Engagement in strategic planning

Queensland Government agencies undertake strategic planning annually to ensure the programs and services they provide continue to be appropriate within a rapidly changing environment. The strategic plan provides an overarching framework for the development of operational business plans.

Strategic plans provide clarity of purpose and articulate how the agency will contribute towards the  government’s policy priorities and planned outcomes for communities. While many agencies have a sophisticated strategic planning process which includes futuring, stakeholder mapping and research into changing environments, the elements of planning outlined in this chapter are the basic building blocks for planning.

Strategic planning is based on the planning cycle which provides a framework for bringing together all the aspects of planning into a coherent, unifi ed process and fi ts within the agency’s performance review and budget cycle. The structure of a planning cycle helps to ensure agency strategic plans are fully considered, well focused, resilient, practical and cost effective.

Opportunities and benefits

Strategic planning processes generally include:

• an environmental scan
• engagement with key agency stakeholders
• examination of agency data
• development of key agency outputs, priority areas and performance indicators
• development of an agency strategic plan
• evaluation.

Environmental scan

Agencies conduct an environmental scan to identify issues likely to affect agency programs and services in the future and to identify the impact of programs and services on citizens and communities.

The rapidly changing and increasingly diverse nature of communities across Queensland means effective identifi cation of key stakeholders prior to an environmental scan is vital. Engagement at this stage of strategic planning may involve methods such as focus groups, facilitated workshops or surveys, and questionnaires.

Citizens and communities can assist the agency in identifying key issues in relation to the appropriateness and effectiveness of programs and services. Involving diverse perspectives in the environmental scan will help identify a range of opportunities for improvements in programs and services.

Benefits of effective engagement at this stage:

• identifying and addressing changing community priorities for agency programs and services
• identifying the appropriateness and effectiveness of programs and services
• identifying opportunities for improvements
• identifying key stakeholders.

Engagement with key stakeholders

Effective stakeholder identification will help to ensure all key stakeholders are involved in agency strategic planning and provide opportunities for stakeholders to infl uence the agency’s strategic planning process and associated programs.

Agencies regularly consult with established networks, such as advisory boards and committees, on a range of agency-related issues. Those same networks are often involved in the agency’s strategic planning process.

While they play a vital role in providing advice and, sometimes participating in agency planning and decision making processes, there may be a need for agencies to look beyond the established networks to seek more diverse views and perspectives in strategic planning.

In some instances, citizens who are impacted by specific agency programs and services or have a significant interest in a service can contribute a great deal in determining issues to be considered in the strategic planning process. It is at this stage that citizens and communities can raise their own issues with government agencies and identify opportunities for new programs or services, or new approaches to program or service delivery.

While it is useful to engage a diverse range of key stakeholders in strategic planning, it may be difficult to interest citizens and communities in planning if they are not affected by the agency business or if they don’t have a signifi cant interest in agency business. However, agencies may want to consider the benefi ts of raising citizen awareness about strategic planning issues before testing their level of interest in relation to becoming involved. The benefits, risks and opportunities for broader community engagement in agency strategic planning processes should be assessed at this stage.

Engaging with agency staff and other relevant government agencies and public sector officers at this stage of the strategic planning process may assist with better coordination across government in the strategic planning process. It may also assist in reducing multiple consultations by agencies with the same citizens and communities on a range of related planning issues.

Benefits of effective engagement at this stage:

• incorporating diverse views in the strategic planning process
• providing citizens and communities with opportunities to raise their own issues
• identifying new opportunities or approaches to service delivery
• raising citizen awareness about government planning processes
• better cross-agency and cross-government coordination in the strategic planning process
• reducing over-consultation of citizens and communities in relation to government planning
• strengthening agency relationships with key stakeholders
• strengthening agency relationships with citizens and communities.

Examination of agency data/development of key agency outputs, priority areas and performance indicators

These stages involve collection and examination of agency data in relation to programs and services, agency outcomes and outputs, and performance indicators.

Engagement throughout the strategic planning process should inform the development of agency priority areas for the upcoming 12 months. Engagement outcomes can also inform performance indicators.

Development of an agency strategic plan

Key agency stakeholders can play an important role in reviewing the draft strategic plan to assist in ensuring it incorporates the issues, views and perspectives raised in any engagement processes. This stage in the strategic planning process provides the opportunity to engage more broadly to test the agency draft plan.

This stage also offers an opportunity for agencies to provide feedback to citizens, communities and stakeholders in relation to how their input was considered by the agency in the development of the draft strategic plan.

Effective involvement of citizens, communities and stakeholders at this stage will ensure agencies have identifi ed and appropriately addressed all issues. It also provides citizens with an opportunity to raise issues with government agencies.

One of the challenges facing agencies in developing their strategic plans may be to develop and produce their strategic plans in a language that speaks to citizens and clearly states proposed community outcomes.

Benefits of effective engagement at this stage:

• an agency strategic plan that is responsive to community and stakeholder needs and priorities
• effective feedback to citizens, communities and stakeholders involved in the strategic planning process
• increased awareness of government planning processes
• increased legitimacy in the planning process.

Evaluation

The implementation of the strategic plan takes place with the development and rollout of the agency’s operational plans. Agencies may want to consider involving the same citizens, communities or key stakeholders involved in the environmental scanning stage and the plan development stage in the evaluation of the strategic plan. There is also an opportunity at this stage to engage beyond existing agency networks to test the validity of the strategic planning process and the resulting strategic plan.

Benefits of effective engagement at this stage:

• identifying opportunities for improvements in future strategic planning process
• examine lessons in the strategic planning process
• identifying the level of consistency between the strategic plan and agency operational plans
• identifying the consistency between community priorities as agency priorities as represented in the strategic plan.