planning ahead
Someday, Tomorrow, and Eventually are the worst times to start planning – and that’s why we make sure planning is a part of what we do everyday.
Everyday planning requires discipline – disciplined thought to plan the work and disciplined action to work the plan. Achieving this level of discipline takes practice – it’s not a special session at an annual retreat, it’s a year-round job.
Planning is not about predicting the future; it’s about preparing for the future. Being prepared is having a strategy for all seasons. It’s contingencies, options and back-up plans for when the real world doesn’t follow the script. It’s believing that the best way to survive a crisis is to avoid it altogether. It’s imagining a better future and making it happen.
IT’S. DIFFICULT. TO. BE. EFFECTIVE. IF. YOU’RE. ALWAYS. STOPPING. TO. PUT. OUT. FIRES.
planning ahead is our promise.
We promise to be ready for the future. We promise to learn from our past. We promise to continue to focus on our core services to meet whatever needs lie ahead. We promise to remain flexible and adjust to changing conditions. We promise to do all we can to improve productivity and position ourselves for sustained excellence. That’s our promise. That’s our way.
The only thing more important than where you come from is where you’re going. But effective strategic planning is far from easy. It means reconciling future and present needs, balancing fiscal pressures, preserving heritage, and protecting the public welfare. All the while maintaining the public trust.
Forward looking cities, like Kent, understand these challenges and rise to meet them everyday.
Strategic Planning Links
Strategic Planning 101 —
Provides an overview of strategic planning and how it is being deployed in the City of Kent.
Kent Strategic Plan Documents – Includes citizen surveys and Kent strategic planning documents in chronological order that have been developed in Kent over the last 25 years.
Tracking Our Strategic Progress
2012 Strategic Measures - (January 2012) this is a one page summary that ties measures to the City’s 2012 Strategic Priorities.
2011 Strategic Measures - (January 2011) this is a one page summary that ties measures to the City’s 2011 Strategic Priorities.
2010 Strategic Measures – (January 2010) this is a one page summary that ties measures to the City’s 2010 Strategic Priorities.
2009 Strategy Update– (January 2010) this 4 page fold out summarizes the accomplishments towards the City’s strategic priorities in 2009.
2008 City Strategy Brochure (May 2009) – this is a detailed summary of the activities of the Council and Staff in 2008 for the City’s strategic priorities.
Draft City of Kent Strategic One Pager (April 2008) – this is a staff summary of the city’s main strategic priorities and the measures of their success.
