STRATEGIC PLANNING & EXECUTION
PROCESS
A presentation for:
AESA
April 16, 2014
by:
Varouj S. Abkian, P.E.
Assistant Director
City of Los Angeles
Sanitation
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
A path finding process:
- who are we?
- why do we exist?
- where are we going?
- how will we get there?
- what do we hope to accomplish?
- what are our strengths and weaknesses?
- what are our opportunities and threats?
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4)
Key Result Areas
are the areas where we
concentrate our efforts and goals.
6)
Strategic Planning
Various terms
Goal Implementation Plan
specifically indicates how each goal must
be achieved (list of deliverables and
actions vs. time).
5)
Goals
are outcomes that must
happen to get us closer
to our vision.
Goals must be SMART.
pecific
easurable
chievable
ealistic
1) Our
We are
here.
Mission
is what we do.
ime dependant
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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 1 – Internal and External Environment Assessment (SWOTts)
Step 2 – Define the Future in 5 years (definition of success) & How We Get
There
Step 3 – Reassess your Mission, Vision, Motto, and Values
Step 4 – Define Key Result Areas
Step 5 – Define Goals for immediate future (a few may carry on beyond
one year horizon)
Step 6 – Develop Goal Implementation Plans
Step 7 – Write the Plan
Step 8 – Communicate the Plan
Step 9 – Develop Balanced Score Board (Strategic Execution)
Step 10 – Monitor Progress (Strategic Execution)
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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 1 – Internal and External Environment Assessment
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, and
trends (SWOTts)
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Use of benchmarks
Use of a employee driven focus group
Brainstorming among management
Interviewing public officials, customers and
stakeholders – MOST IMPORTANT
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THE ESENCE AND FOCAL
POINT OF THE PLAN
What Do we really want (where do we really want to
go)?

The “Definition of Success” or the
Future
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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 2 – Define The Future (definition of success)
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Executive management – Imagine yourself 5 years into the
future
Look back into the past 5 years knowing that you have
succeeded in everyway possible and write down the
successes and achievements that really count – generate a
“want” list – It should feel good!
Acid test – Now think that you have failed miserably and
generate a “do not want” list of failures – You should feel
in pain now! Use this list only to check that you have not
missed anything in the list of successes and then destroy this
list!
Combine the list generated by the Executive Team. Note:
This list is also used to create the Key Result Areas (KRAs)
Using the list, create a story and call it “Definition of
Success”
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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 3 – Reassess your Mission, Vision, Motto, and
Values
Simplicity is power!
 Focus on the “Definition of Success”
 Review other organizations’ mission, vision and values
 Brainstorm and create a list of terms to use
 Create various versions of mission, vision, & motto, and
optimize
 Brainstorm a list of values, prioritize them and write a
definition for everyone of them
Note: Mission and vision statements may change over the
years but values that guide every behavior and decision
must stay unchanged, so think this through!

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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 4 – Define Key Result Areas (the power of
“chunking”)
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Focus on the list of “wants” that assisted in
generating the “Definition of Success”
Find the common themes or groupings of these
ideas (the power of Chunking)
The common themes become the key areas that
you want the organizational efforts to be focused
Goal are bunched under each Key Results Area
(KRA)
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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 5 – Define Goals & Select Goals
Definition of Success (Future)
Define Key Result Areas (KRA’s)
Develop Goals under each KRA
Combine Goals
Finalize Goals
Note: Goals that are not used for at the organizational level
are used within divisions or work units
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FORMULATE GOALS
$ Savings
Another criteria or filter in selecting goals:
C
A
D
B
Achievable
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YEARLY STRATEGIC PLANNING CYCLE
Step 6 – Develop Goal Implementation Plans
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Appoint leaders and supporters to write the goal
implementation plans for every goal
Appoint someone from the executive team to guide the
formulation of the implementation plans
Follow a given template
Make sure all deliverables are Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic and Time dependent (SMART)
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