HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-19-005 - Compass Kitchener 2015-2018 Strategic Plan EvaluationREPORT TO:Council
DATE OF MEETING:April 1, 2019
SUBMITTED BY:Kathryn Dever,Director,Strategy & Corporate Performance,
519 741-2200 ext. 7370
PREPARED BY:Karen Cooper, Manager, Strategic & Business Planning,
519 741-2200 ext. 7817
WARD (S) INVOLVED:All
DATE OF REPORT:March 26,2019
REPORT NO.:CAO-19-005
SUBJECT:Compass Kitchener 2015-2018 Strategic Plan Evaluation
___________________________________________________________________________
REOMMENDATION:
ForDiscussion
BACKGROUND:
Council Policy GOV-BOA-077(Compass Kitchener Terms of Reference)identifies the goals,
objectives and responsibilities of the Compass Kitchener Citizen Advisory Committee.In
summary, responsibilities related to reporting to Council on implementation of the strategic plan
include:
Developing evaluation criteria in collaboration with staff
priorities
for the City of Kitchener.
Reporting on performance to Council and the Community on an annual (Report Card) basis.
REPORT:
Compass Kitchener has requested that its2015-2018 Strategic PlanEvaluation report be
submitted to Council for discussion.The evaluationisincluded asAppendix Ato this report.
st
Judy Stephens-Wells,Chair of Compass Kitchener,will be in attendance at the April 1Council
meeting and wishesto make a presentation summarizing:
progress in implementing the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan,
Feedback from the All Advisory Committees meeting regarding developing evaluation
criteria for the upcoming 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, and
Recommendations on business plan projects to undertake in transitioning from the 2015-
2018 Strategic Plan to the new Strategic Plannow under development.
***This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994for assistance.
1.b. - 1
Compass Kitchener is submitting an evaluation report as a result of undertaking a
comprehensive review of annual business plans from 2015 to 2018.Compass Kitchener makes
12 recommendations in its evaluation report and staff are pleased to report that all have
addressed or will be addressed as indicated in the following table.
Compass Kitchener Recommendations and Status of Staff Response
Compass Kitchener RecommendationsStaff Response
1.Ensure that Strategic Plan guides the development of the The new Strategic Plan will have specific and measurable
Business Plans and City budgets actions. Approval of the new Strategic Plan in June 2019 will
guide the 2020 Budget and 2020 Business Plan and each
subsequent year.
2.Ensure allocation of sufficient resources for project planning and Staff are working on project management framework to
project management initiatives to support staff in completing support staff in completing projects on time.
projects on time
3.Undertake fewer projects to ensure more projects are completedThe 2019 Business Plan has 75 projects and programs,
down from over a 100 items in previous years.
4.Consider smaller initiatives or series of initiatives, delivered in The 2019 Business Plan now contains several large projects
shorter periodsof time -framing an agile approach wherein the that are broken down into smaller parts to achieve
City delivers a concept, gets citizen feedback early on, and objectives over time ie. asset management plans, park
decides to proceed, revise plans, or cancel at an early stagedevelopment plans etc.
5.Place more emphasis on delivering strategic initiatives and Strategic Items are now highlighted in the 2019 Business
ensure strategic initiatives have the highest completion rate in Plans to help ensure they have the highest priority for
business planscompletion.
6.Balance the distribution of projects amongst the Strategic Plan's There are 5 draft goals balancedwith 5 draft actions for
goalseach goal proposed for public review as part of creating the
2019-2022 Strategic Plan
7.Consider the input from the public on what is important to them in Staff participated with Compass Kitchener in hosting the
evaluating and reporting on Strategic Plan implementation in January 24, 2019 consultation with representatives from all
developing an evaluation frameworkof the advisory committees on strategic plan evaluation.
Staff will be working with Compass Kitchener to develop an
evaluation framework.
8.Establish the expectation that, at the outset of planning projects, Staff have applied this expectation in developing the draft
specific measurable outcomes will be delineated for each goals and draft actions for the 2019-2022 Strategic plan.
initiative so that the success of a project can be assessed relative This will also apply to future business plan projects.
to those outcomes
9.Metrics need to be meaningful -time, budget, savings, and Staff will be working with Compass Kitchener to develop
impact on citizens. Develop a rubric and evaluate projects on meaningful metrics and a rubric as part of an evaluation
how well they contribute to the community and align with framework for the Strategic Plan.
10.Evaluate the impact of all projects, including cancelled/delayed Staff will be doing this as part of reporting on the Business
projectsPlans.
11.Be more celebratory when reporting on results and make results Staff are working on developing a Dashboard and will use
more accessible to the publicthrough an interactive Dashboardreporting on the status business plan recognize
achievements.
Citizen Dashboard
12.Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, completion
of the following projects should be included in Business Plans to Staff are working on developing anAODA compliant
Dashboard
1.b. - 2
complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and implement the new
Strategic Plan
2019Business Planincludes:
Citizen Dashboard
Long-Term Financial Plan
Long-Term Financial Plan
Planning around ION stations
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Planning around ION stations
Municipal Response to Truth and Reconciliation Call to
Arts and Culture Strategy
Action
Climate Action Plan and Environmental projects
Creative Hub
DraftGoals and Actionsfor new Strategic Planinclude
Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects
Cycling Master Plan
Arts and Culture Strategy
Initiatives to Increase Supply of Affordable Housing
Climate Action Plan and Environmental projects
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Creative Hub
Municipal Response to Truth and Reconciliation Call to
Traffic Safety
Action
Cycling Master Plan
Affordable Housing Strategy
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM
council / committee meeting.
CONSULT --Compass Kitchener and staff undertook consultation with members from all City of
Kitchener Advisory Committees on January 24, 2019 seeking input on evaluating progress of
the trategic Plans.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Dan Chapman, CAO
Appendix A:Compass Kitchener Evaluation of City Progress in Implementing the 2015-2018
Strategic Plan
1.b. - 3
Compass Kitchener Members
Judy Stephens-Wells, Chair
Euraysia Duhaime, Vice Chair
Lynne Gazzola
Lori Trumper
Lorie Fioze
Melissa Bowman
Adam Hammoud
Roberto Villamar
Omar Samad
March 26,2019
1
1.b. - 4
Executive Summary
Compass Kitchener has the mandate to evaluate the implementation of the City of Kitchener's Strategic
Plan. In previous years Compass Kitchener has
implementing the strategic plan. Given that we are at the end of the term of the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan
Compass Kitchener has taken a different approach to evaluation of progress relative to the Strategic Plan,
focused on the big picture regarding progress over four years.
Our evaluation focused on business plan initiatives from 2015 - 2018 and included a review of:
Overall Completion Results
Completion by Project Category
Project Completion by Strategic Plan Goals
Project Evaluation by Strategic Plan Goals
Past Approaches and Challenges
What People Want to Know about Strategic Plan Implementation
What People Think Makes a Good Evaluation Process
Our findings include:
Low Overall Completion: 225 projects were initiated of which 122 projects (54%) have been
completed between 2015 and 2018. An additional 20% of projects are expected to complete in
2019.
More Projects Planned Than Can Be Achieved: Given the low completion rate, it appeared to us
that too many projects were being attempted each year and projects were taking longer to
complete that originally planned. With so many projects included in the 2015-2018 business plans
we found we were unable to adequately address evaluation of each and every project, instead we
placed our focus on the big picture, spanning all four years. Numerous projects spanned multiple
years, leading us to wonder whether they were all sufficiently complex to require work over
multiple years, or whether this was a reflection of trying to do too many things simultaneously? If
fewer projects were initiated, Compass Kitchener expects completion rates would improve. Also,
allocating more resources to business plan projects would support completion of more initiatives.
Transformative Strategic Projects: All projects in the business plans are important. However, the
truly strategic transformative projects were not clearly identified. Staff recently developed criteria
to classify projects as Strategic Initiatives, Business Plan Projects and Ongoing Business Initiatives
and used those categories in developing the 2019 business plan.
Uneven Project Distribution Across Strategic Plan Goals: Much good work was accomplished
between 2015 and 2018, however the implementation of the strategic goals was not balanced
across the strategic goals. Of the 122 completed projects approximately half (60 projects) were
devoted to implementing one goal - Effective and Efficient Services. Most projects completed
under this goal, were inward facing and this goal seemed to serve as a bit of a catch all for internal
projects. Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods had 24 completed projects, Open Government had 16
completed projects, Strong and Resilient Economy had 15 completed projects and Sustainable
Environment and Infrastructure had 7 completed projects. Compass Kitchener believes that the
public would like to see a more balanced distribution and delivery of strategic projects across the
strategic goals.
Open Government Highlights: The amount of detailed information now available online regarding
Council Decisions and City Processes (OG14) is impressive. Participatory Budget pilot projects are
encouraging. Community Engagement work is very much in keeping with citizen desires. Lowlights:
We hoped to have seen more progress on the Municipal Response to the Truth and Reconciliation
2
1.b. - 5
Calls to Action (OG24) and one of the greatest disappointments regarding initiatives in the Open
Government sphere is the cancellation of the . While the City has made
decision making, the notion of a well-oard would provide a very accessible
point of entry into cascading tiers of increasingly detailed information.
Strong and Resilient Economy Highlights: Excellent work in developing, and beginning to
implement, Make it Kitchener strategies that form a firm foundation for economic development
moving forward, collaborating with others in establishing the Waterloo Region Economic
Development Corp. and carryin
downtown core. Lowlights: It is unfortunate, given the important roles that arts and culture play
in our community, that the development of a new Arts and Culture Strategy was cancelled. It is
important for this initiative to be reintroduced in upcoming plans.
Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods Highlights: It is exciting to see the progress that has been
made with the Neighbourhood Strategy and initiatives such as increased Neighbourhood Events,
Community Gardens and Development of Boulevard Beautification Guidelines - which enhance
-Active Traffic
Calming Design Features is important and will be greatly appreciated, helping to address traffic
safety issues that are a key priority for citizens. Lowlights: Area Plans for the PARTS Fairway
Station and Block Line Station Area Plans (NB32 & NB33) should not be delayed further as the
sooner these plans are in place, the sooner all the areas around the ION stations will evolve to fit
leading more people to take the ION, thereby reducing emissions
and traffic congestion.
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure Highlights: Completion of the installation of the
LED streetlights (SE01) and on-going work in managing the Emerald Ash Borer (SE19) are
commendable. Lowlights: Too few projects were completed to advance this goal, despite
widespread public interest in Trail improvements, Cycling Master Plan, Climate Action Plan and
the Urban Forest projects that were planned but not completed in this period.
Effective and Efficient Services Highlights: The number of projects completed (60) in this area
over the past four years is impressive! Lowlights: The one project which we flagged as needing
attention in our last Report Card and which should be highlighted as important for completion in
2019 is the development of a Long-Term Financial Plan. It would be highly beneficial to have in
place as the City moves forward with all its planning and budget processes.
Co-ordinated Evaluation for New Strategic Plan For years Compass Kitchener has faced real
experience persuaded us that specific measurable outcomes delineated at the outset of planning
each initiative would have real value. Outcomes set from the beginning would both support
effective implementation of the initiative and provide a framework for objective evaluation of its
success. Poised now at the outset of a new Strategic Plan, Compass Kitchener is looking forward
to developing with staff an evaluation process based on this approach.
Recommendations:
In the course of discussions that took place as Compass Kitchener carried out this evaluation, the issue of
progress in one area of initiatives potentially having detrimental impacts on other aspects of strategic plan
implementation arose. As part of preparing the new Strategic Plan, we encourage consideration of
Economy, Social and Environmental community priorities on an integrated basis - so that when initiatives
are considered potential negative impacts on the other spheres are identified and plans made to
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1.b. - 6
avoid/resolve/mitigate those potential conflicts. We also observed that there were opportunities for work
to be integrated across spheres to achieve progress in more than one goal area.
Our discussions and observations gave rise to a number of recommendations that we wanted to share,
focused on the future - the new Strategic Plan under development and future evaluation of the initiatives
flowing from it over the next four years. Our recommendations include the following:
General
1.Ensure that Strategic Plan guides the development of the Business Plans and City budgets
2.Ensure allocation of sufficient resources for project planning and project management initiatives to
support staff in completing projects on time
3.Undertake fewer projects to ensure more projects are completed
4.Consider smaller initiatives or series of initiatives, delivered in shorter periods of time - framing an
agile approach wherein the City delivers a concept, gets citizen feedback early on, and decides to
proceed, revise plans, or cancel at an early stage.
Strategic Plan Implementation
1.Place more emphasis on delivering strategic initiatives and ensure strategic initiatives have the
highest completion rate in business plans
2.Balance the distribution of projects amongst the Strategic Plan's goals
Evaluation
1.Consider the input from the public on what is important to them in evaluating and reporting on
Strategic Plan implementation in developing an evaluation framework
2.Establish the expectation that, at the outset of planning projects, specific measurable outcomes
will be delineated for each initiative so that the success of a project can be assessed relative to
those outcomes.
3.Metrics need to be meaningful - time, budget, savings, and impact on citizens. Develop a rubric
and evaluat
Strategic Vision (Caring, Vibrant, Innovative)
4.Evaluate the impact of all projects, including cancelled/delayed projects.
5.Be more celebratory when reporting on results and make results more accessible to the public
through an interactive Dashboard
The 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
1.Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, completion of the following projects should be
included in Business Plans to complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and implement the new
Strategic Plan
Citizen Dashboard Creative Hub
Long-Term Financial Plan Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects Cycling Master Plan
Planning around ION stations Initiatives to Increase Supply of
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture Strategy
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Climate Action Plan and Environmental
projects Municipal Response to Truth and
Reconciliation Call to Action
4
1.b. - 7
Contents
Executive Summary
1.Introduction
2.Evaluation
2.1Overall Completion Results
2.2Completion by Project Category
2.3Business Plan Project Completion by Strategic Plan Goals
2.4Business Plan Project Evaluation by Strategic Plan Goals
3.Past Approaches and Challenges
4.What People Want to Know about Strategic Plan Implementation
5.What People Think Makes a Good Evaluation Process
6.Recommendations
5
1.b. - 8
1.Introduction
Together we will build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener.
The 2015-2018 Strategic Plan contains 5 goals and under each goal are a number of objectives. The
goals are:
1.Open Government
2.Strong and Resilient Economy
3.Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods
4.Sustainable Environment & Infrastructure
5.Effective & Efficient City Services
Council has provided Compass Kitchener with the mandate to monitor and evaluate progress against
achievement of Strategic Plan priorities and to report on progress to Council and the community.
Annually, the City of Kitchener prepares a Business Plan outlining work items that the administration will
undertake. The items are intended to advance the Strategic Plan Vision, work towards achieving the
Strategic Plan Goals and advance core services that the City provides. Compass Kitchener has reviewed the
status of projects in the Business Plans prepared between 2015 and 2018 as the basis for evaluating
progress made on implementing the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan.
This report provides Council and the community with the results of our evaluation of progress made
between 2015 and 2018. It also provides information and our advice to inform the future evaluation
process for the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan now under preparation.
Compass Kitchener greatly appreciates the opportunity it has to help shape the Strategic Plan for the City
of Kitchener and to monitor its implementation from a citizen perspective. We thank Council for being
open to this input.
2.Evaluation
2.1Overall Completion Results
There were 225 projects initiated by the City of Kitchener in business plans between 2015 and 2018. As of
December 2018, 122 business plan projects have been completed. This represents a 54% overall completion
rate. An additional 20% of the 225 projects are expected to be completed in 2019.
Our review found that a significant number of projects were delayed each year and some projects were
cancelled or not started. This indicated to us that with the large number of projects underway, resources
were spread too thin to accomplish all that was intended.
We wondered whether the fact that plans for implementation of so many of business plan initiatives
spanned multiple years was due to them all being sufficiently complex that multiple years are required, or
whether it was a question of trying to do too many things simultaneously?
If fewer projects were initiated, Compass Kitchener expects completion rates would improve. As well,
allocation of more resources to projects, would have supported completion of more initiatives
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1.b. - 9
2.2Completion by Project Category
While all projects in the 2015 to 2018 Business Plans were associated with implementing the Strategic
Plan, Compass Kitchener observed that many projects appeared to be strongly associated with regular
business. Compass Kitchener asked staff to review this observation and categorize projects to identify the
big strategic projects. Staff developed the following categories:
Strategic Initiatives: Big Picture/Transformative
These projects are directly connected to the strategic goals and objectives and were informed by Compass
These projects clearly aid the city in achieving the strategic goals laid out in the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan
Business Plan Projects: include Council priorities, items of high public/advisory committee interest, key
service improvements, key ward projects and high importance to staff. They may be smaller scale actions
that support a larger purpose or initiative of the strategic plan. Examples include:
Lower Doon Land Use Review, Purchasing Procedures to Support New By-Law, Parking Payment
Technologies, Advance the Customer Relationship Management Software, Server Systems Failover
Capability, Electronic Agenda Management etc.
Ongoing Business Plan Initiatives: include core service programs that are of high interest/importance to
Council, public or staff. Examples include:
Implementation of master plans
o Development of Detailed Asset Management Plans (Asset Management Plans for Golf,
Cemeteries, Parking Enterprise, Stormwater, Facilities)
Implementation of city-wide strategies
o Implementation of the Make It Kitchener Strategy
o Age-Friendly Kitchener
2018 Business Plan
As illustrated in Chart 1, staff identified that approximately 10 percent of all projects in the 2018 Business
Plan were transformative strategic projects.
Chart 1: Categorization of 2018 Business Plan Projects
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1.b. - 10
Staff identified 12 strategic projects in the 2018 business plan. The status of these projects at December
31, 2018 was as follows:
Open Government
OG10 Participatory Budgeting (Status: In Progress)
OG24 Municipal Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action (Status: In Progress)
Strong and Resilient Economy
EC11 Intergovernmental Relations Passenger Rail (Status: In Progress)
Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods
NB13 Sustainable Development Feasibility Study (Status: Delayed)
NB18 Complete Streets Policy (Status: In Progress)
NB27 Growth Management Strategy Review (Status: On Hold)
NB32 PARTS Fairway Station Area Plan (Status: Future Project)
NB33 PARTS Block Line Station Area Plan (Status: Future Project)
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure
SE04 Corporate Climate Action Plan (Status: In Progress)
SE06 Sustainable Urban Forest Management Program (Status: In Progress)
SE12 Update the Cycling Master Plan (Status: In Progress)
Effective and Efficient City Services
CS09 Long-Term Financial Plan (Status: In Progress)
2018 seems to have been an unusual year due to the:
The low number of projects completed
The high number of projects in progress
The high number of projects not started
The high number of projects delayed
The high number of initiatives shifted to future projects
In some cases staff noted that insufficient resources were available with which to carry out these
initiatives. This suggests that either a number of unforeseen items used resources otherwise intended to
support initiatives in the plan or, the Strategic Placreation of the budget and
implementation of the Business Plan. If the latter is the case, it will be important to ensure that the
Strategic Plan appropriately guides business plans and budgets in future years.
2015-2018 Period
When looking back over the 2015 to 2018 period Compass Kitchener found that the transformative
strategic projects were few in number and had low completion rates as illustrated in Chart 2.
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1.b. - 11
Chart 2: Projects completed as Planned between 2015 and 2018
*The 2018 business plan had 4 projects scheduled to begin after Dec 2018, these are not included in the
total number of projects (92).
Compass Kitchener observes that while a great deal of good work has been accomplished by the City over
the 2015 to 2018 period only a handful of truly transformative projects have been completed and several
projects that would have significantly advanced implementation of the strategic plan were not completed.
These include:
Completed Not Completed
2015-2018 Strategic Plan Sustainable Development Feasibility Study
Kitchener Economic Development Strategy Long Term Financial Plan
Community Gardens Program Make It Vibrant - Special Events and Urban
Experience Strategy
Neighbourhood Strategy
Sustainable Urban Forest Management Program
Corporate Technology Strategic Plan and
Digital Strategy (Digital Kitchener) Complete Streets Policy
Corporate Climate Action Plan
Compass Kitchener suggests that going forward sufficient resources and priority be allocated to
transformative strategic projects to achieve 100% completion as this will ensure achievement of the
Strategic Plan priorities.
9
1.b. - 12
2.3Business Plan Project Completion by Strategic Plan Goals
Compass Kitchener reviewed the projects that were undertaken between 2015 and 2018 relative to
alignment with the 5 Strategic Plan goals. The status of 2015 2018 Business Plan projects by Strategic Plan
goal is shown in Chart 3.
Chart 3 Status of Projects by Strategic Plan Goal
Projects 2015-2018
by Strategic Plan Goal and Project Status
Open Government
Strong and Resilient Economy
Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods
Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure
Cancelled
22, 10%
4, 2%
Future Project
Not Started
7, 3%
24, 11%
Delayed
46, 20%
In Progress
122, 54%
Completed
020406080100120140
however the implementation of the strategic goals was not balanced. Of the 122 completed projects
approximately half were devoted to implementing one goal - Effective and Efficient Services. In reviewing
the projects completed for this goal, most projects were inward facing. This goal seemed to serve as a bit
of a catch all for internal business plan projects.
The next highest number of project completions was 24 for the Safe and Thriving Neighbourhoods goal,
followed by Open Government with 16 completed projects, Strong and Resilient Economy with 15
completed projects and Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure with 7 completed projects.
2.4Business Plan Project Evaluation by Strategic Plan Goals
Compass Kitchener reviewed the nature of the business plan projects planned for each strategic plan goal
in more detail and provides the following qualitative evaluation.
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1.b. - 13
Open Government
(No initiatives were completed in 2018)
Open Government
Looking back over all 4 years:
2projects
1cancelled project
The amount of detailed information now available
delayed
online regarding Council Decisions and City Processes
(OG14) is impressive.
It is exciting to see work being done on the two pilot
projects trying out a model for Participatory
7in progress
Budgeting. It will be important to see these projects
reach their completion and the learnings from these
two projects identified and tracked - as there clearly
16completed projects
seems to be an appetite for citizen involvement of this
type. It will be important to build on the learning from
these initiatives as the City considers developing
future such projects.
Extensive work has been done developing, using and refining tools for Community Engagement creating
accessible and important ways for citizens to provide input and engage in City processes. This is in
keeping with community priorities as identified by Compass Kitchener through recent public consultation.
Compass Kitchener hoped to have seen more progress on the Municipal Response to the Truth and
Reconciliation Calls to Action (OG24) project. Kitchener prides itself on its multicultural community and
fostering a Caring and Vibrant community are core aspects of the City's Vision - yet this initiative appears
not to have progressed. Action on this project will advance the City's embodiment of being a caring and
vibrant community. We look forward to seeing how Council is planning on moving forward with the
recommended next steps for the project.
For Compass Kitchener one of the greatest disappointments regarding initiatives in the Open Government
sphere is the cancellation of the . While the City has made commendable progress in
ations and decision making, the notion of a
well-
cascading tiers of increasingly detailed information - and as such would enable the efficient provision of
answer While we know that citizens
are seeking information on numerous topics, not all are looking for the level of detail found in minutes and
reports - summary information in key areas could be provided effectively through a well-developed Citizen
Dashboard (and could be linked to more detailed information offerings).
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1.b. - 14
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(No initiatives were completed in 2018)
Strong and Resilient Economy
Excellent work was done in earlier years:
Developing, and beginning to implement,
8cancelled
strategies that form a firm foundation for
Projects
economic development moving forward,
Collaborating with others in establishing
15completed
the Waterloo Region Economic
projects
2 delayed
Development Corp. and
projects
Carrying out numerous initiatives to
core.
6in progress
EC11 Passenger Rail While recognizing that the City is playing an advocacy role here and does not have
control over the development of rail services - it is really important that the City has been, and will
continue to be, active in pursuing this initiative. It is important to note that there have been small
increases in GO rail service achieved to date - which are good. However the City needs to continue to
advocate for improved GO passenger rail service, including high speed rail, to meet the needs to local
residents who need to travel into Toronto for employment and work-related matters and local businesses
which need efficient means of bringing people from Toronto into town to work at, or with, their
enterprise. Opening up a direct pathway been Kitchener and Toronto will increase housing values and
market interest in Kitchener for those looking for more affordable housing in commuting distance to
Toronto. Increased market values, however, will raise concern regarding access to affordable and
accessibly priced housing for a number of current city residents. As a result we anticipate heightened
urgency around the need for the City to move forward with initiatives in support of the development of
affordable/accessibly priced housing.
EC01 Arts and Culture Strategy Arts and culture are very important to our community, not only
economically, but also in terms of:
their contribution to the vibrancy of the community and its and its ability to attract and retain the
people our businesses need;
:
the entertainment and creative growth opportunities and outlets that they provide; and
the social issues they often present that promote dialogue within the community and help the
community grow.
It is unfortunate, given these important roles that arts and culture play in our community, that the
development of a new Arts and Culture Strategy was cancelled, and it is important for this initiative to be
reintroduced into the upcoming strategic plan.
Creative Hub: The City has done good initial work in developing a concept, and exploring potential
locations, for a creative hub, and issued a request for proposal for an operator of such a
hub. Unfortunately none of the submissions received succeeded in fulfilling the established criteria.
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1.b. - 15
Despite not finding an operator with an appropriate proposal with this first effort, it is important that the
City not give up on this initiative, but rather that it take what has been learned through this process to
date and now refine the concept as needed, and develop a new plan for proceeding with a revised
creative hub initiative. It is essential to encourage the community to take part in many different spheres of
economic development - from culture and the arts to manufacturing. Providing a space where individuals
can meet and network is essential to business growth and economic development. It will be exciting to see
what comes out of the creative hub.
Kitchener Market Strategic Plan: The market is a huge part of the community, contributing to the
animation of downtown Kitchener, keeping products local and encouraging local buying, helping local
famers/vendors and supporting the local economy.
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Safe and Thriving
It is exciting to see the progress that has been
Neighbourhoods
made with initiatives such as increased
5 cancelled
3 future
Neighbourhood Events and Development of
projects
projects
Boulevard Beautification Guidelines - which
3projects not
in their community.
24completed
started
projects
Work done on Pro-Active Traffic Calming Design
Features is important and will be greatly
7delayed
appreciated, helping to address traffic safety
projects
issues which are a key priority for citizens
struggling with such issues.
15in
progress
Snow Angels is a brilliant program. It is great for students looking for volunteer hours, and promotes a
sense of community, encourages knowing your neighbours and increasing safety. Engaged neighbours and
volunteers are helping to provide safe cleared sidewalks and driveways and at the same time are reducing
pressure on City staff in winter.
Community Gardens are essential to healthy living and living locally. Having some plots maintained for all
community use would be helpful. More land for not for profit organizations to use would be great.
Evaluating the interest and popularity of these programs would help gauge community benefit. Evaluation
is difficult does the city collect info based on usage and community interest/popularity benefit to the
health of the community contribution to a greater sense of community? Creating programs to teach
children and youth the benefit of fresh foods and cooking would be an amazing use of community
gardens.
It is also very positive to see the work that has been done in developing the Area Plans (NB02, NB08 &
NB09), as those can play a key role in supporting usage of the LRT (and promoting the related
environmental benefits) once it is in operation. However it is important that the PARTS Fairway Station
and Block Line Station Area Plans (NB32 & NB33) not be delayed further as developing these plans will also
13
1.b. - 16
promote use of the ION once it is operating. The sooner these plans are in place, the sooner all the areas
eeds, encouraging more people to take
the ION, thereby reducing emissions and traffic congestion.
The
opportunity to define itself as a cosmopolitan mid-sized city that combines the best of small town qualities
, finishing
the Complete Streets Policy (NB18) would contribute to keeping the community safe, pedestrian friendly
and connected.
We understand that Growth Management Strategy (NB27) is now a regional responsibility but the City
has a role to play in advocating that the social determinants of health be addressed as part of a growth
management strategy in order to appropriately build a healthy social foundation and population. This will
provide a healthy society for all residents, current, new and future. This would be consistent with the
Strategic Plan and results of the 2018 Environics survey.
partners to
One of
the actions is Facilitate and promote housing developments that provide options for a diversity of
lifestyles and household typesBusiness plan project (NB) Development Incentives for Affordable
Housing Phase 1 Research and (NB 16) Development Incentives for Affordable Housing (rental)
addressed housing but it is not clear how many units of affordable or rental housing were created as a
result of this work.
9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ ğƓķ LƓŅƩğƭƷƩǒĭƷǒƩĻ
Completion of the Community Energy Investment
Sustainable Environment
Strategy (NB20) is very much aligned with community
and Infrastructure
priorities as identified through recent community
consultations.
2cancelled projects
7 completed
projects
Completion of Corporate Climate Action Plan (SE04)
3projects not
should be a priority and would support the LƓƓƚǝğƷźƚƓ
started
aspect of the Strategic Plan vision.
2 projects
delayed
LED
streetlights (SE01) and on-going work in managing the
Emerald Ash Borer (SE19) are commendable.
7in progress
The Sustainable Development Feasibility Study as noted was planned for 2018, but has now been delayed
to 2019. Given the community priorities identified through recent consultations, it will be important to
citizens that the City keep this project on track in 2019.
Given community priorities identified through recent consultations and the recognized benefits of healthy
tree canopies in urban environments, citizens will be keen to see the completion of the Community-Wide
Tree Planting and Donation Program (SE10) and the initiation and development of the Sustainable Urban
Forest Program (SE and SE06).
14
1.b. - 17
The Iron Horse Trail Improvement Strategy Central Section (SE07) was unfortunately delayed due to
inclement weather. Given the level of citizen interest in walking and cycling trails, both for use in the
course of regular day-to-day transportation around the City and for recreation, residents are keen to see
this project, along with the Iron Horse Trail Improvement Strategy - North and South Section (SE23),
reach completion.
Similarly, cyclists are eager to see the completion of Updating of the Cycling Master Plan (SE12) and
Implementation of the Cycling Master Plan (SE13) (both of which were originally slated for 2018
completion). Working to ensure safe, connected active transportation for all ages is essential to building a
community that is /ğƩźƓŭͲ źĬƩğƓƷ ğƓķ LƓƓƚǝğƷźǝĻ.
9ŅŅĻĭƷźǝĻ ğƓķ 9ŅŅźĭźĻƓƷ /źƷǤ {ĻƩǝźĭĻƭ
The number of projects completed (60) in
Effective & Efficent City Services
this area over the past four years is
1future project
6projects cancelled
impressive!
1project not
started
The one project which we flagged as
needing attention in our last Report Card
11projects delayed
and which should be highlighted as
60completed projects
important for completion in 2019 is the
11in
development of a Long-Term Financial
progress
Plan - which would be highly beneficial to
have in place as the City moves forward
with all its planning and budget processes.
Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, Compass Kitchener recommends that the following
projects should be included in Business Plans to complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and implement
the new Strategic Plan
Citizen Dashboard Creative Hub
Long-Term Financial Plan Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects Cycling Master Plan
Planning around ION stations Initiatives to Increase Supply of
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture Strategy
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Climate Action Plan and Environmental
projects Municipal Response to Truth and
Reconciliation Call to Action
3.Past Approaches and Challenges
Compass Kitchener has some members who have served for 3 periods of appointment and have some
insights and longer term perspective having gone through 3 evaluations. Compass Kitchener has used the
business plans as the tool representing implementation of the strategic plan.
consistent, clear
criteria, and without full information. There have been too many projects in the business plans to be able
to adequately evaluate each and every project. Many projects and programs in the business plans are
core services and while very important to accomplish do not as directly advance the Strategic Plan.
15
1.b. - 18
Comments provided during past report card presentations to Council, revealed the fact that Council and
Compass Kitchener have sometimes had differing views of how the City has performed in identified areas
relative to its Strategic Plan. Sometimes Council members have felt the City had not performed as well as
suggested by the report card, in other instances they felt the City had performed better. While some of
those differences may be attributable to differing perspectives based on different experience, Compass
Kitchener's sense is that many of the differences arose due to the absence of clearly outlined measurable
outcomes established at the outset of projects, against which their progress or completion could be
measured. Evaluations tended to be more subjective and therefore the conclusions were more varied.
the Strategic and Business Plans, we have come to recognize the benefits that would arise if, as future
plans are developed, specific measurable outcomes were delineated for each initiative at the outset,
against which the success of progress or completion can be measured.
Compass Kitchener notes that the majority of projects completed are inward looking projects to improve
staff operations and very few are big strategic projects that will help transform the city to achieve its
vision. Compass Kitchener believes citizens would like to see a more balanced delivery of strategic
projects amongst the City's strategic goals.
4.What People Want to Know about Strategic Plan Implementation
On January 24, 2019 Compass Kitchener convened an All Advisory Committees Meeting to obtain input
and ideas on strategic plan evaluation. In summary Compass Kitchener heard that people want to hear
about the following aspects of Strategic Plan implementation:
Clarity
Smart goals - be clear on what you are trying to do
Benchmarks for success
Criteria/measure of success?
Clear explanation on how we and what we are measuring
Concise reporting
In addition to measures - why is the plan the way it is? What priorities are driving it?
Content:
Lead with the why: why was the project chosen
How does this work align with Mission/Vision?
People stories: how the project positively impacts people
Shared progress on specific plans and brief summary of completed projects
Promote the broader benefits, for example: the project is done but is there an increase in building
permits and how is the City improved compared to previous years
While it is helpful to know where the city is focusing its attention, we need to understand progress
toward desired outcomes
Give info on how people can engage to support progress on the plan
What was scrapped and why?
How is the strategic plan prepared?
How are projects picked - why?
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1.b. - 19
Who evaluates outcomes/progress?
How do we decide if it is worth continuing or not?
Metrics and data driven decisions
After projects come off the business plan, how are they going to be reported long-term?
Dashboards:
Show progress on projects - through an easy dashboard - not a lengthy report
Use bubbles/visuals like Edmonton
High level "stop light" dashboard with opportunity to drill down
Easy to digest info (stats, high level progress)
Cascading levels of information - an icon/image to start and the built in ability to drill down deeper
High level picture with detail behind it
One way of reporting is by category, reporting geographically including spatial depiction of where
actions are underway would also be nice
Accessibility
Graphs need to be AODA compliant - need to explain what graphs are illustrating.
Smart formats: not just AODA, but in plain language, different language
Is info in accessible formats for seniors (eg. Font)?
More accessibility on website
Clarity on graphical info and shared info
Translations available
City website - make it easy to navigate
Look at the way City communicates with individuals where English is not the first language?
Budget
How much money is spent to achieve each priority?
How is budget divided on strategy
Tax dollars at work = have inserts with tax bills
Was the individual initiative successful and what was the cost?
Cost to taxpayers, value for money of implementation
Look at and present the budget reflecting allocations to the Strategic Plan
Various Media
Better communication with public about the existence of plans
Report progress a variety of ways
More social media - with link to actual info
Maintain different communication methods (digital/print), the Record, Kitchener Today, Radio (570,
CBC etc.)
Communication/ease of navigation of website
Provide/explain opportunity for public to engage?
Graphics, tell stories with pictures
17
1.b. - 20
Relationships
More synergies between other communities
How do the goals align with region/province?
Info on progress of each committee is not easily available
5.What People Identified as Making a Good Evaluation Process
At the January 24, 2019 All Advisory Committees meeting, Compass Kitchener asked for input on what
would make a good evaluation process for the Strategic plan. In summary this is what we heard:
Criteria - balanced economical/social/environmental considerations
Balance of qualitative and quantitative evaluation
Setting tangible goals at the beginning of projects and establishing desired outcomes upfront
Did project actually, address need or perceived need?
Go deeper than kms of bike lanes, instead use increase in number of users
"Success stories" - pictures with people. Outcomes (e.g. new ice rink - show children skating on it)
Timeline considerations/budget considerations - Was it completed on budget?
Two tiers of evaluation: 1. completion of project, 2. impact of project
Good monitoring data - long term data
Benchmarking against other municipalities
Hands on perspective of citizens in the community
How did it specifically affect people?
Maps - can be a great visual, distribution by wards/neighbourhood.
Is it sustainable
Projects don't always land where you plan but outcomes and learning are valuable and you want to
capture these
Different measurements may be needed for business plan projects vs strategic plan objectives
How does the activity tie to the strategic plan?
include input from residents
6.Recommendations
In the course of discussions that took place as Compass Kitchener carried out this evaluation, the issue of
progress in one area of initiatives potentially having detrimental impacts on other aspects of strategic plan
implementation arose. As part of preparing the new Strategic Plan, we encourage consideration of
Economy, Social and Environmental community priorities on an integrated basis - so that when initiatives
are considered potential negative impacts on the other spheres are identified and plans made to
avoid/resolve/mitigate those potential conflicts. We also observed that there were opportunities for work
to be integrated across spheres to achieve progress in more than one goal area.
Our discussions gave rise to a number of recommendations that we wanted to share, focused on the
future - the new Strategic Plan under development and future evaluation of the initiatives flowing from it
over the next four years. Our recommendations include the following:
18
1.b. - 21
General
1.Ensure that Strategic Plan guides the development of the Business Plans and City budgets
2.Ensure allocation of sufficient resources for project planning and project management initiatives to
support staff in completing projects on time
3.Undertake fewer projects to ensure more projects are completed
4.Consider smaller initiatives or series of initiatives, delivered in shorter periods of time - framing an
agile approach wherein the City delivers a concept, gets citizen feedback early on, and decides to
proceed, revise plans, or cancel at an early stage.
Strategic Plan Implementation
1.Place more emphasis on delivering strategic initiatives and ensure strategic initiatives have the
highest completion rate in business plans
2.Balance the distribution of projects amongst the Strategic Plan's goals
Evaluation
1.Consider the input from the public on what is important to them in evaluating and reporting out on
Strategic Plan implementation in developing an evaluation framework
2.Establish the expectation that, at the outset of planning projects, specific measurable outcomes will
be delineated for each initiative so that the success of a project can be assessed relative to those
outcomes.
3.Metrics need to be meaningful - time, budget, savings, and impact on citizens. Develop a rubric and
evaluate projects on how well they contribute to the community and align wi
Vision (Caring, Vibrant, Innovative)
4.Evaluate the impact of all projects, including cancelled/delayed projects.
5.Be more celebratory when reporting on results and make results more accessible to the public
through an interactive Dashboard
The 2019-2022 Strategic Plan
1.Following through from the previous Strategic Plan, completion of the following projects
should be included in Business Plans to complete the 2015 to 2018 Strategic Plan and
implement the new Strategic Plan
Citizen Dashboard Creative Hub
Long-Term Financial Plan Traffic Safety
Urban Forestry Strategy and projects Cycling Master Plan
Planning around ION stations Initiatives to Increase Supply of
Affordable Housing
Arts and Culture Strategy
Advocacy for Improved Commuter Service
Climate Action Plan and Environmental
projects Municipal Response to Truth and
Reconciliation Call to Action
Conclusion
Again, we would like to convey to you how much Compass Kitchener appreciates the opportunity Council
has provided for us to help shape the Strategic Plan for the City of Kitchener and to monitor its
implementation from a citizen perspective. We thank Council again for being open to this input.
19
1.b. - 22
Appendix 1: Compass Kitchener Evaluation Methodology
odology consists of 6 components.
1.Compass Kitchener asked staff to prepare a summary of the status of business plan projects
between 2015 and 2018 and reviewed the analysis.
2.Compass Kitchener reviewed the past evaluation methodologies and discussed the challenges
members encountered previously in reviewing the business plans. Extracts of previous report
cards are in Appendix 1 to this report.
th
3.Compass Kitchener convened an All Advisory Committees meeting on January 24 to consult on
evaluation of the strategic plan. The results of the evaluation consultation are included in
Appendix 2 to this report. The questions asked of the 60+ participants were:
What do people want to know or hear about the implementation of the strategic plan?
and
How should that be measured? What ingredients or criteria make for a good evaluation
process?
4.Compass Kitchener reviewed the 2018 Business Plan and the projects included in the 2015 to 2018
business plans to assess if the projects helped to achieve the vision of the 2015 to 2018 Strategic
Plan - Together we will build an innovative, caring and vibrant Kitchener.
5.Compass Kitchener prepared an evaluation of the 2018 Business Plan and an evaluation of the
results of the 2015 to 2018 business plans against achieving the goals of the strategic plan.
6.Compass Kitchener prepared recommendations for consideration in developing the new strategic
plan that resulted from the foregoing reviews and analysis.
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1.b. - 23