EYE  ON  THE  P R O F E S S I O N
A CLOSER LOOK AT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE PARK AND RECREATION PROFESSION

Golf is a game of strategy. Every shot requires you to think about your intended outcome. You must negotiate the wind, the distance of the shot, the terrain of the putting surface. (Don't get me started on how difficult it is to stay out of the lakes and trees!)

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson did not get where they are now without strategizing and doing their homework. Every course requires a different plan. Every day requires a different approach.

Just as in golf, strategies must be employed when planning for your organization. For the experienced professional, observing and inspecting the course - and reacting to it - become automatic. For the novice, using these techniques requires some more effort and conscious planning.

In both golf and business, you must have a game plan when it comes to strategic planning. But, by doing your homework and being able to plan and strategize accordingly, you have a great shot at performing like a pro.

What Is Strategic Planning?

Strategic planning is the process that determines a) where an organization is over a given time period, b) how it expects to get there, and c) how it will measure whether the organization has arrived at its intended destination.

Find a Plan That Works for You

The development of an organization's strategic plan depends on such factors as that organization's leadership, its corporate culture, the nature of its business environment, its size and the talent level of those people developing the plan.

According to strategic planning expert Dr. Carter McNamara, there are a variety of approaches in strategic planning: goals-based, issues-based, organic and many others.

Your strategic plan won't be effective if you don't adapt to the changing world around you.

Goals-based planning is probably the most common model. It starts with focusing on the organization's mission, vision, values and goals in order to work toward the strategies to achieve the goals, and action planning. Essentially, who will do what and when?

Issues-based strategic planning often starts by examining issues facing the organization, strategies to address those issues and action plans.

Organic strategic planning might start by articulating the organization's vision and values and then creating action plans to achieve the vision while adhering to those values.

In addition to determining the planning model that best fits your agency, you need to establish a scope for your plan. Some plans are for one year, but more often strategic plans cover multiple years, from as few as two to as many as 10 years forward. With environmental, business and political factors changing at a rapid pace, many planners opt for three-year strategic plans to allow for greater adaptability to changing situations. But plans that feature major capital expansion and improvements may need to be extended.

Adapting Your Plan to a Changing World

Although strategic planning is a necessary step in every organization's path toward providing excellence and guidance, change must be accounted for. Your strategic plan won't be effective if you don't adapt with the changing world around you.

Many organizations are including environmental scanning as a first step in the strategic planning process. The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, defines environmental scanning as "a concept from business management by which businesses gather information from the environment to better achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. To sustain competitive advantage, the company must also respond to the information gathered from environmental scanning by altering its strategies and plans when the need arises."

In both golf and business, you must have a game plan. By doing your homework and
planning and strategizing accordingly, you have a great shot of performing like a pro.

8   I l l i n o i s   P a r k s   &   R e c r e a t i o n     www.ILipra.org

However, in today's turbulent business environment, many organizations prefer the method of continuous scanning. This allows them "to act quickly, take advantage of opportunities before competitors do, and respond to environmental threats before significant damage is done."

Continuous scanning is applicable to park and recreation agencies as they encounter changes within their communities. In some cases, public agencies may encounter a larger amount of environmental changes due to political climate, the economy, legal situations, technology, ecology, socio-cultural changes and labor force fluctuations.

The IPRA Strategic Plan

The Illinois Park & Recreation Association has a strategic plan that is developed and updated every year, even though it covers a two-year period. IPRA has followed the association trend in developing a strategic plan internally and presenting the results to its board of directors for review, changes, additions and approval.

The strategic plan is done after performing an environmental scan of the membership and the state of the field of parks and recreation. The outcomes of scanning our environment significantly help us determine the best course of action for the future.

Once the plan is approved and implementation begins, we use the continuous scanning method to stay abreast of our membership's needs and wants - and deliver them. Continuous scanning in the planning process also allows us to take advantage of situations as they arise and address issues that may become a significant deterrent to the operation of the association.

Considering the membership's changing attitudes, cultural and age changes, technology advancements and economic uncertainty, it is imperative that IPRA changes with these conditions. This type of process ensures consistency amongst the annual changing of chairmanships and board positions.

The initial environmental scan, followed by continuous scanning, allows for change and growth within the strategic plan. It positions the IPRA to be proactive rather than reactive.

Developing a Plan to Benefit Everyone

Quite often, agency leaders already know much of what will go into a strategic plan and how best to plan for the future. But, developing a strategic plan will greatly help to clarify the organization's plans and ensure that everyone from commissioners, mid-managers and front-line staff are all on the same page.

More important, it will demonstrate your responsibility and accountability to the public you serve, who are the investors in every park and recreation agency.

As in golf, your agency must study, understand and review the course before playing. Then you must review the plan on a continual basis to ensure you're keeping pace with the changing world. These essential elements of the strategic planning process will provide success for the agency, staff, elected officials and the community as a whole.

Please feel free to contact me at bill@ILipra.org if you have questions about the strategic planning process or any of the items covered in this column. You can also view the IPRA strategic plan on line by going to blog.ILipra.org and searching "strategic plan."

www.ILparks.org    M a r c h  /  A p r i l  2008   9