Strategic Planning & Performance Management Flashcards

Which document typically serves as the foundational long-range guide for a municipality's physical development, land use, and growth patterns?

Answer: Comprehensive plan

A comprehensive plan (also called a general or master plan) is the long-range policy document guiding a municipality's land use, physical development, and growth over a 20–25 year horizon.

In the SWOT analysis framework used in municipal strategic planning, what does the 'T' represent?

Answer: Threats

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats — with Threats representing external factors that could negatively impact the organization.

A city council adopts a resolution directing the city manager to develop a five-year strategic plan. Which step should occur FIRST in the planning process?

Answer: Conduct an environmental scan

An environmental scan (assessing internal and external conditions) must precede goal-setting so that plans are grounded in current realities and trends.

Which performance measurement framework organizes metrics into four perspectives: financial, customer, internal processes, and learning & growth?

Answer: Balanced scorecard

The Balanced Scorecard, developed by Kaplan and Norton, organizes performance measures across financial, customer, internal process, and learning & growth perspectives.

A municipality wants to compare its service costs and quality against similar-sized cities. This practice is best described as:

Answer: Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the practice of comparing an organization's performance metrics against peer organizations or best-practice standards to identify improvement opportunities.

In strategic planning, an 'outcome measure' differs from an 'output measure' in that it tracks:

Answer: The actual impact or change produced by services

Outcome measures capture the real-world impact or change resulting from services (e.g., reduced crime rate), while output measures only count activities performed (e.g., number of patrols).

Which element of a well-written strategic goal statement is described by the acronym 'SMART'?

Answer: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — a widely accepted framework for writing effective objectives.