ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a comprehensive strategic planning model that can successfully be adapted to local governments. The desire of public officials for more focused planning in government agencies has been brought about by many reasons external to, but greatly influencing the operations of, public organizations. While public officials can learn from private-sector practices, a new strategic planning model is necessary for local government to fully take advantage of this modern planning technique. After reviewing the many different approaches to strategic planning, with their various ad vantages and shortcomings, a generic model can be pieced together that can be adapted with only slight modifications to most public-sector organizations. This model has six phases that include program design, conduct environmental assessment/determine strategic directions, conduct organizational assessment/ determine organizational capabilities, develop mission statements, goals and objectives, and action plan, program implementation and monitoring and evaluation.
