Strategy Made Simple: Development and Deployment of a Strategic Plan

In the American Water Works Association's (AWWA) 2012 State of the Water Industry Report – An industry at the crossroads, the report discusses in detail many of the critical issues facing our industry today. The report identifies the top five issues as:InfrastructureBusiness FactorsRegulatorySource WaterWorkforceAs asserted by Goodstein, et al (1993, 2008), strategic planning “…provides a framework for action that is embedded in the mind-sets of the organization and its employees.” (p. 6) Employing strategic planning helps focus management, department leaders, and the workforce on what is most important to the utility based upon priorities determined by the same. If properly developed and deployed, a strategic plan engages the workforce, motivates them, provides a step-by-step improvement plan, and leads to high performance and results. In the absence of strategy, the organization becomes complacent and satisfied with simply ‘putting out fires.’Competing priorities is one of the pitfalls of continual improvement. Without focus and commitment, a utility struggles to improve. In the AWWA publication, The Evolving Water Utility, Zeilig asserts, “The strategic plan should identify the key issues the utility plans to address and marshal the resources for appropriate action.” (2003, p.44) The publication goes on to emphasize that a strategic plan builds consensus throughout the utility on potentially controversial issues and how best to use competing resources.This paper will describe a simple, yet structured framework for strategic planning, the keys to success, and real-world examples of what success looks like. This paper will include diagrams, flowcharts, and other tools that can be used to facilitate strategic planning. And finally, charts and graphs will be included to delineate actual results achieved through proper implementation of a strategic plan.