Office of State Finance
Budget Division

STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS

Across the country, government officials are reviewing how services are being provided in order to reduce costs and increase productivity. It is important for us to strengthen accountability and improve performance. As the Oklahoma Quality Improvement Task Force pointed out, ".. with better services comes a better image of state government."

Strategic planning is the process by which members of an organization envision its future and develop the action plans necessary to achieve the future. HB 1622, passed by the 1999 Legislature now requires each agency to prepare a Strategic Plan covering a 5-year period. The first Strategic Plan is due on October 1, 2001.

The Office of State Finance and the Office of Personnel Management have developed uniform criteria and outlined a strategic planning process which will enable agency managers to meet this requirement.

OSF has committed to an intensive effort to monitor agency progress ensuring that all agencies meet the target date. Strategic planning meetings were conducted in the Spring of 2000 to inform all agencies of the HB 1622 requirements. Eighteen separate meetings were scheduled and representatives from OSF and OPM discussed the new requirements with each agency. Most agency directors attended the meetings as did the individuals who would become the agency contact for strategic planning efforts.

A few Oklahoma agencies have been preparing long-range plans however most of the agencies do not. Now, all Executive Branch state agencies, excluding the Governor's Office and the Lieutenant Governor's Office are required to submit a 5-year strategic plan. The Legislative and Judicial Branches are not required to submit strategic plans. HB 1622 also authorizes the Governor and the Legislature to develop a statewide strategic plan.

As we indicated in the meetings in March and April, 2000, once you go through this process, you will wonder why you haven't been doing this all along. It will provide a great sense of accomplishment to know that you are identifying your long-range needs and including so many others in determining what those needs are and how you should address them. The input from your employees, board/commission members, constituent groups, and others will be invaluable as you develop your plan. In addition, once you start setting goals and measuring the progress you achieve towards those goals, or sometimes away from the goals, you will better be able to assess what you are accomplishing and determine what to do about it.

Although funding for the facilitation process was requested from the Legislature, none was appropriated. Each agency will be responsible for the costs of this effort and a list of facilitators with whom you can contract to provide assistance in developing your strategic plan as well as what they will charge you has been prepared. Separate strategic planning packets were sent to each agency the week of July 24th. These packets included the following material:

• list of strategic planning facilitators with whom agencies can contract for services (pdf, 17 kb)
• process agenda for the facilitation (pdf, 115 kb)
• article on "How to Have a Successful Strategic Planning Meeting" from the January, 2000 Training and Development publication
• highlights from "State Your Values, Hold the Hot Air"
• article on "What Gifted Strategic Thinkers Do" from the July, 1999 Training and Development publication
• slide presentation on the Oklahoma Program Budgeting and Accountability Act presented to agencies in the Spring of 2000 (pdf, 164 kb)
• draft Strategic Planning instructions (pdf, 164 kb)
• draft Strategic Planning forms (including draft budget request forms) (pdf, 116 kb)

If you have not yet started your planning process, you need to do so. Do not hesitate to call this office if you have any questions about the process or what you are required to do.

Strategic Planning Contacts:
OPM: Larry Fisher (405) 522-0762 and Joyce Smith - (405) 521-4539
OSF: Rollo Redburn (405) 521-3715, Jauna Head (405) 521-2369, or your budget analyst

Other items:

• HB 1622
• Memorandums from Rollo Redburn, Budget Division Director:
  
  • February 2, 2000: Strategic Planning requirements and meeting schedule for appropriated agencies
  • March 27, 2000: Strategic Planning requirements and meeting schedule for non-appropriated agencies and those that missed first round of meetings
  • May 17, 2000: Strategic Planning questionnaire regarding whether or not an agency currently has an internal planning process; whether they will use the facilitators we identify or another facilitator; and who the agency strategic planning contact will be
  • April 5, 2001 Strategic Planning Questionnaire (22 kb)
    
• Status of agency planning processes (under development)
• List of agency contacts for Strategic Planning

References to other web sites of interest:

Budgeting / Performance Measures / Strategic Planning

• National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)
  http://www.nasbo.org/
• Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) links to other sites
  http://www.abfm.org/budgeting_and_financial_links.htm
• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
  http://www.gfoa.org/
• Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
  http://www.rutgers.edu/Accounting/raw/seagov/pmg/index.html
• Association for Budgeting and Financial Management links to other sites
  http://www.abfm.org/budgeting_and_financial_links.htm
• Alliance for Redesigning Government
  http://www.alliance.napawash.org/alliance/index.html
• Foundation for Performance Measurement
  http://www.fpm.com/
• John F. Kennedy School of Government
  http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/
• National Performance Review
  http://www.npr.gov/
• Finance Net (list of other state sites)
  http://www.financenet.gov/financenet/state/offices.htm

Upcoming Strategic Planning Events:

under development

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