ABSTRACT

Strategic planning has been adopted by local governments for the success of policy implementation and program operation. Yet, there are potentially many organizational, political, and institutional obstacles for local governments to using strategic planning and these obstacles often hinder them from developing and executing meaningful strategic plans. For successful implementation of strategic planning, local governments should adopt specific strategic planning actions and integrate them in a manner that is most suited to the culture of their organization and the context of their community. Further, local governments can implement community-based strategic planning, which engages the community and requires local governments to provide opportunities for external stakeholders to get involved and provide feedback on strategic plans. If implemented properly, local governments will be able to use strategic planning to successfully tackle complex policy issues during the policy-making process and delivery of public services.