STRATEGIC PLANNING
What is a strategic plan as it relates to the future goals and objectives of the organization? Why is it important to have a strategic plan in place for a budgeting process?
D week 1 discussion 2 our discussion first then the individuals response list references thanks
A strategic plan for a department allows a mission and vision statement to be developed and goals set in order to obtain those objectives. The strategic plan incorporates the goals and develops actions that lead to the achievement of those goals. An organization or leader without goals and objectives, a strategic plan, will have no direction and become a “status quo manager” (Gaines & Worrall, 2012). A leader or manager of an organization must not be happy with the status quo and ready to assume some risk in order to move the department forward.
Once the strategic plan is in place and goals are set, the budget can then be evaluated in order to begin moving the organization in the direction of the established goals and plan. As a city and department changes there will be contingencies that will need to be incorporated. The strategic plan allows for change while knowing that risks are involved, however, change is needed to evolve with societal changes. A budget has limitations and costs of must be evaluated to ensure that the most serious issues are being addressed. The lack of planning could cause major changes or cuts to be made that will impact the direction and goals of the department (Fry, 2010). A clear direction can prepare the city administrators and citizens for the needed changes.
The expectations of the customers must be met or exceeded to ensure future funding. The expected future costs must be planned and expected including those costs for maintenance of the program or technology. The initial costs are often the first observed and can be argued and supported. The on-going costs (maintenance) are many times un-expected and challenging to overcome. When considering the program costs, a performance-based budget preparation method should be used to justify the program and evaluate its effectiveness (Stuart).
References
Fry, W. (2010, September 16). Chula Vista Police Department Eyeing Layoffs. U-T San Diego. Retrieved from http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/16/chula-vista-police-department-making-cuts/
Gaines, L. K., & Worrall, J. L. (2012). Police Administration (3 ed.). (L. Main, Ed.) Clifton Park, New York: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Stuart, R. D. (n.d.). Budgeting Basics. Institute for Criminal Justice Education, pp. 1-5. Retrieved from http://www.icje.org/articles/BudgetingBasics.pdf
Answer Preview
A Strategic Plan is tool that is comprehensive and systematic in the organizational management used for assessing the current and future environment aimed at responding appropriately towards the attainment of its goals and mission…
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