7

Goals, Objectives, and Tactics

Upon the completion of the environmental scan and the identification of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), the planning committee will have an outline for the development of goals and objectives. Each of the items from the SWOT analysis represents a potential goal. It is at this point that the committee will begin to transition from the research and analysis phases of the strategic planning process and move toward the development of programs, action items, performance measurements, and assignments.

Following the environmental scan performed by the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, planners there compiled a list of goal statements and classified them under five separate categories: economic vitality and diversity, social vitality, service excellence, community participation, and governance. Each goal statement in each category relates to one or more lessons learned in the environmental scan. The following bullet examples are from Winston-Salem’s section on economic vitality and diversity.

• Review business regulations and processes to remove unintended obstacles and delays
• Define a proper approach to incentives for manufacturing, small businesses, and new technology
• Revitalize/redevelop existing commercial areas under decline.

Once goals like these are selected, objectives and tactics for achieving the goals can be defined.

Hierarchy and time frames

Goals, objectives, and tactics form a hierarchy. Goals are general statements that are subsets of the vision. They are the points toward which a community works. They may be realized in the short term, but they may also reappear from one strategic plan to the next. Because they are general in nature, they do not typically include any form of measurement.

Objectives are more specific. Each goal may have any number of objectives, and they represent the first point at which measurement can later be considered. A plan can be determined to be successful if its objectives are being met. Objectives are usually carried over from one plan to the next when they cannot be accomplished in one planning cycle.

Goals, objectives, and tactics can be developed for any period of time selected. There are several models from which to choose. Some plans cover three to five years, while other communities develop plans that can be managed within a one- or two-year horizon and then reconsidered.

A hybrid approach often used by local governments allows for a three- or five-year comprehensive strategic plan. However, the reports of the achievement of these goals will be a mixture of short- and long-range targets, and the tactics employed will be items that either can be completed within a year or may continue as actions for many years.

Goals

The goals in the strategic plan are drawn from the environmental scan. They are designed to address the opportunities that are expected and take maximum advantage of them while the jurisdiction resolves or minimizes any anticipated threats before they arrive. The strengths and weaknesses identified in the internal scan can also be addressed in the goal statements.

Goals usually address long-term issues. They are directly tied to the vision statement and do not include a great deal of specificity. Specific performance measurements will appear at the level of the objectives that support each of the goals. Goals, then, are generalized statements of where the community wants to be at some point in the future.

Goals must be at once attainable and sufficiently ambitious to make an organization and its people stretch. A goal that is too ambiguous or overly ideal will generate a lack of focus because people will not regard it as serious. A goal that is overly aggressive can cause frustration and an expectation of failure.

The number of goals cannot be predicted. Strategic plans for local governments may concentrate on four or five key goals, or they may list dozens of areas that will be component parts of the focus for the community during the next several years. The plan must consist of what the individual community feels comfortable with and believes it can implement over time.

To draw the connection between issues identified in the environmental scanning process and statements of specific goals, some communities list the concepts side by side in the published plan. Dover, Delaware, has done this effectively by including a column headed, “What is the issue/problem?” The following excerpt provides the section of Dover’s plan that relates to the city library; it is an excellent example of how the juxtaposition of the issue or the problem and the goal can be mutually reinforcing as well as instructive to citizens who read the plan.

Goal		What is the issue/problem?
1.Improve security in library by adding surveillance cameras		Blind spots in the building make it difficult for staff to monitor activities
2.Create an annual report for the library		Community is unaware of available services
3.Provide staff training in customer service feedback and begin a secret-shopper project to gauge current customer service levels		Customers have expressed that service needs to be improved
4.Develop a plan to meet the need for additional library space		Library services are currently limited because of space and other constraints
5.Provide a more diverse library collection		Dover has a diverse population, and we need to meet their needs
6.Create a staff procedure manual		Lack of consistency results in problems with management

Within a jurisdiction, some goals may change from one plan to the next, but often the same statements reappear over time, supported by new or advanced objectives and tactics. Consider, for example, two of the programmatic goals listed in the strategic plan of Los Angeles County, California.

Children’s and Families’ Well-Being:

Improve the well-being of children and families in Los Angeles County as measured by the achievements in the five outcome areas identified by the Board: good health, economic well-being, safety and survival, social and emotional well-being, and educational/workforce readiness.

Public Safety:

Increase the safety and security of all residents in Los Angeles County through well-coordinated comprehensive response and recovery plans for terrorist incidents.

Clearly, these are areas of concern that will reappear in the county’s strategic plan for several years. Other communities’ plans also include such longer-term goal statements while they address given issue areas more specifically. The strategic plan developed by the community of Lewiston, Idaho, lists the several goals.

1. Enhance the safety, attractiveness, aesthetics, and health of our city [this goal is supported by eleven objectives]
2. Diversify the economy and stimulate growth [this goal is supported by six objectives]
3. Strengthen the leadership, vision, and planning of our city [this goal is supported by five objectives]
4. Promote an economical, efficient, productive, innovative, and responsive city government [this goal is supported by four objectives].

Several positive examples of goals, objectives, and tactics from local government strategic plans of Gaithersburg, Maryland; Los Angeles County, California; and Worcester, Massachusetts, are provided in Appendix E.

Objectives

Each of the goal statements in the strategic plan will be followed by one or more objectives. There is no set number of objectives that is appropriate for each goal. Some goal statements may have relatively few objectives attached to them, while some goal statements could have 10 or more objectives.

Objectives begin to provide the specificity attendant to concepts identified in the goal. For that reason, objectives tend to be shorter term than goals. Although the goal may be repeated in successive strategic plans, the (measurable) means of achieving those goals usually change over time as the result of changes in the environment, new ways of doing things, or the accomplishment of previous objectives that then lead to follow-up activities.

Objectives should be measurable. If specific performance measures are not included in the objectives, it will be difficult to document success.

Measures can be of various types: quantities, percentages, or dates; or a measure can be the completion of a unit task (for example, a study, a project, or a plan). One objective may include a numeric metric, such as “increase the number of participants in volunteer programs by 75,” or “reduce the number of traffic accidents on the east side of town by 20 percent.” Others may state dates by which an assignment should be completed, such as “complete the master plan for the new development no later than June 1.” Still another measure for objectives is the single task item, for example, “complete the bus shelter program this year.”

Strategic plans that provide measurements as part of the objectives almost always use all of the methods described above, depending on the nature of the goal, the nature of the objective, and the level of comfort the planners have with various levels of specificity. Some goals and objectives seem to defy any form of measurement. One example is “enhance community pride.” When sentiments and beliefs are the subject, specific actions with quantitative or timing performance measures are typically identified at the tactics level.

The following example of objectives, from the December 2002 strategic plan of Los Angeles County, California, covers the county’s third goal, organizational effectiveness: Ensure that service delivery systems are efficient, effective, and goal oriented. This goal comprises five component objectives (called strategies in the county’s plan).

1. By June 30, 2004, implement a countywide framework for performance measurement.
2. By December 31, 2007, design and implement common systems architecture for countywide administrative systems.
3. By February 28, 2003, develop a plan to convey a simple message that highlights to the public and county employees the positive impact the county is having.
4. By June 30, 2004, recommend options for effective alternative support services models to maximize the ability of the departments to focus on the core missions.
5. By July 1, 2003, redesign the process and communications between the chief administrative office, department of human resources, and departments on classification, compensation, and collective bargaining.

Another instructive example, one that incorporates more quantitative measurements, is that of Dover, Delaware. Even the objective relating to the office of the city manager contains specific requirements.

• In FY 03/04, have 80 percent of departments within 95 percent of budget; and by FY 04/05, have 90 percent of departments within 95 percent of budget
• In FY 03/04, have 80 percent of CIP projects done on time and under budget; by FY 04/05, 90 percent
• Implement a citywide survey in the first half of FY 03/04 and use that to establish goals for FY 04/05
• Have three of four key documents fully unified in FY 03/04, and all four unified in FY 04/05
• Implement four new programs per fiscal year that emphasize performance and/or cost efficiency into city organization.

Tactics

Tactics represent action steps. Indeed, tactics are often referred to in strategic plans as action steps, but sometimes the plans refer to them as strategies. These are the activities that the jurisdiction must undertake to achieve the measurements designated in each of the objectives. Tactics may be numerous or few, depending on what is needed to realize the accomplishment of the specific objective. As with the objectives themselves, tactics can be one time, short or medium term, or ongoing. Tactics also typically include measurements, either quantitative or time lines.

Tactics are often presented under each objective in a logical order. In many cases, the order selected is chronological. Consider this hypothetical example.

Goal: Reduce crime on the north side of town.

Objectives:

1. Increase police officers in schools by 10 percent
2. Install 10 new surveillance cameras around schools
3. Initiate neighborhood watch program by September 1.

Tactics for Objective 3:

1. Hold community meetings at 10 locations over the next six months
2. Select volunteers for various roles, assignments, and schedules
3. Conduct three-part training program for volunteers
4. Identify three regular officers to support the operations
5. Develop promotional plan to publicize program
6. Measure impact on crime rates and disturbances during school year and report by start of next school year.

In the above example, it is clear that the goal is a general statement, the objectives are broad but measurable, and the tactics are specific actions. Again, the objectives can be used later to assess organizational performance. Once the tactics are assigned to specific individuals, they can be used as indicators of both organizational effectiveness and individual performance.

Outlining the goals, objectives, and tactics in the strategic plan follows no set format in all communities. The format should be one that will help inform residents and other stakeholders of what is expected and the progress being made. At the same time, the format should be useful to those who will implement the plan and measure performance against the plan over time.

The following strategic plan for Lewiston, Idaho, uses a format similar to the example above; it shows Lewiston’s layout of action steps for objective B, which falls under its first of four goals. Goal I comprises eleven objectives; objective B is the second objective of the eleven.

Goal I:

We will enhance the safety, attractiveness, aesthetics, and health of our city.

Objective B:

Promote and expand recreational opportunities

Implementation	Action steps
1.Evaluate and implement a plan to provide cost-effective swimming opportunities for Lewiston residents	1a.Investigate cooperative efforts with city of Clarkston and Asotin County 1b.Provide technical assistance to Asotin County during design and construction phases of new aquatic center and evaluate how city might support the facility, including public transportation issues; site and design architecture selected June 2; construction to begin February 2003
2.Implement the park master plan and develop a public-private financing mechanism	2a.Prioritized project listing is reviewed by parks and recreation annually 2b.Develop and maintain a park of 5–20 acres in each neighborhood, with off-street parking, winterized bathroom, and playground 2c.Upgrade and install year-round restrooms in each neighborhood park
3.Develop a community park	3a.Funding options include general funds, land sales, surcharges, grants, and bond issue
4.Explore opportunities for RV facilities along the travel corridor	4a.Being examined through the North Idaho Travel Council

Relating actions to vision

Gaithersburg, Maryland, provides stakeholders with a comprehensive report that highlights each of Gaithersburg’s “strategic directions,” the reason each was adopted, and the general approach to implementing each one. It also lists the goals for that strategic direction and all the “critical measures” that will result from implementation. Citizens know what outcomes to expect and how those outcomes contribute to the larger vision. A partial excerpt follows, and examples of the measures used are included in the next chapter on page 50.

Strategic Direction:

Implement traffic and transportation strategies to improve the safety, structure, and function of streets, transit, bikeways, and sidewalks within the city

Background (Why)

• The city is committed to safe and convenient roads, sidewalks, parking areas, and bikeways.
• One of the most common concerns raised by city residents is managing traffic in residential neighborhoods.
• The city recognizes that a comprehensive approach to traffic management must include engineering, education, and enforcement.
• The city’s proximity within the I-270 corridor creates both opportunities and constraints on our local road networks, and a regional approach to traffic mitigation is essential.
• The transportation element of the master plan recommends eliminating gaps in the pedestrian and bicycle network and encouraging the use of transit facilities to reduce traffic congestion, conserve energy, and maintain air quality goals.
• The city’s concern for pedestrian safety creates a need for new and innovative design standards that can provide both identity and improve pedestrian safety.

Approach (How)

• Work with homeowner associations and other community organizations to identify specific areas of concern.
• Implement traffic calming measures in existing communities where appropriate.
• Ensure that traffic calming measures are considered in new developments through the development review process.
• Use speed and traffic studies to assist in determining where speed enforcement would be effective.
• Enforce parking ordinances and traffic laws aggressively to address hazardous situations and community concerns.
• Encourage state and county officials to fund transit and traffic improvements that will decrease congestion.
• Maximize the location and use of parking through site plan review and by permitting parking on existing streets where appropriate.
• Coordinate with the Maryland Department of Transportation and Montgomery County on road projects, making sure that all new state and county roads in Gaithersburg contain appropriate design features.
• Promote smart growth through the implementation of the bikeways and pedestrian master plan as well as through the transit components of the transportation master plan.
• Integrate bicycle and pedestrian design elements into road design and traffic calming measures.

Looking toward implementation

Some communities choose to array the objectives and tactics in a format that permits managers to set their schedules to accomplish the tasks in the plan. This is the case in the following example, taken from the 2002 strategic plan of Los Angeles County, California. These tactics relate to the county’s fifth goal, “Children and Families’ Well-Being” and the following objective: Improve the well-being of children and families in Los Angeles County as measured by the achievements in five outcome areas adopted by the Board: good health, economic well-being, safety and survival, social and emotional well-being, and educational/workforce readiness.

Tactics:

• By July 31, 2003, initiate an action plan and identify resources to implement health, mental health, and substance abuse screening and assessment for all children entering out-of-home placement for the foster care and juvenile justice systems.
• By October 31, 2003, complete the design process for an integrated family services system to integrate services and improve outcomes for children in out-of-home placement and/or families receiving two or more…services
• By December 31, 2003, fully implement the child care and development project to increase the capacity of child care providers and programs to appropriately serve children with disabilities and other special needs.
• By July 31, 2004, fully implement customer service and satisfaction standards with county departments/agencies and their community partners.
• By December 31, 2004, implement Principles for Partnering pilot and evaluate the collective efforts of county departments and community-based organizations for enhancing families’ and communities’ capacities to meet their own needs.
• By July 31, 2005, implement the child abuse prevention initiative in partnership with First 5 LA.

As a result of the strategic planning process, communities almost invariably identify more goals, objectives, and tactics than they have the human or capital resources to accomplish. At some point in the process, planners need to compare the lists of tasks with the budget and staffing tables. Then someone must make very difficult decisions about what can be done, what must be tabled for a later time, and what cannot be done at all unless additional resources are identified. The final lists of actions to be taken must then be assigned to groups and/or individuals who will be responsible for their implementation (see Chapter 8 for details).

Implementation plan

The implementation plan is really an extension of the strategic plan for the community. Action steps for beginning the work are assigned to groups or individuals. To develop a realistic, achievable action plan, planners must take into account existing workloads of individuals and agencies.

Many planning groups tend to focus on the new objectives and tactics and give priority to them; in practice, the new tasks must be assigned priorities that also take into account the priorities already assigned to continuing tasks. On the other hand, the work units involved tend to focus on day-to-day issues and ignore new initiatives called for in a plan.

Many local government managers use the implementation plan to develop annual performance standards for employees as well as year-end performance measures. It is important that managers and other staff understand clearly not only what is assigned to them but also the larger context of the plan. Why are these tasks important? Where do they fit in the greater scheme of improving our community? The greater the understanding by those who implement the plan, the better the buy-in; the better the buy-in, the more aggressively and effectively the goals and objectives will be pursued.

Again, there are many ways to lay out the implementation plan. And, again, the plan must correspond with existing personnel operating systems and local comfort levels. Some implementation plans use a tabular format, but some are in a narrative format. An excerpt follows from the Lombard, Illinois, narrative plan for a conference center.

It’s easy to let the things in the plan slide because of distractions with other hot issues that come up on a daily basis. We have taken the approach of purposely allocating time in our city council work session meetings to review certain sections of the strategic plan in order to keep it in front of the city council and the city staff.

—Charlie Graham, city manager
Frankenmuth, Michigan

Action: The following implementation steps and designation of responsibilities have been developed in order to address the village’s strategic direction regarding the new conference center.

• Prepare financing alternatives associated with the village’s financial participation in the conference center project. Submit the financial pro forma to the economic and community development committee and the finance committee for review and approval prior to consideration by the board of trustees. This will be the responsibility of the village manager, community development director, and the finance director.
• Develop and review the purchase and sale agreements for the conference center site. Submit to the board of trustees for consideration. This will be the responsibility of the village manager and the community development director.
• Prior to board of trustees consideration, prepare and submit the development agreement to the plan commission, economic and community development committee, and finance committee for review. This will be the responsibility of the village manager, community development director, and finance director.
• Process the necessary zoning approvals for the conference center project. This will be the responsibility of the community development department.
• Create a public facility corporation that will, among other responsibilities, issue bonds for the project. This will be the responsibility of the board of trustees.

Jefferson City, Missouri, used a format in its October 2000 strategic plan that enabled managers to line up in one place the action, the person or office to whom it was assigned, due dates, and completion dates. Such a form can be the basis for daily assignments, performance measurement, and even rewards systems.

An implementation plan can also be used to report back to stakeholders on progress toward the various tactics laid out in the strategic plan. The community of Marion, Indiana, uses a reporting format for internal management review that indicates the status. A brief segment of Marion’s format follows.

Continue implementation of the city’s facilities plan

Strategic priority	Completed by	Responsible
A.Review financing plan and project schedule of city hall/community building, public services, and Thomas Park shop building expansion projects	May 2003	Employee S
B.Implement plan in accordance with ongoing schedule	Ongoing	Employee T

Finally, Worcester, Massachusetts set up a summary listing of strategies and assignments in a format that other communities may wish to consider.

List of Strategies and Assignments

Objective 5:

Improve communication and information systems for youth

Strategies:

• Develop, in cooperation with community partners, a comprehensive communication network of available resources and services.

The following municipal departments will provide services to meet the goals of the new strategic plan within the area of youth services:

• The city manager’s office will coordinate with funding agencies and service providers to develop a cooperative multiyear action plan, secure funding, and explore the possibility of establishing a youth services position and/or department within the municipal system.
• The parks department’s youth, parks, and recreation division will coordinate with community-based agencies to expand summer recreation, employment, and meals programs and extend, where possible, to a year-round schedule….

Appendix E provides additional examples of goals, objectives, and tactics; and Appendix F shows excerpts from an implementation plan from Medford, Oregon.

Once the plan is ready to be implemented, local government staff must ensure that they have the necessary systems in place to track progress against the measurable objectives and tactics. They must also be aware of lessons being learned as the plan is implemented so that they can apply the lessons to upcoming planning cycles. These topics are covered in Chapter 11.