Park District of Highland Park Strategic Plan 2012-2016€¦ · - Yogi Berra . Strategic Plan-DRAFT...

PARK DISTRICT OF HIGHLAND PARK STRATEGIC PLAN

2012-2016

Park District of Highland Park

2

“If you don't know where you are going, you are certain to end up somewhere else." - Yogi Berra

Strategic Plan-DRAFT

3

Acknowledgements

Park District of Highland Park Board of Commissioners

Scott Meyers President

Brian Kaplan Vice President

Elaine Waxman Commissioner

Cal Bernstein Commissioner

Lori Flores Weisskopf Commissioner

Staff

Liza McElroy Executive Director

Ted Baker Director of Park Operations

Kathy Donahue Director of Recreation Services

Stephanie Kerch Director of Communications and Marketing

Dan Malartsik Assistant Director of Facilities

Brian Romes Assistant Director of Recreation

Rick Stumpf Director of Planning and Projects

Project Support

Barbara Heller, Heller and Heller Consulting


4

Table of Contents

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5

Mission, Vision and Values ....................................................................................................... 7

Community Input Information .................................................................................................. 8

Board and Staff Workshop Information ................................................................................. 11

Major Focus Areas .................................................................................................................. 14

Organizational Culture ............................................................................................................ 15

The Balanced Scorecard .......................................................................................................... 16

Strategic Themes and Initiatives ............................................................................................. 17

Objective Statements .............................................................................................................. 18

Strategy Maps ......................................................................................................................... 21

Strategic Initiatives 2012-2016 ............................................................................................... 24

Implementation Guidelines .................................................................................................... 28

Summary ................................................................................................................................. 30

Definitions ............................................................................................................................... 31


5

Introduction

The Park District of Highland Park (PDHP) and Heller and Heller Consulting, Inc.

(HHC) worked collaboratively with Board members and staff to develop the Park

District of Highland Park Strategic Plan 2012 to 2016. The Plan will be aligned with

fiscal years beginning April 2012 through March 2016. The Strategic Plan’s intent is

to:

Establish a four year future direction

Align the organization with strategic direction

Incorporate resident needs into future planning

Drive innovation as part of the organizational culture

Strengthen and identify elements of organizational culture through values

Develop preliminary approaches to infrastructure and capital project needs

Create groundwork for a subsequent master plan process

The District, through its Vision Statement, aspires to provide extraordinary

experiences in parks and recreation facilities, programs and services, and

consistently exceeding the public’s expectations. Developing a commitment toward

the strategy process, in part, positions the organization to authentically achieve its

vision. The platform for the Plan began in 2009 as Leisure Vision completed a series

of community input meetings and developed and administered a statistically valid

household survey that addressed community needs, unmet needs, and funding

priorities. The strategic recommendations include initiatives addressing survey

results. Subsequently, in 2011 an additional series of focus groups and public

meetings were held as part of this process. These groups responded to questions

relating to the District’s strategic direction.

The Plan will create direction for the future allocation of resources, financial

stability, staffing levels, internal support and communication, organizational culture

efforts, and the capacity for learning and growth. All of these areas relate to one

another. Good strategic direction takes this into account. A specific example is

financial stability relating to staffing levels and internal support. If additional staffing

is needed, this impacts financial stability and internal support provided. These cause

and effect relationships are included in the strategic initiatives.

Previous to this process, the District did have a mission statement. This process

included a review of the mission statement, and the development of a vision

statement. District values were also created. The Strategic Planning process


6

included a workshop with Park Board members and Department Heads, a one half-

day staff workshop, and follow up meetings with staff, providing opportunities for

review and reflection.

The elements of the Plan include the major areas as follows:

The PDHP Strategic Plan includes the following information:

Revised mission, development of a vision statement and values

Community, Board, and staff input

Notes from Board and staff workshops

Information about the Balanced Scorecard framework for strategy

Major Focus Areas

Strategic Themes

Objective Statements

Strategy Maps

Strategic Initiatives

Guidelines for Implementation

Strategic Plan Definitions

This list represents a process of six sequential tasks, as follows:

Task 1

Public and Staff Input

Task 2

Board and Staff Workshop

Task 3

Staff Workshop

Task 4

Refinement Meeting

Task 5

Draft Report and Presentation

Task 6

Final Report

"The result of planning should be effective, efficient, and economical...that is, suitable for the intended purpose, capable of producing the desired results, and involving the least investment of resources."

Clark Crouch


7

Mission, Vision and Values

A good starting point for strategy is a review and development of mission, vision,

and values. Previously, the District had a mission statement, but additionally desired

to develop a vision statement and values. The Mission Statement was shortened,

but the essence of the statement remained the same. Mission statements define

the business or purpose of the organization. Vision statements are more

aspirational; what do we hope to become? Values set a level of expectation

describing how people within the organization behave. The essence of strategic

planning asks these three basic questions:

Where are we now?

Where do we want to go?

How will we get there?

Mission Statement

To enrich community life through healthy leisure pursuits and an appreciation of the

natural world

Vision Statement

To provide extraordinary experiences in parks and recreation, consistently exceeding

the public’s expectations, while:

Inspiring environmental stewardship and education

Using nimble decision-making and creative solutions

Creating a harmonious workplace with passionate, forward-thinking staff that

share true camaraderie

Enriching the quality of life for our community

Values

Communication: We make earnest efforts to connect regularly and effectively with

residents. In addition, within the District, we talk to those impacted by our

decisions, we speak openly with one another in a trustworthy environment, and we

provide direct feedback to others.

Accountability: We demonstrate responsibility to the District and the community in

everything we do. We have congruency between our words and our actions.


8

Innovation: We create an environment that inspires new ideas, we view the District

through a different set of lenses, and question why we do things the way we do. In

addition, we desire to nimbly change our services in response to continuously

changing customer requirements.

Integrity: We deliver on what we promise do to by adhering to the highest ethical

standards. This results in trust and respect toward one another.

Teamwork: The District’s greater good guides our actions. We respect others and

work cooperatively and collaboratively, express our differences of opinion, and

listen to one another.

Community Input Information

As part of the Strategic Planning process, two days of focus groups were held at the

Park District of Highland Park. The consulting firm of Heller and Heller conducted

small group public input meetings with various community members, staff and

Board members and two larger public meetings in September 2011. Approximately

100 residents, governmental officials, Park Board members, and staff participated in

the process. Similar questions were asked of all groups, with a few questions

specific to the audience, such as staff members. The following information

represents a brief summary of consensus information generated during the

meetings.

Future Vision: what is your vision of the Park District in the next five years?

Many comments related to infrastructure needs (facilities in particular as compared

to park amenities), developing priorities for capital projects, references to significant

decisions the Park District faces, and getting the organization back on track. Along

with these, participants desire to see ongoing efforts in improving communication

with the community.

Strengths

Strengths include the District’s reputation as a well-run organization with a staff

group that serves customers well with direct/open communication. There is a

general feeling the District now has a good leadership. From the perspective of

partners, the District is good to work with, and communication is strong. The

District offers a wide range of programs to choose from for any age. In addition,

there is a wide variety of facilities, plenty of park space, and wonderful natural

resources for the residents. Reference was also made to the financial sustainability

of the District.


9

Improvements

Improvements include better training ownership/accountability of staff, not

overusing staff (the staff is here because they care but they should not have to be

worn down), fewer board driven initiatives, stronger leadership, hiring the right

person for position vacancies, being more of a team/talking to one another and the

residents, better marketing with a better Website and attracting more non-

residents. Other improvement areas include offering too many programs and not

being able to maintain a sense of focus. Lastly, park maintenance needs

improvements, particularly the lakefront.

Issues

The consensus number one issue is what to do with the golf course(s). Another

significant issue is the aging of the facilities. What is the plan for the future? What is

the plan with the money in reserves? What to do with all the beaches?

Acknowledging and communicating with the public, creating programs for both the

young and old are also important issues. How can Highland Park generate revenue

and sustain recreation programs? A few focus group participants mentioned their

lack of trust with the PDHP board members.

Partnerships

When asked about partnership opportunities or ways to strengthen existing

partners, the focus groups commented as follows:

Local businesses - Chamber

The City – Partner with city for emails

Senior Center

Good idea to share resources among other districts. House league with Glencoe

is a smart idea. We definitely should have ability to use other park district

services and their residents use ours

I like the private-public partnership. AYSO has taken over the maintenance of

the fields because the park district is not doing a good job. Our fields are not as

good as other district fields

Highwood students - is there some way to do a partnership with Highwood?

Strong relationships are not there among the agencies. They should have

quarterly meetings together and public meetings

Is there a way for the School and Park District to be on the same page?

The hospital partners with the District

Promote the mission of the hospital through the District


10

Bilingual staff are needed for Hispanic population

Partnership between the park district and the zoning board such as granting an

allowance

Partnerships might be successful if they were issue-directed. For example, the

Green Initiative Alliance involved all government agencies to learn from each

other. They should follow that same process for other future partnerships

Communication

This area addresses resident perspectives relating to the District’s ability to create

awareness of programs and events. Some residents are excited by the notion of

tweeting, adding friends on Facebook, and using the news feed as a bulletin board

for cancellation/updates. Others prefer a minimal online presence, i.e. just an email

once a week. It is important to know which ones to use and the information to pass

along with it. Print materials still need to exist as in signage/program guides, and for

the ones not online. Also important is the need to be bilingual and attracting new

residents.

Mission-Key Words

Participants were asked to offer words or phrases to describe what they believe the

District’s mission statement should include. Responses included:

Quality programs for all ages and abilities at affordable prices

Customer service excellence

Providing a refuge from the rest of life, i.e. quiet places

We are improving lives

Should we always constantly try new activities? Industry trends?

People want to move here because of the park district

Outdoor spaces and lush green

People have an interest in trails

We have an aging population

Being flexible

New Services/Parks/Programs – Improvements

This section includes comments related to improvements to parks, facilities, and

programs. Simple improvements would satisfy the majority of people. The pool

seems to be due for an upgrade, as well as the beach. Another idea is adding

artificial turf and an indoor sport complex. Also, how can the District appeal to an


11

aging population and how can we cater them as well as responding to changing

ethnicities in the community? Other comments included:

Better database of information and get more targeted information

We all have resource needs…how do we best allocate?

Coordinating activities with other agencies in town to prevent overlap

Hang onto kids longer…they reach a certain age and then leave our programs

We don’t do anything with the skate park. We should have some events there

such as X games

Zip lines are very popular

We are a weather vane spinning in the wind, we need a vision and need focus.

Go back to the core of what we should do well. What is our niche?

Regional approach to services

Our community could be better served for people with disabilities. The park

district should have more of a leadership role

LA Fitness is taking business away from the Rec Center

More outside winter activities are needed

Centennial needs updating but will the investment pay off – same with Rosewood Beach

A senior golf league offered through the City’s senior center should be offered

Second sheet of ice at Centennial

Paddle tennis

Veladrome

Multi-generational programs to tap into

Board Development from the Perspective of Staff

Staff members were asked to provide input relating to Board development and how

the Board can continuously improve their learning. Comments from staff included

the hope that the Board regularly makes decisions based on the greater good of the

Community and carefully discerns individual interests that benefit few. There was

also a feeling that staff and board need to build a higher level of trust. Better

familiarity of facilities and programs would also be helpful. Staff would like to assist

in this. The staff members also recognize the newness of some of the Board

members, and the time required for the Board to learn how everyone operates.

Board and Staff Workshop Information

The initial Board and staff workshop included facilitated discussion relating to

organizational performance and identification of major issues. Project priorities


12

were discussed as well. The following lists the information generated from the

meeting.

Organizational Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)

Workshop participants were asked to identify the major strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats of the District.

Strengths

-Program and service variety

-Quality of staff

-Consistency of programs

-Property and land

-Loyal users

-Relationships and being an important part of the community

-Reasonable costs/value to programs and services

-Relationships with other agencies

-NSSRA

-Responding to citizens and listening to their needs

-Leadership of the District

-Residents are well informed participants

-Experts and professionals working for the District

-Professional staff

-Environmental leadership

Weaknesses

-Aging Facilities

-Slow to respond to threats

-Need to be more proactive

-Bad recent history

-We try to be everything to everyone

-Lack of focus

-Governmental bureaucracy

-Communications/public relations

-Staffing analysis is needed to determine appropriate number of staff

-Uneven balance of programs for age segments

-Uneven balance of allocation of resources for programs

Opportunities

-Creating wow for facilities


13

-Tremendous natural resources

-Put our recent past behind us and being proactive

-Expansions opportunities

-The reserves we have available

Threats

-Everyone offering similar programs

-Raising fees

-Customer requirements changing faster than the District’s ability to change

-Rapidly evolving consumer preferences

-Similar provider experts

-Specialty areas vs. generalists

-Staff leaving

-Competition art center

-Senior Center

-Having substantial reserves

Project Listing: The following is a listing of the major projects the District is

considering over the next several years. They include:

-Rosewood

-Country Club

-Central Parks Stairs

-Maintenance Facilities

-Hidden Creek

-West Ridge

-Second Sheet of Ice

-Gymnastics

-Upgrading Recreation Center

-Moraine Park Erosion

-Dog Park

-Boat Launch at Park Avenue

-Skokie River Woods

-Sunset Golf Course (Clubhouse/Greens/Traps)

-Senior Center

-Not Meeting demand for athletics

-Artificial Turf

-Immediate need to change facilities


14

Criteria for project ranking: During the workshop, the group developed a listing of

criteria needed to assist with capital prioritization. The list included:

1. Grant availability

2. Logistical and financial support for sister government

3. Financial results

4. Current condition

5. Return on investment

6. Sustain facilities

7. Infrastructure assessment

8. Community input information

Criteria for golf course ranking: The same process was used to determine the ranking of

priorities to assess which golf course should be closed. A golf feasibility study will be

done to provide an objective opinion of which is the best course to close. In addition, a

City/Park District task force will lead the decision making process.

1. Access

2. Is the city going to close the course?

3. Comparative economics and relative synergies

4. Infrastructure requirements

5. Encumbrances around the properties

6. Opportunities for alternative uses (such as trails)

7. Resident participation

8. Golf amenities

Major Focus Areas

The group completed a brainstorming exercise relating to key major focus areas the

District needs to ensure are included and addressed within the strategic

recommendations. The Major Focus Areas (MFA) below are considered to be the

most significant issues the Park District will face during the next four years.

The following is the list of items identified, listed according to priority ranking by the

group.

1. Infrastructure needs

2. Allocation of resources for capital projects

3. Employee morale


15

4. Building brand image

5. Serving the consumer

6. Functioning Board/Good decisions made

7. Become more profitable

Organizational Culture

Park District leadership recognizes the importance of creating a great organizational

culture--one that espouses an innovative and inspiring work environment. As a

result, one of the steps in the Strategic Planning process was a review of current

morale and the need for improvement. Additionally, employees were asked to

discuss their perspectives of what creates an ideal organization.

Employees were asked to identify areas that are important for the District’s ability to

be the ideal organization. They were ranked as follows:

1. The need to stop reacting so quickly to the public 2. Creating an environment in which what employees do matters and employees

matter to the organization 3. Relaxed culture 4. Effective communications 5. Consistency/fairness 6. Shared vision 7. Accountability for work and results

Employees were then asked to identify ways to improve the District:

Continue to regain trust

The Board needs to have courage to make the difficult decisions. Stand up for what they believe in, rather than reacting to individual residents

Staff standing up for what you believe in

Define your message o It all goes back to communication o Ask questions to ensure understanding

Sincerity in praise

Public recognition of District’s great services

We should have ways of sharing all good comments we receive as it is easier for people to complain


16

The Balanced Scorecard

The PDHP Strategic Plan is based on the Balanced Scorecard, a strategy framework

that emphasizes the cause and effect relationships among distinct yet interrelated

perspectives: customer needs, financial performance, internal support processes,

and learning and growth. The Scorecard also includes a measurement system that

monitors organizational performance. The Scorecard focuses on the key drivers of

success that leads to the achievement of mission and vision.

Robert Kaplan and David Norton developed the Scorecard in the early 1990s. At the

time, they believed that knowledge based assets were becoming increasingly

important. Yet, most organizations at the time measured financial results while not

measuring employee capabilities, information systems, quality and innovation. The

authors believed employees pay attention to what the organization measured. As a

result, organizations had a tendency of overly focusing on financial performance.

Since that time, both private and public sector organizations have implemented the

Balanced Scorecard. The premise of the scorecard is to develop a strategy-based

measurement system that becomes the foundation for the development of strategy.

The Balanced Scorecard framework includes four perspectives:

Customer: To achieve our mission and vision, how should we appear to

our customers?

Financial: To succeed financially, how should we appear to our taxpayers?

Internal business: To satisfy our customers, which business processes

must we do extremely well?

Learning and growth: To achieve our mission and vision, how will we

sustain our ability to change and improve, and develop leaders among

the staff and Board?

The strategic recommendations included in this Plan outline future efforts and

resource allocation relating to these four perspectives. This approach ensures that

learning and growth of the organization relates to its strategic initiatives.

Furthermore, it focuses on the customer and the ability of the agency to be

financially sustainable.

The Park District of Highland Park aspires to be an excellent, accountable, ethical,

and sustainable organization based on its strong commitment to mission, vision, and

values. The Strategic Plan provides the foundation for this growth.


17

Strategic Themes and Initiatives

In using the scorecard, the District has developed Strategic Themes that are broad-

brushed organizational descriptions that provide direction. These Themes follow the

four perspectives outlined above. They include:

Customer: Be Extraordinary

Financial: Responsive, Intelligent, Ethical Financial Stewardship

Internal Business: Operational Excellence

Learning and Growth: Think Different

The Themes, along with the Major Focus Areas, provide the over-arching framework

for the Plan’s implementation.

Strategic Plan Hierarchy

The Plan includes a hierarchy of elements that starts with the most macro level of

strategy and moves to a more micro level (moving from strategic to tactical). The

starting point for any strategic planning process is the review of the vision, mission,

and values. The mission statement was changed from its previous wording. The

vision statement was newly created. Values were discussed among staff and Board

members which resulted in new values. Subsequent to the development of

Strategic Themes, Objectives were developed. Objectives describe what the District

needs to do well in support of the Themes. For example, one of the Objectives for

the Theme: Be Extraordinary is: “Manage First and Last Impressions.” Therefore,

the District must identify ways to strengthen its impressions to its customer base.

Strategic Initiatives are more micro-level in support of the Strategic Objectives.

Following along with the Be Extraordinary Theme, an example of an Initiative is

developing standards for staff’s adherence to creating first and last impressions. As

evidenced from the sequence listed above, the Initiatives are more specific than the

Objectives, and the Objectives are more specific than the Themes.

A measurement system of key performance indicators follows the Themes and

Objectives. The measurement system reflects the District’s progress in completing

the Strategic Initiatives. The tactics are detailed action steps that outline how each

initiative will be accomplished. Tactics are very specific, lengthy in number, and are

best developed year to year. As a result, tactics are not included within the Plan.

They will be developed each year by staff for the current year Initiatives.

The Balanced Scorecard hierarchy is presented by the pyramid shown below.


18

Objective Statements

The following is a list of Objectives and a specific definition that describes each of

them to ensure understanding of their intended meaning. The Objectives support

each of the four strategic themes and are generally two to four in number in support

of the themes. The objectives represent what the organization needs to do well in

support of the four major themes.

Be Extraordinary

Objective 1: Manage first and last impressions

Critical touch points of service include first and last impressions between staff and

customers. As a result, the District will work toward ensuring that these customer

transactions occur consistently and effectively through the development of

standards and training.

Objective 2: Create the Wow factor

In addition to managing impressions, the District will instill a wow factor in

programs, facility operations, and service delivery. This includes the development of

Mission, Vision, and Values

Strategic Themes

Strategic Objectives

Measurements

Strategic Initiatives


19

standards, identifying ways to exceed customer expectations, managing tangible

evidence, and developing repeat business and customer loyalty.

Objective 3: Creative/unique programs and services

PDHP will utilize flexibility, innovation and industry trends in developing the

District’s recreation program inventory. In addition, customer knowledge is

important in order for staff to offer the right array of programs. The District will

capture customer data in order to align services with their needs.

Responsive, Intelligent, Ethical Financial Stewardship

Objective 1: Long term capital vision

The District recognizes the importance of effectively and efficiently allocating capital

dollars for the greater good of the community. This results from good decision

making processes, having many staff with different perspectives involved in the

process, and developing plans to refresh

and renovate facilities.

Objective 2: Align resources to

community need

The District will rely on statistically valid

survey information and ongoing resident

feedback in deciding capital priorities.

Decisions will be based on providing for

the greater good of the community rather

than randomly reacting to special interests.

Objective 3: Create financial best practices

Financial and organizational accountability results when good processes exist for

regular financial reporting, clear policies and controls are in place, and

organizational competency is developed for excellence in financial decision making.

Operational Excellence

Objective 1: Build the brand and stronger marketing message

When the Highland Park Community hears the words, “The Park District of Highland

Park” the intended outcome of this objective is to associate good feelings from the

community toward the Districts operations, programs, and services.


20

Objective 2: Strengthen internal and external relationships

Continuously connecting with the community is of significant importance to the

District. As a result, overall guidelines for communication efforts will be developed.

This premise holds true for internal communications as well. Employees will work

together to establish internal guidelines.

Objective 3: Strengthen and build operational procedures, processes, and

park/facility/design standards

In order to operate excellently, operational procedures need to be in place and

processes documented. Additionally, the ability to operate effectively and

consistently will rely on the development of operational standards.

Objective 4: Become a strategy focused organization

This results when the District focuses on its long term direction and everyone is

aligned around the District’s Vision, Mission, and Strategic Initiatives. This exists at

both the organizational level and departmental level.

Be Different

Objective 1: Board and staff development

This includes identifying critical competencies of performance excellence for board

and staff, allocating training resources with these competencies, and

developing/selecting an overall system of training opportunities.

Objective 2: Develop and accountable work environment

The Park District embraces the notion of gaining the most effective return on

investment of taxpayers’ dollars. As a result, the District sets a high standard of

performance by the Board and employees. This is accomplished by robust

performance appraisal, ongoing feedback processes, and the measurement of

organizational performance.

Objective 3: Foster a culture of innovation

Innovation requires a work culture that embraces change and is supported by

encouraging staff to try new processes and services. Innovative organizations

operate with growth in mind and are successful in sustaining operations.


21

Strategy Maps

The District’s mission and vision provide the framework for the strategic

recommendations. In addition, the recommendations include actions related to the

Major Focus Areas (MFA):

Infrastructure needs

Allocation of resources for capital projects

Employee morale

Building brand and image

Serving the consumer

Functioning Board/good decisions made

Become more profitable

The MFAs are not explicitly a part of the scorecard. Their intended purpose is to

ensure efforts are made to strategically address those areas of paramount

importance to the agency.

All of the Strategic Themes, Objectives and Initiatives are aligned with the four

Balanced Scorecard perspectives: customer, financial, internal business support,

and learning and growth. These are represented in the following strategy maps.

The first map provides the list of the four perspectives and their supporting

objectives. The second map includes the same information with the addition of a

measurement system in support of the Themes and Objectives.


22


23


24

Strategic Initiatives 2012-2016

The following are the Themes, Objectives, and Initiatives for the next four years,

2012-2016. Time period priorities are attached to each Initiative as follows:

Short Term Initiatives to be accomplished April 2012 and March 2013

Mid Term Initiatives to be accomplished between April 2013 and March 2015

Long Term Initiatives to be accomplished between April 2015 and March

2016

Ongoing Goals are repeated during the entire time period

Dedicated staff time will be required to complete the Initiatives. Before each year

begins, the list of short, mid, or long term Initiatives will be evaluated according to

current workload demands to ensure realistic pursuit in the number of strategies

attempted and completed. The staff work will be supplemented by professional

services such as landscape architects, architects, land planners, and engineers in

specific areas such as master planning and infrastructure assessments.

A few of the Initiatives are supported by tactics. This is a result of discussion at the

staff workshop in which a few of the identified initiatives were re-categorized from

initiatives to tactics. The tactics for the other Initiatives will be developed on a year

to year basis by staff. As mentioned previously, the Plan becomes too lengthy to

include tactics for all of the Initiatives. Furthermore, the Plan must be fluid in its

deployment. Developing tactics for initiatives four years from now is difficult to

establish as the work environment changes so quickly.

Customer Theme: Be Extraordinary

Objective 1: Manage first and last impression

Develop standards for managing customer touch points and recreation programs to reinforce consistency in service delivery Short Term

Complete an access review on an annual basis to identify improvements to customer touch points (Website, telephone, front desk, registration, etc.) Ongoing

o Create checklist and training of first and last impressions (tactic)

Objective 2: Create the Wow factor

Implement systems for identifying ways to exceed customer expectations for facilities and programs, including the development of key customer requirements for core services and programs and how to exceed on the delivery of those requirements Mid Term


25

Develop a system wide approach to measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty including mystery shopping, focus groups, program evaluations, surveys, and lost customer research Mid Term

Objective 3: Creative/unique programs and services

Develop a process for implementing new and different programs from customer ideas and trend research Short Term

Develop a customer loyalty program through a reward system for recognizing rewarding and encouraging extraordinary program service Long Term

Develop a customer relationship management program Long Term

Financial Theme: Responsive, Intelligent, Ethical Financial

Stewardship

Objective 1: Align resources to community need

Collect community needs through a statistically valid survey every five years to ensure resource allocation is aligned with the needs of residents Long Term, 2014

Explore inter-government efficiencies with other agencies including school districts, City, and neighboring government partners Ongoing

o (participate with representatives of the City to evaluate and recommend the future of the golf course operations) tactic

o (participate with other agencies to continue trail development and connectivity in the community) tactic

Objective 2: Long term capital vision

Develop a process to involve staff in the capital prioritization process Short Term

Develop a process to prioritize long term major capital priorities Short Term

Perform a long-term infrastructure assessment to determine high expense liabilities Mid Term

Objective 3: Create financial best practices

Create a plan to study district-wide purchasing standards and policies Mid Term

Create a pricing process along with a cost of service study to ensure appropriate and consistent approach to pricing Mid Term


26

Assess privatization opportunities to determine the most cost efficient way to do business Long Term

Review/update financial policies Ongoing

Explore opportunities to partner with local businesses to increase participation and expand services Ongoing

Internal Business Theme: Operational Excellence

Objective 1: Build the brand and stronger marketing message

Create an external communication plan Short Term

Develop a common brand/look across the PDHP Mid Term Objective 2: Strengthen internal and external relationships

Create a process to leverage technology to create customer knowledge through data mining from program software systems Short Term

Develop internal communication guidelines Mid Term

Formalize interagency agreements Mid Term

Build on existing efforts in sustainable practices and be the leader in the community in these efforts by developing a sustainability plan and measurement system Long Term

Objective 3: Strengthen and build operational procedures, processes, and

park/facility/design standards

Initiate staff equality and consistency of rules, benefits, perks, and disciplinary procedures Short Term

Develop and centralize all park/facility/design standards with an intended goal of efficiency, refinement, and consistency

Develop and implement a District wide IT Plan Long Term Objective 4: Become a strategy focused organization

Implement the strategic planning process that includes regular progress reports, communication of results, measurement system, and staff and Board involvement in implementation Short Term

Learning and Growth Theme: Think Different

Objective 1: Board and staff development


27

Develop and implement new employee orientation/immersion training Short Term

Create the PDHP customer relations/service training that includes customer loyalty techniques Short Term

Develop core competencies for supervisory positions and provide training through a District leadership training program, such as a Park District of Highland Park University Long Term

Strengthen board competencies Short and Mid Term o Pre-election orientation and board member orientation (tactic) o Offer a Board boot camp to familiarize facility operations and programs

(tactic) o Develop a process for a Board self-assessment (tactic) o Develop a decision making protocol for Board members (tactic) o Review other district board best practices (tactic) o Develop issue papers for Board and staff in order to provide the community

with message consistency (tactic) o Provide financial systems training as part of the Board orientation program

(tactic)

Create a system-wide strategic approach to training based on skill set gaps and District strategic direction Mid Term o Create a centralized staff training assessment to determine policy and

associated centralized funding (tactic)

Objective 2: Develop an accountable work environment

Complete a work analysis/staffing review to determine the best allocation of labor dollars Short Term

Create a system to measure organizational and departmental performance Mid Term

Develop a process to measure employee satisfaction on an ongoing basis Mid Term

Objective 3: Foster a culture of innovation

Create a work culture cross functional team to continue improvement in work environment efforts Long Term

Develop a reward and recognition system connected to service delivery excellence and commitment to District values including innovation Long Term

Establish innovation as part of the work culture as part of the hiring process, reward and recognition, and performance appraisal Long Term o Create a process to identify industry trends (tactic) o Provide innovation training (tactic) o Develop a cross functional innovation team (tactic)


28

Additional Strategic Initiatives

The following is a list of ideas generated during the course of the development of

strategies. In order to maintain a realistic list of Strategic Initiatives, these items are

important but will only be pursued if good progress is made toward the previously

listed Initiatives and can be added later.

Develop “value based” and “experienced based’ marketing strategies to appeal to the development of an emotional response from customers

Perform a District culture inventory to determine how the culture can be improved, made stronger, and adhere to District values

Provide an in-house financial training program to ensure better understanding of financial systems

Implementation Guidelines

Implementation of the Strategic Plan requires a standardized process of review,

refinement, and measurement. The following is a listing of suggestions for

successful implementation of the Strategic Plan. It represents the commitment and

discipline required to institutionalize the process.

All employees and Board members should receive a copy of the plan or

electronic access to the Plan.

The Plan becomes the guidepost for the District. When decisions or

responses to the community are needed, the Plan becomes the reference

point for decision making and whether or not new issues or responses to the

community are of higher importance than what’s been established as

existing direction.

Post a summary or shortened version of the Plan on the Website and track

results on the site as well. It may also be helpful to print a short summary of

the Plan’s progress to distribute to interested partners and community

members.

Elements of the Strategic Plan should be incorporated into the new

employee and Board orientation program.

Regular reporting of the Plan’s progress should occur. Break the Plan into

separate fiscal years and report one year at a time. Each initiative for the

year should include a list of tactics that support the goal’s completion. It is

the project leader’s responsibility to report on his/her goal, included in a

monthly or quarterly report. A suggestion is to input each year’s data on a

spreadsheet that lists the Themes, Objectives and Initiatives start date and


29

completion date, and which staff person is responsible for the Initiative’s

completion.

At the end of the year, perform an annual review and documentation of the

initiatives and distribute appropriately.

Update major stakeholders such as the City and School Districts on the Plan’s

implementation and results on an annual basis.

Conduct staff meetings on a quarterly or semi-annual basis to review the

Plan’s progress and results and report the Plan’s progress to the Park Board

on a quarterly basis.

The performance appraisal process should reflect the completion of the

Strategic Plan initiatives as an evaluation criterion. Also, performance

criteria should be aligned with values of the District such as innovation,

teamwork, and accountability.

Track the measurement system on a quarterly basis. Some of the measures

will be calculated annually. Provide an annual narrative about the results.

Review the inventory of measures on an annual basis and make adjustments

as necessary to ensure the measures continuously add value to decision

making. Include a combination of lagging and leading indicators. (Lagging

indicators or outcomes measure past performance; leading indicators or

performance drivers assist in establishing future performance.)

After completion of the first year of the Plan and baseline results are

quantified, targets should be initiated for the measurement system. For

example, if there is a customer satisfaction measure of achieving 90%

customer satisfaction, and in the initial year, the 90% is achieved, the target

for successive years could be 95%.

There should be an annual just-in-time review of the next year’s Initiatives to

determine if priorities have changed. This can be included at an annual

retreat in which successive years’ Initiatives are discussed as part of the

annual budget process. Initiatives should tie into the budget process.

Post a chart of each year’s initiatives on office walls in administrative areas

with a check-off column designating completion as part of a visual

management program. Staff meetings should regularly include discussion of

strategy. This is a part of the visualization process to emphasize the Plan’s

importance and the District’s commitment to execution.

After each year of the Plan, the staff should review the Plan’s process and re-

tool any parts of the process that need improvement.


30

After the initial year of the Plan, the Strategy Map should be cascaded to the

various Departments, aligned with organizational strategy.

Some of the Initiatives require individual effort to complete; others require a

group of employees to complete the work. The Initiatives are specific work

projects that are scheduled for completion between fiscal year 2012-2013

through fiscal year 2015-2016. Each Initiative is designated as year short

term (year 1), mid term (year 2-3), long term (year 4), or ongoing.

Summary

The Park District of Highland Park has experienced substantial change during the last

few years. It has been difficult for the District to gain traction and forward

momentum, but it is now at the precipice of having the ability to establish a strong

culture and sense of direction. The agency desires to become more pro-active and

studied in its approaches. The goal of the Plan is to help the District achieve those

goals.

Strategic planning takes discipline, commitment, and great leadership. Those

elements are now in place in the organization. With dedicated and committed

Board and staff members, PDHP will have the ability to become a more strategically

focused organization, one aligned with community need, dynamically improving

programs and services, and continuing its legacy of impactful initiatives for the

residents of Highland Park.

All of these efforts will result in successful efforts toward the agency’s vision: To

provide extraordinary experiences in parks and recreation, consistently exceeding the

public’s expectations, while:

Inspiring environmental stewardship and education

Using nimble decision-making and creative solutions

Creating a harmonious workplace with passionate, forward-thinking staff that

share true camaraderie

Enriching the quality of life for our community


31

Definitions

The following list of key words describes the definition of the terminology used for

the Strategic Plan.

Vision—desired future of the organization. The vision should be a “stretch” for the

organization, but possible to achieve in approximately five years. It should state a

measurable achievement.

Mission—describes the business of the organization. The mission also defines the

core purpose of the organization and why it exists.

Values—describe the way the District operates. Values are meaningful expressions

of describing what is important in the way we treat our employees and our guests

and relates to the internal culture of the organization.

Balanced Scorecard Perspectives—the four perspectives include Customer, Financial,

Internal Business Process, and Learning and Growth. They demonstrate cause and

effect relationships in the completion of strategy. All of the Strategic Initiatives are

aligned with these four perspectives.

Major Focus Areas—as part of the planning workshop, staff members were asked to

brainstorm ideas about areas of major focus the Department should concentrate on

during the next five years. While the focus areas are not part of the strategy map,

they do become an important part of strategy formulation. Within the list of

objectives and initiatives, references are made throughout the Plan to ensure focus

on the five most critical areas.

Strategic Themes— broad brushed, macro-oriented organizational sense of direction

that relates to the four Balanced Scorecard perspectives of customer, financial,

internal business, and growth and development.


32

Strategic Objectives—concise statements describing the specific elements an

organization must do well in order to execute its strategy.

Measures—a standard used to evaluate and communicate performance against

expected results. Measures are normally quantitative indicators and capture

numbers, dollars, percentages, etc. Measures assist the staff with the ability to

determine organizational performance.

Strategic Initiatives—the specific programs, activities, projects, or actions an

organization will undertake in an effort to meet performance targets. The strategic

initiatives are specifically detailed with specific tactics, which are not included within

the body of the Strategic Plan, but will exist in separate documentation.

Tactics—Tactics are not included as part of the Plan. The development occurs after

the Plan’s implementation. Tactics are subordinate to the initiatives and detail the

steps necessary to complete an initiative. Staff members will identify the tactics for

the initiatives before the start of each fiscal year.

Park District of Highland Park Strategic Plan 2012-2016€¦ · - Yogi Berra . Strategic Plan-DRAFT...

Documents

Transcript of Park District of Highland Park Strategic Plan 2012-2016€¦ · - Yogi Berra . Strategic Plan-DRAFT...