Municipal and Non Profit Good Governance

Strategic Planning is seen as a variety of things to different people. In a nutshell, it is a process whereby a Council or Board of Directors will set a longer term plan for the future. It is a high level plan that will guide decision making well into the future and act as a lens through which all decisions are viewed.

There are many ways to go about this. And of course, the process is dictated by time, money, and the nature of the organization. The Municipal Services Group will facilitate discussions in a variety of areas including:

• “Where are we now?”, “Where should we be going?” and “How do we get there?”;

• Developing a road map for long- term decision making which will provide a means for staff and Council/ Board to focus its efforts;

• Using the road map as a compass by which the Council/Board makes its decisions;

• Matching the organization's activities with the long- term plan; and,

• Aligning the financial plan with the activities.

An organization will undertake a organizational review for a variety of reasons and the scope may be small or large. These are generally a planned systematic review of an organization's processes, work environment, and organizational structure. The organizational assessment process guides the development of recommendations and action plans to support achievement of organizational objectives.