Strategies represent an institutions 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 organisations 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 organisations 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.

QUESTION 3

Explain the different process for developing a strategy within the public sector. The different components of a strategic approach The different testing criteria for the development of different strategies.