Sie sind auf Seite 1von 8

STRATEGIZING FOR INTEGRATED APPROACH IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

Strategizing for Integrated Approach in the Local Government Integration can be defined in various ways. According to Encarta Dictionary, is an equal access for all; the process of opening a group, community, place or organization to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or social classes In academics, integration is known to be the inculcation of other disciplines with other disciplines aiming of more familiarization of the topics. Utilizing the concept of integration in planning and management can give a big impact on the proposed project. However, before getting in to the process of integration in planning and management, it is rightful to define what integrated planning and management is. As defined in the military, integrated planning is in amphibious operations, the planning accomplished by commanders and staffs of corresponding echelons from parallel chains of command within the amphibious task force. See also amphibious operation; amphibious task force. In business terms, integrated planning is joint planning exercise that ensures participation of all stakeholders and affected departments. Its objective is to examine all economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits, in order to determine most appropriate option and to plan a suitable course of action. In addition it can likewise be defined a process to identify current and future access needs - for people, places, goods and services. Many proponents suggest structure for this type of planning. One of these structures is presented by H.L. Mencken. In his model, strategic planning, program planning and business planning are collaborated at the core of the integration having the characteristics of the following: Strategic planning is essentially broad- based consensus-building around mission and goals. It draws all stakeholders into a discussion that reinvigorates the sense of communal purpose. Program planning develops services, programs and delivery mechanisms, and identifies the resources needed to implement them. Much of this work needs to be dealt with very lightly in strategic planning, at the policy level. The details are the prerogative of the executive director and professional staff. Business planning is as crucial for a non-profit institution as it is in a for- profit business. A business plan details the means by which the organization is to be supported and sustained, determines operational feasibility, and provides the staffing, financial, market, and operational details required. Business planning typically is the responsibility of the Executive Director, CFO, and the board.

These three factors are working in unison in order to address problems systematically.

Figure 1. H.L. Mencken Model of Integrated Planning In South Africa they utilized an "integrated development planning" as a method to plan future development in their areas. This Integrated Development Plan is a super plan for an area that gives an overall framework for development. It aims to co-ordinate the work of local and other spheres of government in a coherent plan to improve the quality of life for all the people living in an area. It should take into account the existing conditions and problems and resources available for development. The plan should look at economic and social development for the area as a whole. It must set a framework for how land should be used, what infrastructure and services are needed and how the environment should be protected. This integrated planning is composed primarily of two important dimensions: Vertical integration between policy, strategy, planning and implementation. Horizontal this includes intermodal, land use/ transport social/economic/environmental.

and

This structure is similar with the structure used by the United States in their National Strategy for Homeland Security of 2007 aiming to further enhance the preparedness of the United States by formally establishing a standard and comprehensive approach to national planning. In their model also cascade the vertical and horizontal integrations in integrated planning.

Figure 2. Integrated Planning of HMSM On the other hand, Richard Billow also presented a model of integration management and he defined as - integration management is where a project manager on a small project steps back to make sure everything makes sense. On a bigger project, the PM uses the integration processes to tie together the work done by different groups of people involved in all the other processes. Integration encompasses the formal authorization of the project and the generation of the scope statement. It links all the processes in project plan development. When beginning to execute, integration oversees the project work and triggers all the corrective and preventive action. Integration tracks all change requests through approval or rejection until the completion of the project. Finally, the project ends with an integration process where we archive the data.

Figure 3. Richard Billows Integration Management Model The Integration Planning Process in the Local Government PHASE 1 ANALYSIS During this phase information is collected on the existing conditions within the municipality. It focuses on the types of problems faced by people in the area and the causes of these problems. The identified problems are assessed and prioritized in terms of what is urgent and what needs to be done first. Information on availability of resources is also collected during this phase. At the end of this phase, the municipality will be able to provide: An assessment of the existing level of development Details on priority issues and problems and their causes Information on available resources

PHASE 2: STRATEGIES During this phase, the municipality works on finding solutions to the problems assessed in phase one.

This entails: Developing a vision

The vision is a statement of the ideal situation the municipality would like to achieve in the long term once it has addressed the problems outlined in phase one. The following is an example of a vision statement:

An economically vibrant city with citizens living in a secure, healthy and comfortable environment
Defining development objectives

Development objectives are clear statements of what the municipality would like to achieve in the medium term to deal with the problems outlined in phase one. For example: Provide access to clean water for all residents living in the informal settlement Development strategies

Once the municipality has worked out where it wants to go and what it needs to do to get there, it needs to work out how to get there. A development strategy is about finding the best way for the municipality to meet a development objective. For example: Co-operate with the Department of Water Affairs to provide one water stand pipe

for every 20 households.

Project Identification

Once the municipality has identified the best methods to achieving its development objectives it leads to the identification of specific projects. PHASE 3: PROJECTS During this phase the municipality works on the design and content of projects identified during Phase 2. Clear details for each project has to be worked out in terms of: Who is going to benefit from the project? How much is it going to cost? How is this project going to be funded? How long would it take to complete? Who is going to manage the project?

Clear targets must be set and indicators worked out to measure performance as well as the impact of individual projects. PHASE 4: INTEGRATION

Once all projects have been identified, the municipality has to check again that they contribute to meeting the objectives outlined in Phase 2. These projects will provide an overall picture of the development plans. All the development plans must now be integrated. The municipality should also have overall strategies for issues like dealing with AIDS, poverty alleviation and disaster management. These strategies should be integrated with the overall IDP. PHASE 5: APPROVAL The IDP is presented to the council for consideration and adoption. The Council may adopt a draft for public comment before approving a finalized IDP.

Contemporary Issues in Planning and Management

A perfect organization do not exists and no two organizations have the same planning practices. Most of the organizations are really suffering and undergone difficulties because of the different issues that is met along the way of planning. Here are some of the issues that are usually met in the planning process. According to Rodriguez and Echanis, there are 5 basic issues in project planning: 1. The benefits and costs of planning - Planning does not guarantee any success because of the external factors that can be met along the way. - Money begets money. Planning requires certain cost. In designing, the management should weigh all the costs against the expected benefits. 2. Who should plan? - There are two ways on who can plan Top-Down planning or Bottom-Top Planning. Both of the process have disadvantages: o Top-Down Planning - The plan may become unrealistic - The plan may generate no commitment from the implementers (at the lower level) who may not understand or accept the plan designed without their participation o Bottom-Up - Lower level managers have parochial perspectives and may not plan effectively for the whole firm - Revision of plans/proposals from lower managers to top managers may cause frustrations and disappointments 3. How far ahead to plan? - Managers usually focus on the preparation of short range plan and avoid long term planning because of its uncertainties. 4. The need for flexibility - The longer the required planning time horizon, the less certain management feels about the planning premises and the critical planning variables. In connection to this, management can adopt certain practices to maintain a measure of flexibility in their future operations. It can be: o Contingency Planning - The planning for alternative scenarios especially when environment is set as a factor in changes. o Phased Implementation - Completing of a whole or large project by completing portion by portion of the whole. o Leasing or subcontracting - If management is not too certain about the success of the some projects in the future, large outlay of funds can be avoided by leasing facilities or equipments instead of buying. On the other hand, subcontracting avoids postpones expansion of present facilities and immediate investments in machineries until such time that the management feels certain about its position in the market. o Multipurpose facilities

Management should avoid project that will require special purposes facilities and equipments than multipurpose ones. 5. Organizational size and formal planning Other Contemporary Issues in Planning Criticisms of Planning Planning may create rigidity. Plans cannot be developed for dynamic environments. Formal plans cannot replace intuition and creativity. Planning focuses managers attention on todays competition not tomorrows survival. Formal planning reinforces todays success, which may lead to tomorrows failure.

Effective Planning in Dynamic Environments Develop plans that are specific but flexible. Understand that planning is an ongoing process. Change plans when conditions warrant. Persistence in planning eventually pay off. Flatten the organizational hierarchy to foster the development of planning skills at all organizational levels.

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen