Overview

This chapter offers a basic guide to help local governments discuss the importance of strategic planning. It does not restrict them from tailoring the approach to fit their unique needs. Instead, it highlights common parts of strategic plans and processes used by local governments.

11.1 Background on Strategic Planning

Strategic planning gives organizations the opportunity to examine key issues, identify needs, set priorities, and prepare action plans focused on achieving objectives and goals in a structured and coordinated manner.

A strategic plan must clearly define a vision, provide a mission statement, and ensure that the overall direction is based on sound values. Articulating simple strategic goals, objectives, and priority intervention areas allows the leadership team, with the support and approval of council, to develop actions and approaches to help advance the local government’s overall vision. When a strategic plan includes an implementation plan, it clearly outlines how a local government will achieve its goals within a specific timeframe. 

Importance of strategic planning for local governments 

Strategic planning provides local governments with a structured way to move their agenda forward in an organized and coordinated manner. By defining their vision, mission, and values, local governments promote good governance and help translate council’s goals into clear actions for the senior management team (CAOs, clerks, and department heads). A strategic plan lays out how priorities will be achieved through a planned schedule of actions. 

A strategic plan is also important for employees because it clearly explains the organization’s goals and direction. It sets expectations, improves communication, and helps employees focus on what’s most important. It also supports decision-making, encourages professional growth, and gives a sense of purpose, so everyone can work together towards shared goals effectively. 

Key considerations in supporting strategic planning processes  

  • Strategic planning is an ongoing process and not a one-time project. The plan must allow for modifications as new opportunities arise and / or challenges are identified. It requires an investment in time and resources.  
  • Continual review and reassessment of the plan ensures that the implementation schedule is properly adjusted to accommodate changing conditions. 
  • Regular status reporting of the implementation plan will allow council members to engage in meaningful dialogue with the senior management team on the progress of the plan and help determine whether adjustments are required. 

11.2 Typical Planning Process

The following table outlines, in general terms, the key steps involved in a typical strategic planning process. It is intended to provide local government staff and council members with guidance in what should be considered and included when undertaking a strategic planning exercise. It should also be noted that the strategic planning process will vary among local governments. Factors such as resource availability and size of the local government, among others, may impact what the process will look like as well as the final product.

Key Steps in the Strategic Planning Process

1. Current state
  • Review reports and studies previously commissioned by the local government to provide an overview of past and current issues and recommendations.
  • Conduct a scan of the current state of the local government to identify and monitor factors from inside and outside the organization prior to beginning the strategic planning steps.
  • May involve examining the local government’s organizational chart, developing a high-level service delivery matrix and reviewing some of the local government’s by-laws, policies and procedures.
  • Key issues and challenges within the local government organization including financial, policy, resource, and structural issues.
  • Needs and challenges within the community may also be identified during this phase.
2. Stakeholder identification
  • Exercise is conducted to determine the key stakeholders to be engaged for their input and feedback during the planning process.   
  • May include a combination of consulting and engaging with the public at large and seeking input from specific audiences (e.g., youth, seniors, First Nations, community groups, business leaders, artists, sporting organizations, etc.).  
3. Planning session(s)

Format and duration 

  • The planning session can be in the form of an off-site retreat, or in-house in a private setting.   
  • The duration of the session or sessions should be such that council members, the CAO, department heads and other staff have plenty of time for meaningful participation, discussions and engagement.   
  • Providing reading materials in advance of the planning session(s) may also be helpful in setting the context and better preparing the participants for the anticipated discussions. Local governments may want to consider having a third party facilitate the sessions (i.e., not a local government employee or council member). 
  • In the planning session(s) there are several components that local governments should consider including. They are as follows: 

Vision and Mission statements 

  • To advance the priorities of the local government, a vision statement should be developed or reviewed to ensure that it is still relevant.   
  • The purpose of this vision statement is to clearly describe what the local government wants to achieve over the course of the plan - normally a three- to five-year window (but it can be longer). 
  • The vision depicts what the local government will look like in the future and will help set the stage for the identification of priorities, the development of goals and objectives and ultimately help inform the actions to be undertaken in support of the plan.   
  • The mission statement will explain in concise and simple terms the local government’s purpose.  It may refer to organizational culture, values and ethics.  It is intended to help the council and management remain focused on the tasks at hand and encourage everyone to find innovative ways to move forward. 
  • Consider the local government’s branding to ensure the vision aligns with community identity. 

Local government’s values 

  • Documenting corporate values is an integral part of strategic planning.  The values are the virtues that we adhere to—the fundamental beliefs and moral qualities used to make decisions, guide behavior and foster a unified organizational culture.
  • Once determined and documented, the values should provide guidance to employees and council members on how to act and the types of behaviors that drive the local government. 
  • The values should be lived and practiced in day-to-day activities. 

Public and stakeholder consultation 

  • Conducting public and stakeholder consultation ensures the strategic plan reflects diverse perspectives, builds consensus, and fosters community support. 
  • During the planning session, discuss the possible ways to hold public and stakeholder consultations.  
  • Many approaches are available, such as electronic surveys, face-to-face sessions, targeted interviews and round table sessions, etc. 
  • The council needs to provide its approval of the consultation approach. 
4. Public consultation
  • Public consultation provides local governments with the opportunity to receive comments and feedback on the expectations of the public and key stakeholders.   
  • A structured format will help ensure that everyone participating can provide input while preventing certain individuals or special interest groups from dominating the dialogue.   
  • It is important to remain neutral during the sessions and to allow participants to provide input that could become part of the strategic objectives of the council. 
  • Consider having a third party facilitate the public engagement sessions. 
  • It is important to inform participants that their views will be considered, but that there is no guarantee that all the comments and suggestions will find their way into the strategic plan. 
  • Many options are available to local governments in terms of approaches to public engagement. Examples include but are not limited to the following: 

Survey (mailed or online questionnaire)

  • Residents are more comfortable submitting feedback via electronic means than in the past. 
  • One technique is to conduct an online survey.  Software is available in the market to facilitate these surveys.  
  • The main advantage of this tool is that it limits the ability of single individuals or special interest groups to sway the conversation. 
  • Using a traditional mail-in survey can still be used but may be more costly (design, printing and mail-out, etc.) to set up and administer relative to the volume of feedback received.     

Targeted meetings with stakeholders 

  • Targeted meetings can be arranged that could be conducted online or in person or a combination of both approaches could be used as a means of increasing public participation. 
  • These sessions are used to identify the issues of concern to the group(s) regarding services, by-laws, policies, infrastructure and programs of the local government. 
  • Various “community” issues may also be identified that are of concern to stakeholders (e.g., crime, traffic noise and congestion, lack of green spaces, etc.)  
  • As a result of the discussions, opportunities to improve the relationship with the stakeholders may also be identified.   

Public meetings 

  • Public meetings can be arranged in an open-house format, where participants can drop by and provide feedback and comment informally to the strategic planning team.   
  • Round-table discussions may also be used where specific questions and topics are discussed with the participants.   
  • Public presentations can also be arranged but may not optimize feedback and comments from participants.  
  • They can also host live Q&A sessions or virtual town halls to engage residents and address their questions or concerns in real time. 

Social Media 

  • Local governments can also leverage social media platforms to share surveys, polls, and discussion topics, encouraging community feedback on strategic plans. 
5. Priority areas*
  • Further to suggestions and comments received during the consultation stage, the council will identify its priority areas.   
  • Although these priority areas will frame some focus areas that will warrant more attention, they do not minimize and/or eliminate the statutory responsibilities to deliver local services. 
  • The priority areas will, however, allow the leadership team to develop actions to advance priorities of the council for new projects and initiatives. 
  • These priority areas will also inform discussions pertaining to developing strategic objectives and expected outcomes. (e.g. outcomes related to economic development, healthcare worker attraction, addressing homelessness, etc.) 
6. Strategic objectives of the council*
  • Following identification of priorities, the council will need to establish high level strategic objectives of what it expects to achieve over the next three- to five-year period.
  • These are high level statements that will guide the actions of the management team and their staff.
  • The purpose of these statements will be to set goals and measurable steps to help achieve the desired outcomes.
  • Ideally, a strategic objective is quantifiable by either statistical result or financial data.
  • Many experts use the SMART technique, where the objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-related.
7. Implementation Plan*

What is the Implementation Plan? 

  • The implementation plan identifies how the strategic plan will be executed by the leadership team.   
  • The plan will outline the overall strategic objectives of the council and break down specific actions to accomplish the objectives.   
  • The plan will typically include key performance indicators (KPIs), a timeline, and assigned responsibility for each action. 

Who is responsible for the Implementation Plan? 

  • The implementation plan is the responsibility of the CAO, given that it is a document highlighting how things will be accomplished on a day-to-day basis.   
  • The plan will be synchronized with the Strategic Plan and may be used by the council to evaluate the performance of the CAO.  
  • Regular status reports should be provided to the council to allow proper oversight by the elected officials. 

Participation of the senior management team

  • Although the implementation plan is the responsibility of the CAO, it is essential that the senior management team be involved with the development of the specific actions that pertain to their respective departments (if applicable).   
  • This participatory approach will ensure better engagement and accountability for the individuals responsible for carrying out the actions.   
  • Each department head should provide updates to the CAO on a regular basis that would then be included in the overall status reports provided to the council.  
  • Department heads should inform their employees of the priority actions of the plan. 

Elements to include in the Plan

  • While the components of an implementation plan can vary, it is recommended that local governments consider including at least the following in their respective plans: 
    • Strategic Objective 
    • Assigned responsibility 
    • Specific Actions 
  • A definition of done for the objective and each action 
  • A schedule including the deadline (when is the action to be conducted and completed) 
  • Resource requirements (personnel, budget, assets) 
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs) – evidence that the actions are complete and achieving desirable results. 
  • A monitoring plan with assigned responsibility following completion to ensure the change sticks. 
  • A change assessment to establish who is affected and how. 
  • A plan for communicating and supporting the change (communication, training, technology, etc.) 

Validation of the Implementation Plan with the Council 

  • It is good practice to present the draft implementation plan to the council to receive feedback and to consider adjustments. 
  • The CAO and department heads should be able to explain to the council how they will go about implementing the plan, how long it will take, and what are the key milestones. 
  • It is important for the council to validate, by resolution, the implementation plan.  

Progress reports and follow-ups

  • Strategic planning is an ongoing process and to make timely adjustments, it is important that council receives regular updates from the CAO.   
  • Generally, quarterly reports are appropriate, although there are no specific guidelines for status reporting.   
  • A schedule of status reporting should be agreed upon by the council and the CAO and sufficient time should be allocated to review the status reports.   
  • If changes to the strategic plan are undertaken, the implementation plan should also be modified. 

 
*Steps 5, 6 and 7 above should also occur through one or more well-structured workshop / planning session(s) with council members and staff.

11.3 Plan duration and updating

  • Strategic plans typically represent mid- to long-term goals with a lifespan of at least three to five years.  Councils can choose to have the plan apply to a longer time frame than five years.  However, they must also recognize that a plan’s direction may change when a new council is elected.
  • It is recommended that the strategic plan be reviewed and updated every four years, following the local government general elections.
  • This review is not a requirement but would allow the elected officials to confirm and/or modify or redo the existing strategic plan (if they have a modified or substantially different collective vision for the community).

11.4 Integrating the strategic plan with the annual budget process

  • The strategic plan should be used during the annual budget process to confirm the proper resources for each department that will be required and be consistent with the implementation plan.  
  • Identified annual actions may require capital and operational investments. The priorities will also need to be consistent with the Asset Management Plan priorities to ensure that the local government maintains its assets while also investing strategically in its key priorities.