakeholder input is particularly important in defining the organization’s vision, mission, values and also can help in identifying gaps between expectations and current performance.
Step Four: Analysis of Organizational Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
In order to develop realistic plans, you need to take a hard look at your organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as scan the external environment for potential opportunities and threats that you may face in the future.
The examination of internal strengths and weaknesses should focus on issues such as the organization’s structure, its culture, its employees and its fiscal status. Sources of information may include:
• Employee surveys
• Customer surveys
• Policy development files
• Internal databases
• Budget requests
• Annual reports
• Program evaluations
• Agency audit recommendations
• Internal plans
The external assessment is an equally important feature of the strategic planning process-and one which distinguishes it from other more commonly used planning practices. It represents an attempt to see where the organization stands in the context of past trends, current realities and future possibilities.
External factors which can have a powerful effect on a community or organization include population shifts, economic conditions, regulatory changes and technological developments. Sources of information may include:
• Federal and provincial government statistical reports and databases
• Federal, provincial and local government legislation, regulations, budgets, policy statements and special studies
• Court decisions and actions
• National and regional professional associations or organizations
• Interest or advocacy groups
• Media
• University and college resource centers
• Agency advisory and governing boards
Step Five: Setting a Strategic Direction.
Understandably, we often lose sight of our organization’s broad purposes in the crush of day-to-day demands on our time. Strategic planning allows us to step back from our everyday tasks and ponder this bigger picture-to set a strategic direction for the organization by articulating our values, vision and mission.
Why is setting a strategic direction so important? Because it creates an organizational identity. Knowing “who we are” and what we are trying to achieve:
• Helps us set priorities among competing demands for time;
• Helps us make judgments about how to handle specific tasks or customers;
• Helps build a sense of teamwork and morale among staff; and
• Imparts the long-term perspective needed to bring about a real change in conditions.
A well-defined and understood strategic direction “makes everyone’s job better-and everyone better at their job.”
Vision Statements
A vision statement has been described as “a view of a realistic, credible, attractive future.” Good vision statements are inspirational, clearly understood and brief enough to remember. There are a variety of approaches to developing a vision statement, including:
• Reviewing the analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats;
• Holding brainstorming sessions;
• Drawing graphic visions of t future trips through the agency or community;
• Pretending you are a planning committee from the future that is writing a report on accomplishments in the intervening years; and
• Exploring visions developed for other agencies or communities.
Mission Statements
An organization’s mission is, quite simply, the reason for its existence. A good mission statement should address the following types of questions:
•Who are we?
•Whom do we serve?
•What are the basic purposes for which we exist?
•What basic problems were we established to address?
•What are we trying to achieve?
•What makes us distinctive or unique?
Organization Values
An organization’s values are those principles that guide its behaviour. They define the organization’s management style and rules of personal and agency behaviour. Value statements often address such topics as:
•Respect for both customers and employees;
•Ethical and professional standards of conduct;
•Equal opportunity policies; and
•An emphasis on quality services.
Step Six: Identifying Strategic Issues.
Strategic issues are issues that are critical to the future of the organization-issues that must be addressed in order for the organization to carry out its mission. Perhaps in your organization these are pressing customer concerns, or perhaps they are high-profile public policy issues. In order to identify your organization’s strategic issues, you need to ask:
• What is the issue?
• Why is it an issue?
• Who says it is an issue?
• How do we know it is an issue?
• What factors make it a strategic issue?
• Can we do something about it?
• What are the consequences of failing to address this issue?
Step Seven: Developing Goals, Objectives and Performance Measures.
If you know where you are and where you want to go, you can begin to plot a course to that vision. Goals are one of the basic navigational tools that can help you chart the future direction of your organization. Goals are broad, issue oriented statements that begin to focus actions towards clearly defined purposes. Goals are often tied to specific strategic issues, such as education or public safety.
As you develop goal statements, consider the following questions:
• Are the goals in harmony with your organization’s legislative mandate, vision, mission, and value statements? Will achievement of the goals fulfill or help fulfill the vision and mission?
• Do the goals reflect your organization’s strategic issues and priorities?
• Do the goals provide a clear direction for action?
• Are the goals long-range/unrestricted by time?
The next step is to specify objectives, or expected accomplishments along the way. Objectives have been defined as “quantifiable interim steps toward achieving an agency’s long-range vision and goals. Linked directly to goals, objectives are measurable, time-based statements of intent. They emphasize the results of agency actions at the end of a specific time period.”
Specific. Objectives reflect specific accomplishments that are desired, not the ways (strategies) to accomplish them. All objectives should be capable of generating specific strategies or actions. An objective should also be detailed enough to be understandable and give clear direction to others.
Measurable. An objective must be measurable. It is at this level that a clear linkage is made to performance measurement. To the extent that a goal has measurable objectives, the attainment of the goal itself can be measured.
Aggressive but Attainable. If objectives are to be standards for achievement, they must be challenging but realistic and within the ability of the organization to achieve. They ought not to demand the impossible. This is in contrast to the vision, or even goals, which may be beyond one organization’s capacity to achieve alone, and thus require aligned, co-operative efforts among multiple organizations.
Results-oriented. Objectives should specify results or outcomes, not ways to accomplish them.
Time-bound. Each objective should have a specific time frame for attainment.
Step Eight: Devising Strategies and Action Plans.
Once you know where you are headed, the next step is to determine how to get there. Strategies are methods used to accomplish goals and objectives. More than one strategy may be needed to accomplish each objective.
You may want to begin by reviewing existing strategies. Do you think that they will meet your goals and objectives? Can they be modified to increase their effectiveness, or are entirely new initiatives needed? What types of strategies have other organizations used successfully to meet similar goals?
Evaluation of potential strategies will help you narrow down your choices.
In making judgments about workable strategies, the following should be considered:
1.Does the strategy reflect our legislative mandate, vision, mission and values?
2.Is the strategy clearly linked to the accomplishment of a particular goal and objective?
3.Is the strategy realistic given political considerations, staffing requirements, and costs?
4.Is the strategy technically feasible?
5.Will the strategy be accepted by key stakeholders?
6.Is the strategy compatible with other strategies?
Step Nine: Implementing the Plan.
Once you have selected appropriate strategies, an action plan should be developed to provide detail on how each strategy will be implemented. Action plans should specify:
. Staff assignments
. Action steps
.Schedules and deadlines
• Cost and expenditure information
• Sources of funding
Communicating and marketing the plan need to be key components of the implementation process. “Business executives and agency directors can regale you with stories about marathon strategic planning retreats where they write and agree to mission and goal statements that then go nowhere,” observes Janet Topolsky in Heading Home, a major report of the 1992 Commission on the Future of the South. “Sometimes it’s because the plans and decisions are communicated nowhere. Staff-and customers-are left in the dark, with no expectations and no information.”
Some suggested ways of communicating your message include:
Internally:
• Talk about it at staff meetings;
• Write articles in internal newsletters or post it on your internet;
• Display highlights in prominent locations; and
• Recognize and celebrate accomplishments.
Externally:
• Put your mission on letterhead/business cards;
• Write articles in newsletters;
• Issue press releases;
• Reference the plan in speeches;
• Participate in media interviews;
• Work with newspaper editorial boards;
• Produce a video; and
• Initiate a special newsletter dedicated to the plan’s implementation.
Elections, changes in administration and various crises can and often do bring processes to a quick end, with visions and goals left unrealized. This can serve to demoralize stakeholders and erode their confidence and trust in the organization. Strategies to institutionalize the process should be developed right from the start. Most importantly, the plan must be linked to the organization’s budget, work plan and other decision making processes. It needs to be made part of a system of strategic management. The plan in the end is linked to the performance review for all staff
Step Ten: Measuring Performance/Evaluating Results.
Evaluation serves as the feedback loop in the strategic planning process and completes the cycle from planning to performance. It is essential to sustaining and institutionalizing strategic management over time. Attention needs to be given to three different types of monitoring and evaluation:
Performance monitoring
Performance monitoring and reporting should be done on at least a quarterly basis. Regular monitoring not only helps to identify problem areas that may need to be revisited, but can also bring to light strategies that are working particularly well and might warrant replication in other settings.
Key questions include:
• Are we moving toward our vision?
• Are we carrying out our mission?
• Are we behaving in ways that are consistent with our organizational values?
• Are we meeting stakeholders’ expectations?
Process monitoring
You should also monitor and evaluate the processes you use to plan and make decisions.
• Is our organization better now than it was before we undertook the planning process?
• Would we do it again given what we know now? If so, what would we change?
• Have the stakeholders become part of our team? How do we sustain these relationships?
Environmental monitoring
The outside world is constantly changing. In order to keep up with these changes, monitoring your external environment needs to be a regular ongoing task. It is particularly important to pay attention to changing conditions, needs, and technologies, as these and other outside events will impact the assumptions on which your plan has been based.
Who Should Be Involved?
Although strategic planning can be initiated by the public, non-profit, or private sectors, the most successful efforts involve all sectors in a co-operative partnership. Why? First, consideration of a variety of perspectives is most likely to result in an accurate picture of current problems and identification of effective solutions. Second, government will invariably need the co-operation of all of these partners in implementing the plan. It is well known that people are most committed to carrying out plans that they have made themselves.
Participants should be recruited with the following in mind
• What are the perspectives necessary to credibly and effectively define problems and create solutions?
• What are the interests that must be represented in order to reach agreements that can be implemented?
• Who is necessary to implement solutions? Who can block action? Who controls resources?
• Who will be affected by the plan and its solutions?
The following conditions help maximize the chances for successful outcomes in the strategic planning process: • Key stakeholders support the process in word and deed, e.g., active participation, allocating sufficient resources, selling the process and committing to the outcomes;
• The “right people” are involved and stay involved. All stakeholders must believe that they have the opportunity for meaningful participation in the process;
• There is a process champion(s)—a person who can facilitate interaction between key decision makers; This can be your outside consultant with a couple of key persons
• Process leaders are flexible, patient and maintain a sense of humour. Remember, things almost certainly will not go as you expect;
• The structure and details of the process are not allowed to become an end rather than a means;
• The process is kept as simple as possible. The process is integrated into the work flow rather than being tacked on or viewed as additional work;
• The process is tailored to the particular organization and political environment;
• There is trust in the process; don’t try to shortcut it or manipulate it to shape the outcomes;
• Accountability and follow-up are built into the process from the beginning;
• The process is designed and conducted openly, honestly and with integrity;
• Plenty of training is provided to the participants on the process, the meaning of terms, group decision making skills, and teamwork;
• The process and its outcomes are actively communicated and marketed; and
• There is work towards and celebration of some early successes.
Lynn, thank you for this. I can see the value of this process if it leaves the upper management with one planning skill. One planning skill would be better then what they have now.
My concern is that this will leave this group of people off the hock. The consultant is supposed to do the hard work of collecting a diverse herd of council into a coherent group of sheep in the middle of the field and then upper management uses the report as a whip to keep the sheep in the group for the rest of the term.
Do you see what I mean. If in the middle of the term a sheep bucks and tries to get away, the management just has to say, ‘hey, you approved of this planning process you’re acting out of line with the program you agreed to a year or so ago.’ and if the sheep bucks more and gets more sheep bucking, then the managers can say, ‘well, the plan is at fault, and the person responsible for the plan is no longer involved.’
The management gets it both ways. Someone else does the hard work they are supposed to do, and they are not responsible if the plan goes wrong. We are paying these people too much to allow them the luxury of this “strategic planning” process.
Plus, we are not doing the work that needs to be done, which is to re-structure all the planning aspects of city hall so that the city can perform in a more effective way and contribute to the progress of this city.
No the management MUST be involved, the consultant makes sure that really everything is done in a timely, on time manner. The consultant is not doing all the work but co-ordinating the people involved. Managment is still ultimately responsible to work within the strategic plan.
If as you say the sheep start bucking then it hurts then in their wallet because the outcome of the strategic plan is tied to their pay, and perhaps eventhe job.
I have said more that one time on this site that there must be a core review of the jobs and who is doing what. Even that can get worked into a strategic plan if so inclined.
Yes, Lynn, I do understand how strategic planning should work, but, in this case, the people responsible for implementation of the plan (management) are not the ones responsible for the outcome. In these situations two things ALWAYS happen: abuse and failure.
This is not a comment on the value of strategic planning, we both agree that would be a good thing. This is a comment on the nature of humans. I know this sounds cynical, but let’s get real; a shepherd not responsible for his herd of sheep will lose a lot of sheep.
The only way this will work is if we offer to train upper management in the process of strategic planning, then we require them to do the strategic planning from beginning to results. This means that the people implementing the plan are responsible for the outcome. This makes success possible. And it also makes possible a proper core review.
The consultant does not take away from from senior management learning. They are 100% responsible for the strategic plan. We are talingthe samething. I don`t want a senior manager doing up the first strategic plan if they have never done one before. They will learn as they go through the process withthe consultant(s). Everyone top down is responsible for the implementing of the plan therefore it it affects all levels within the city. The consultant is there to keep the process going, not necessarily implementing.
I don`t understand why everyone here gets in a knot about consultants. There is good reasons to use them. Maybe no one at the city knows how to hire them!
If the staff at the city do not have the expertise to come up with a plan, then this is a very good way to train them. I forone don`t want them to go off to school for 6 weeks and then come back and try to work a strategic plan. Having work on numerous porjuects that would be a night mare to me.
Six weeks!!! I was thinking a two day seminar. Remember these are department heads; we have to assume they already have a high level of skill in the area of strategic planning. If we have to train them from scratch then I think we can expect them to do most of that on their own dime. We might find it easier and better to replace them with people who already have these skills.
I have nothing against hiring a consultant for a special circumstance where they might be able to augment the available general skill set. For example; the problem of introducing social housing to a neighbourhood, might require a consultant with special skills to contribute to the process. But in this case, we would be asking the consultant to undertake a basic part of the job of upper-management. Strategic planning is one of the reasons we pay these guys the big bucks. Its their responsibility. As soon as we hire a consultant to do this for them, we pay twice for the one job, and we release the managers from their responsibilities. And once the consultant is paid for his or her efforts they’re released from any of the consequences. I can’t imagine a system where abuse and failure are more likely. Proper use of consultants can really help, but this is the worst way to use planning consultants.
Perhaps, if Lynn had been at the FPCOW meeting she would understand that the situation she describes for the proper use of this type of consultant no longer exists. The circumstances that would make this process work are not here.
I can see that we are about to close the circle on this argument soon. Thank you, Lynn. Your arguments and insights have done a lot to clarify my point of view. I will be making a presentation on this subject before the next council decides on this issue, your efforts will contribute greatly to that presentation.
Who the hell am I gonna vote for?
Mayoralties: NADA!
Fred and Gord: COUNCIL!
What a sad scene: I’ll be plumping for the first time in my life.
BTW I see the new annex is a mud hole next to the 36 homeless units but no one dare call its name: usually a new building under construction, especially a city building, has a huge billboard trumpeting its coming existence.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
Step 1. Inventory:
a. Human resources.
b. Physical plant.
Re-assess 1: the vicissitudes of involving people inevitably brings up the need to back track and reassign.
Step 2. Financial resources:
a. From where?
b. From whom?
c. Long-term implications of accumulated debt.
Re-assess 2: the vicissitudes of involving people inevitably brings up the need to back track and reassign.
Step 3. Questions:
a. Where have we been?
b. Where are we going?
Re-assess 3: the vicissitudes of involving people inevitably brings up the need for back tracking and reassigning.
Step 4. Assessing current myths:
a. AGW conservation.
b. Compilation of “green” source material.
Re-assess 4: the vicissitudes of involving people inevitably brings up the need for back tracking and reassigning.
Step 5. Regulations:
a. In-situ regulations efficacious?
b. Regulation over load?
Re-assess 5: the vicissitudes of involving people inevitably brings up the need for back tracking and reassigning.
Step 6. Implementation:
c. Action at managerial level.
d. Anticipated response at working levels.
Re-assess 6: the vicissitudes of involving people inevitably brings up the need for back tracking and reassignment.
NANAIMO’s is a FIRE economy, essentially make-work and debt.
Whilst the system fabricates essential myths such as “sustainability” and “green-washing” they are by definition “unsustainable”.
There is also the staffing myth. The latter is subjective, consequential to the status quo and, therefore, best carried out “ex-parte” i.e. for the public.
Accordingly a wisely complied strategic plan will be short term, very short term: i.e. quiet unnecessary!
Your welcome Daniel, but we must agree to disagree.
Just a note, the All Candidates meeting has been moved from the 8th to the 3rd. It will be in Salons A & B at the VICC doors open at 6:00 pm.
This is the one sponsored by C of C and VIREB. The format does not usually give enough time to be very helpful, but does put a face to the names running.
Jim Taylor 30 October 2011 at 12pm said: “This is the one sponsored by C of C and VIREB. The format does not usually give enough time to be very helpful, but does put a face to the names running.”
Yes … the format provides voters with an opportunity to put a face to a name … and in order to be in a position to make an informed decision, a voter has to be engaged enough to do a bit of homework!
This article in Nanaimo News Bulletin also includes information on public forums being held for school trustee candidates.
“Election candidates featured at meetings”, By Chris Hamlyn – Nanaimo News Bulletin Published: October 28, 2011 11:00 AM
http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/news/132727313.html
Speaking of school trustees, does anyone know what the remuneration is for these positions?
Also, in the ’08 municipal election, there was a separate public forum for the mayoralty candidates. Does anyone know if that is happening for this election?