Page 70 - Urban water supply handbook

STRATEGIC PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR SMALL WATER SYSTEMS

SMALL WATER SYSTEMS PLANNING 2.3

As noted, strategic planning is disciplined. Strategic planning also is goal-ori-
ented, comprehensive, and adaptive. An organization’s goals must be articulated
in order to guide the entire planning process and evaluate results. Planning should
be comprehensive, as well as integrative, in terms of the entire organization and its
elements. The resultant plan must be adaptive to a dynamic environment and
changing circumstances.
Strategic planning is the basis for strategic management. The organization’s
leaders must be strategic thinkers and committed to the planning process. They
must engage in an uncompromisingly critical and continuous assessment of what
the organization does and why and how it does it. Strategic management helps
organizations survive and maintain relevance. During dynamic times, organiza-
tions are more likely to succeed if they engage in strategy rather than accept the
inertia of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (Bryson, 1995). Over time, organizations
should internalize strategic thinking into day-to-day operations.
The potential benefits of planning for water systems are far-reaching in terms
of ensuring compliance with drinking water standards, enhancing water system
capacity and performance, and promoting both sustainability and continuous
improvement.

2.3 PLANNING FRAMEWORK FOR SMALL
WATER SYSTEMS

The planning process need not be daunting, even to systems with limited
resources. Although grounded in the rational-choice and systems models of pub-
lic administration, planning is as much common sense as theory. The planning
process can be subdivided into various logical steps. A simple, commonsense
framework can guide strategic planning for small water systems:

1. Specify the system’s goals and objectives relative to its mission.
2. Assess the water system’s organizational structure and service roles.
3. Identify external influences (challenges and opportunities).
4. Evaluate internal capacity (technical, financial, managerial).
5. Analyze strategic options for achieving compliance and other goals.
6. Implement the preferred planning alternative.
7. Monitor and evaluate outcomes and make adjustments as needed.
Each step can be encapsulated by a few critical questions (Table 2.1) and each rep-
resents a progression in a cumulative planning process. Although laid out in a lin-
ear format, planning should be approached as a nonlinear exercise. As planners
work on subsequent steps, they may need to revisit assumptions made and con-

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