Saturday, August 13, 2005
Strategic planning is a process, not a product. The quality of the plan depends on the quality of the process that led to its development. We see this theme in last week's announcement of a new plan for Philips County, Arkansas.
As the chancellor of the local community college noted, "the most important product was a sense of renewed optimism the plan creates for the county."
The effectiveness of a planning process depends on being able to translate a vision into specific action plans and next steps. This community appears to have succeeded in developing a clear, concise vision and a set of practical action plans.Read more. You can download a draft of the plan here.
posted by Ed Morrison |
links
Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber:
Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Helena, AR: Translating a vision into action
