Palm Coast – Dr. Joe Saviak spearheaded a dynamic orientation meeting on Monday morning at the Palm Coast Community Center, guiding the Palm Coast City Council, administration, and department directors through a strategic action planning session. The City of Palm Coast has consistently undertaken an annual strategic action plan process over the past decade, a crucial initiative to address community needs and pave the way for a positive future.
The orientation meeting underscored the pivotal role of strategic planning in upholding a high level of service, particularly in the context of an ever-changing community. Dr. Saviak emphasized the essence of planning as a proactive approach, involving the identification of future threats and opportunities. The crux lies in crafting plans that capitalize on opportunities while concurrently mitigating or thwarting potential threats in the present.
In the upcoming months, the City Council will take the reins to develop measurable objectives and strategies, aligning them with the desired outcomes. This strategic plan serves as an essential for success in navigating and managing change. Acknowledging the inevitability of change, Dr. Saviak emphasized that organizations that fail to anticipate, lead, and manage change risk compromising their performance.
He also highlighted the significance of a shared mission, cautioning that assumptions about universal understanding and acceptance should not be automatic. In his view, a successful strategy serves as a winning game plan, intricately woven with an accurate assessment of organizational strengths and limitations, coupled with an understanding of anticipated changes in the organizational environment.
Dr. Saviak outlined the seven key steps in the strategic planning process:
- Problem and opportunity analysis
- Identification and analysis of stakeholders
- Historical analysis
- Organizational and situational analysis
- Concrete strategy formulation
- Pre-implementation projection
- Evaluation and mid-course correction (Starling, 2007)
Next, he provided a detailed timeline for the planning process:
- Feb. 5 – Orientation
- Feb. 26-27 – Interviews with City Council and Department Directors
- March 11-25 – Electronic Survey to City staff
- April – Strategic Plan Workshop Public Meeting
- May 28 – Final Plan Due
Dr. Saviak’s wealth of experience and expertise in strategic planning is set to play a pivotal role in shaping a comprehensive and actionable plan that aligns seamlessly with the city’s vision, mission, values, and pillars of priorities. A strategic plan enables city government to identify objectives for programs, policies, and capital projects and optimize productivity, performance, efficiency, innovation, and citizen satisfaction.
The groundwork laid during this workshop energizes a strategic roadmap for the City of Palm Coast as it navigates the future landscape.
The City is encouraging the community members to become involved in planning for the future by participating in the comprehensive plan update, Imagine 2050. This initiative offers an opportunity for community members to contribute their ideas and aspirations for the blueprint of the city’s future.
Imagine 2050 is an ongoing initiative to update the community’s vision for the future. Residents can actively participate in this process and help shape upcoming projects and programs by visiting the Imagine 2050 Website for more information.
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