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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-13-027 - Components of the 2015-2018 Strategic Planning Process REPORT TO: Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee DATE OF MEETING: October 21, 2013 SUBMITTED BY: Laurie Majcher, Manager, Strategy & Business Planning 519-741-2200 Ext. 7817 PREPARED BY: Laurie Majcher, Manager, Strategy & Business Planning 519-741-2200 Ext. 7817 WARD(S) INVOLVED: N/A DATE OF REPORT: October 15, 2013 REPORT NO.: CAO-13-027 SUBJECT: Components of the Strategic Planning Process RECOMMENDATION: For discussion. BACKGROUND: In 1999, Compass Kitchener began a dialogue with citizens to develop a vision for the future of the City of Kitchener. Kitchener citizens were invited to talk about their vision for the city 20 years out. Kitchener City Council adopted the vision, values and directions they articulated in that process with the approval of the document “Compass Kitchener: Charting our path for Our Future, Community Vision and Strategic Directions, June 2000”. This was in effect, the City of Kitchener’s first strategic plan. Compass Kitchener reached out to the community again in 2003 through a community survey and focus group sessions. The City’s vision and directions were re-evaluated and updated against the backdrop of the issues of the day. In 2006, the results of the city’s Healthy Community Plan Working Group and the results of the community consultation underway by Compass Kitchener at the time were merged into a single document, A Plan for a Healthy Kitchener 2007 – 2027. This plan updated the 20-year vision for the City of Kitchener, and for the first time included specific recommendations for actions for the following four-year term of Council. Those recommendations included provisions for the identification of community priorities at the outset of each of Council's terms of office. In addition, Compass Kitchener was given the mandate to evaluate and recommend strategic priorities with the community’s input and participation, to monitor and evaluate progress against strategic goals and to report on progress to Council and the community. The City of Kitchener Strategic Plan: 2011-2014 represented a rolling update of the City’s 20 year vision with specific directions for action for the immediate four year term. This plan was also developed through extensive community consultation. Input from the Compass Kitchener community survey and focus group sessions was used to validate the community priorities included in the Plan for a Healthy Kitchener and identify strategic directions to guide progress over the current term of Council. In addition to Community Priorities, The Strategic Plan also includes priorities for Effective and Efficient Government and priorities for the People Plan as critical foundations and the underpinnings of the plan. Overall, there are 17 Strategic Priorities included in this plan and 69 different strategic directions. The City’s Strategic Plan represents the single comprehensive strategy that guides and aligns the city’s work and spending with the community’s priorities and vision for the future. 2 - 1 REPORT: In preparation for the next term of Council, the process of engaging the community, city staff and members of council in setting the direction of the City for 2015 – 2018 is starting to get underway. There are four phases to the City of Kitchener’s strategic planning process that will unfold over the next 18 months, including: Community Assessment, Environmental Scan, Strategic Options, and Confirmation of Direction. A summary chart showing the key activities, deliverables and timelines for each phase of the process is included in Appendix A: 2015-2018 Strategic Planning Roadmap. PHASE 1 - Community Assessment The first phase of the strategic planning process involves extensive consultation with the community. In keeping with their mandate, Compass Kitchener will take the lead to effectively engage a statistically representative sample of the community in a survey to capture an objective citizen perspective on the priorities for the future. Environics Research Group has been retained by the City to work with the advisory committee to design and execute the survey. Darren Karasiuk, Vice President of Municipal Affairs and Project Director for the project has been invited to provide a brief presentation on the process and respond to any questions or concerns at Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee on October 21, 2013. Following the survey, Environics will report back to the Committee, the Corporate Leadership Team and City Council on the results. Using the insights gained from the survey, a series of engagement events will be planned within the community to open up the conversation on strategic themes, why they are important and what might be expected of the City by the end of 2018. With staff support, Compass Kitchener will prepare a report for Council summarizing the key findings from this phase of the process and recommending Community Priorities for the next Strategic Plan. PHASE 2 – Environmental Scan In addition to the priorities identified by the community, there are a number of other important influences that will contribute to the City’s strategy for the future. The second phase of the process, the Environmental Scan, provides important context for designing strategies and establishing goals that are both meaningful and achievable. Integrated Planning will conduct research of the external environment including direction coming from the Province, plans and strategies of the Region of Waterloo and neighbouring municipalities; and general trends, pressures and innovations in local government. We will also take stock of existing plans, strategies and service levels within the organization, and consider resource constraints or possible strengths that could be leveraged for the future. In consultation with leaders across the organization, Integrated Planning will prepare a report for Council in September 2014 identifying broad areas of opportunity for the future to be developed into specific goals and strategies to best position the organization to respond to the Community Priorities as identified. PHASE 3 – Strategic Options With areas of strategic opportunity clearly defined, a series of collaboration sessions will be planned with key stakeholders within the organization to generate ideas for strategic actions, evaluate the possible benefits of options against the resources required to realize them, mapping supporting strategies that will be required for success, and prioritizing goals within the capacity of the organization to deliver. Council will be given the opportunity to share ideas on possible strategic actions that should be considered, community stakeholders that should be 2 - 2 consulted and criteria to be used for priority setting. Before recommendations are presented to Council in early 2015 Compass Kitchener will be asked to provide feedback on the degree to which the recommended goals and strategies address the Community priorities as identified. PHASE 4 – Confirm Direction With the commencement of the new term of Council in 2015, any new and all returning members of Council will be re-acquainted with the most important findings from the Community Assessment and the Environmental Scan, with opportunities for feedback and new ideas to be considered. Compass Kitchener and staff will support members of Council on holding a series of community events to gather community feedback on the recommended goals and strategies. Recommendations will also be circulated to key stakeholder groups within the community for comment before final revisions are made based on feedback received and the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan: 2015-2018 is presented to Council for approval in June 2015. This process, designed to engage the community, city staff and members of council in setting the direction of the City for 2015 – 2018, is expected to result in an innovative and practical strategic plan for the City of Kitchener that is valued by the community, achievable by the organization, and politically relevant for City Council. Once the plan is approved, work will begin to ensure the business plans across the organization fully support the achievement of the strategic goals and they will continue to be monitored to manage progress on approved strategies. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The work of Integrated Planning and the Strategic Planning Process is aligned with the following Strategic Priorities: Leadership & Engagement - Promote informed decisions that last; Organizational Governance - Integrated Strategy and Action; A Culture of Inclusion - People Support What They Help Create; Culture of Accountability - We All Own This Plan, and We’re Clear. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: There are no new financial implications associated with this body of work. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Inform – The purpose of this report is to inform Council and the public about the process that will be used to develop the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan for the next term of Council. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Willmer, Chief Administrative Officer Appendices: A. 2015-2018 Strategic Planning Roadmap 2 - 3 APPENDIXA 2 - 4