Question

Strategies represent an institution’s response to the requirements of its policy mandate within a specific management environment context. It is therefore important for a public manager to understand that an effective strategy development requires the mandate to challenge, the space to think and the commitment of stakeholders. For these, and many other reasons, strategy work in the public sector is best undertaken within the context of a clearly defined project within a government department that can act as a focal point for generating momentum behind a change in conventional thinking. Once the purpose of the project is defined and set it is then easy to develop a strategy which incorporates a range of strategically options that might help to achieve the purpose of the project for a particular government department. Although the process of developing strategy is complex and often iterative in nature, strategy projects tend to naturally move through a number of phases. You have recently been appointed as the Chief Director: Strategic Analysis in the Department of Provincial Development and you have subsequently been tasked to assemble a strategic plan for the Department for improved citizen partaking in your youth development project. Planning strategically is about using a systematic approach to make the most effective choices about what your organisation’s objectives should be and the approach you will use to achieve them. Planning strategically is also about making sure that everything done in your organisation is strategic and makes the most valuable contribution to the organisation’s overall goal and purpose. This means you will need to develop a clear overall organisational strategy (plans) before programme plans or project plans are developed.

Answer 1

Strategies in the public sector are developed in response to the requirements of a policy mandate. They should be developed within the context of a project in a government department and go through several phases. Planning strategically involves making effective choices to achieve organizational objectives.

Step-by-step explanation:

Strategies are an institution's response to the requirements of its policy mandate within a specific management environment context. For a public manager to develop an effective strategy, they need to consider the mandate they are working within, have the space to think, and gain the commitment of stakeholders. In the public sector, strategy work is best done within the context of a project in a government department, which acts as a focal point for generating momentum behind a change in conventional thinking.

Developing a strategy involves several phases and is a complex, iterative process. It is important to start with a clearly defined purpose for the project, which will then guide the development of the strategy. The strategy should incorporate a range of strategically options that can help achieve the project's purpose. It is also crucial to have a clear overall organizational strategy before developing program or project plans.

Planning strategically involves using a systematic approach to make effective choices about the organization's objectives and the approach to achieve them. The goal is to ensure that everything done in the organization is strategic and contributes to the overall goal and purpose. This requires developing a comprehensive organizational strategy before moving on to program and project plans.