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SUBJECTS › GOVERNANCE › Strategic Management Planning
Updated 05/09
 

Strategic Management Planning

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About this Page

Strategic planning is not a new concept.  According to some sources, strategic planning was used by the military of ancient Greece as far back as 430 BC.    Literature on strategic planning dates back to Chinese military strategy in the 4th Century BC.  Strategic planning was applied to business as a standard management tool in the 1950's.  Elements of strategic management planning have gradually applied the public sector starting in the late 1980's.  

Carl Neu, a well known consultant in local governance and leadership, wrote in his article Was I Elected To Do What the People Want or to Govern Well? that communities must be able to imagine and decide what they want the future to be. And, they must decide how they are going to make this desired future become a reality. He defined strategic leadership as a process that brings people together to think about the future, create a vision, and invent ways to make this future happen through determination, community teamwork, and disciplined actions. Neu defined the strategic plan as a document recording what people think – a broad blueprint for positive change that defines a vision and key outcomes that must occur to attain this vision. Other implementation efforts and plans such as the comprehensive land use plan, financial plans, and development and redevelopment plans are policy and decision making tools that assist the community, council, and administration in achieving the vision.

A growing number of Washington local governments are creating a long-term strategic plans, while others are are applying various elements of strategic planning principals to assist policy makers with decision-making.  MRSC has captured some of this activity in this Web page.  If you have contributions for this page, please contact the page editor.

    Strategic Plans

    Surveys

    • Skamania Forward - Skamania County
    • Vancouver  Strategic Planning Survey -  The city updated Strategic Plan and did a survey in preparation for the development of the 2009/10 budget.   Citizens were  asked to share their opinions and perspectives to help determine the City’s Vision for the future.

    Strategic Goals and Objectives

    Information Resources