Strategic Planning in the Public Sector

Introduction 

Strategic planning in the public sector is a challenging and exciting subject. There is a significant and growing emphasis in the sector on project outcomes, value for money and financial efficiency and also on the changing relationship between public and private institutions. Today public sector organisations are increasingly required to plan strategically for their future by using the tools and techniques that have been developed in the private sector. All this is the focus of our new course.

This highly participative training course will address the major issues of setting strategic objectives, planning programmes and projects and preparing for the future. We will also look in detail at the way in which we evaluate the outcomes of public sector strategic decisions and we will offer guidelines on developing and integrating strategic and operational activities for the purpose of achieving and sustaining high-level performance in economic, social and business development. Measuring economic and business impact will figure significantly in this training course, which we intend to sharpen the focus of all public sector personnel on the quality of operational outputs and strategic outcomes. It will give participants a road map on which the future of the organisation can be confidently based.

Participants attending Strategic Planning in the Public Sector training course will develop the following competencies:

• Understand the value of strategic analysis for public sector organisations
• Learn how to transfer, adapt and apply best practice from the private sector
• Align public sector operations in support of the private sector
• Balance the requirements of economic development and business growth
• Make a significant contribution to preparing a strategic plan for their organization

In this interactive training course participants will frequently work in pairs as well as in larger groups to complete exercises as well as regional and international case studies.

Course Methodology

This Strategic Planning in the Public Sector training course will combine presentations with instructor-guided interactive discussions between participants relating to their individual interests. Practical exercises, video material and case studies aiming at stimulating these discussions and providing maximum benefit to the participants will support the formal presentation sessions. Above all, the course leader will make extensive use of case examples and case studies of issues in which he has been personally involved.

Programme Summary 

This unique training course on Strategic Planning in the Public Sector covers discussion of critical areas of strategic thinking and planning and will have above all a practical focus on decision-making in conditions of complexity that include public accountability.

The focus of this course is on the actions required to achieve effective design and introduction of strategic plans. This will include detailed presentation and discussion of contemporary leading-edge approaches to strategic planning, showing how standard systems should be modified for the specific context of a public sector organisation.

Definition of Strategy in The Public Sector

• What is strategy and why is it important?
• The alternative approaches to strategic thinking
• The question of complexity, resources and choices
• The unique aspects of strategy in the public sector
• Financial and non-financial dimensions of public sector strategy
• How to build an effective strategic planning team
• Case example or case study

Strategic Analysis in a Public Sector Context

• Learning from best practice in the private and public sectors
• Introducing a strategic mindset into public sector activities
• Managing internal and external relationships in strategy development
• Risk analysis – what are the right risks to take?
• Risk management – how can we minimise the risks that we face?
• Securing the cohesion of strategic programmes and projects
• Case example or case study

Specifics of Strategy Formulation in the Public Sector

• Setting priorities in public sector strategy – economic development
• Setting priorities in public sector strategy – social development
• Setting priorities in public sector strategy – science and technology development
• Leveraging the unique capabilities and resources of the public sector
• Identifying and managing the expectations of different stakeholders
• Strategic collaboration between the public and private sectors
• Case example or case study

Ensuring Sustainability of Strategic Initiatives

• Sustainability in public sector planning and how it is measured
• Designing and controlling public sector strategic programmes
• The practice of continuous renewal and development
• The concept of creative destruction and its strategic significance
• Dealing with “value migration” and its impact on public sector strategy
• Accountability and corporate governance in public sector strategy
• Case example or case study

 Producing a Strategic Plan that Gets Implemented

• Why most strategic plans have very little value
• A framework for an effective public sector strategic plan
• Aligning strategic and operational activities in public sector planning
• Setting realistic and ambitious goals and performance measures
• Linking planning, implementation and review
• Anticipating and reacting to expected and unexpected developments
• Overview of course and delegates’ plans for follow-up actions