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2012-2016 Corporate Strategic Plan Update
Progress summary
The City has been implementing the projects and initiatives outlined in the 2012-2016 Corporate Strategic Plan (CSP) since its approval by Council in June 2012.
The organization has achieved considerable progress against these initiatives, which has positioned the community and its local government to better respond to the challenges, business imperatives and opportunities identified during the plans inception.
Project status summary
- Substantially complete or on track – 68% or 34 projects
- Incomplete: facing internal or external challenges – 28% or 14 projects
- On hold/limited progress – 4% or 2 projects
Over the remaining year of the CSP, work will continue to focus on areas of challenge and opportunities for success.
Here’s the report shared with Council on April 7, 2016 that reviews progress towards the CSP priority projects.
Council has identified the need to grow, build and repair our City’s infrastructure and services and to balance that with the need to transform how the organization operates as it becomes ever more citizen centred and collaborative by design.
The City continually balances providing additional public value with affordability for citizens and businesses. And the organization manages the needs of today while keeping an eye on the community’s aspirations for tomorrow.
As the City transforms into an increasingly collaborative partner for Council and the community, decisions are made in consultation that strike a reasonable balance between these various tensions.
Successfully walking this fine line enables the City of Guelph to continue providing exceptional service while building a City worthy of its earliest architects and future generations.
How we got started
Council approved the implementation of the City’s Corporate Strategic Plan (CSP) in June 2012.
The methodology to create the CSP was comprehensive and in summary included:
- An environmental scan
- A citizen survey
- Confirmation of continuing with ‘Guelph Community Strategy 07 and beyond’ vision
- Confirmation of our Corporation values: integrity, excellence and well-being;
- Confirmation of a new corporate mission statement
- Development of a corporate project list
- Development of preliminary strategic directions
- CAO analysis and recommendations for success
- A series of Council workshops open to the public and media
Following the above methodology, a Corporate Strategic Plan (2012-2016) framework was approved by Council consisting of:
Council approved
- Mission, vision and values
- 3 Strategic focus areas
- 9 Strategic directions
Administration development in collaboration with Council
- Measures and targets
- Strategic initiatives
The 2012 – 2016 Corporate Strategic Planning Framework sets out the Corporation’s blue print for responding to a number of critical business imperatives facing the organization and the city as a whole.
Elements
The corporate strategic plan aligns the City’s vision and strategy and establishes the foundation for aligning our resources. It clarifies focus, provides direction and establishes a way for us to measure our success.
Vision, Mission and Values
The vision remains true to Guelph’s 2007-10 community strategic plan.
Vision: to be the City that makes a difference… acting locally and globally to improve the lives of residents, the broader community and the world.
The mission statement in the corporate strategic plan is new and is designed to more concretely and accurately communicate the purpose of the corporation. The new statement was created in collaboration with Council, the Executive Team and the Direct Report Leadership Team.
Mission: to build an exceptional City by providing outstanding municipal service and value.
The corporate values of integrity, excellence and wellness remain as the cornerstone of the plan.
Values: Integrity, Excellence and Wellness
Three strategic focus areas
The corporate strategic plan includes three areas of strategic focus for 2012-16:
- Organizational Excellence
- Innovation in Local Government
- City Building
Taken together, these focus areas create room for the organization to evolve and change. By focusing on these three areas, we can better manage community needs and expectations and be the City that makes a difference.
Nine strategic directions
Each of the strategic directions stem from critical issues and business imperatives which are in turn derived from an extensive review of current and emerging influences from political, environmental, social, technological, economic and legislative perspectives.
May 22, 2012 Strategic Plan Framework report
May 22, 2012 Strategic Initiatives report
Strategic initiatives
The City has identified several initiatives for implementation this year, and will engage and consult employees to establish plans to implement additional strategic initiatives between 2013 and 2016.
June 2012 Strategic Initiatives Funding Report
Next steps
Measurement and targets
To understand and communicate our success, the City has developed key indicators to demonstrate accountability and impact.
Corporate Strategic Plan Key Performance Indicators