Strategic Planning and Decision Making - Applied

About the workshop

Integrated Strategic Planning and Decision Making – Applied is a recurring workshop for those with prior experience with annual planning and resourcing processes, moving beyond basic foundations to explore how mutual success between Council and the administration can be fostered and achieved. 

The workshop includes a more nuanced exploration of the requirements of the Local Government Act 2020 and how to create the conditions for success for both Council and the administration.

The workshop is suited to local government officers with experience in leadership roles, including coordinators and early career managers, to corporate planning and performance management professionals.

The six-hour workshop explores the role of Councillors, the executive, and the administration in the context of the Integrated Strategic Planning and Reporting Framework from the Act, highlighting the role of effective, respectful, and strong relationships in building a constructive culture focused on outcomes.

Participants learn important frameworks within strategic planning and reporting, exploring the role of Council as the elected authority and governing body, the administration as principal advisor and facilitator, as well as issues like mandate, legitimacy, public value, and public interest.

Target Group

The course is designed to meet a broad range of learning and development needs and it will be dynamically adapted based on a pre-workshop survey. The workshop is intended for:

Participants will have experience in working with the annual planning and resourcing processes.

The workshop will go beyond basic foundations and explore how to create the conditions for success for both Council and the administration.

Local government professionals with experience in leadership roles – coordinator and early career managers – people working with the system.

Corporate planning and performance management professionals – people working in the system.

Upcoming Workshops

In-Person LGPro Docklands: 4 hour workshop including light morning tea. Pre-workshop survey required to be completed. 2024 12 and 27  March    LGPro Docklands and Online   Fully Booked   More dates to follow - please complete the Keep Me Notified form

About the facilitator

Craig Kenny is an independent consultant offering a broad range of professional services to government and the not-for-profit sector based in Melbourne and South Gippsland.

He held senior executive corporate and community roles for more than twenty-five years in complex and demanding local government environments.  

Craig provided specialist support to Local Government Victoria during the roll out of the sector engagement and co-design for the new Integrated strategic Planning and Reporting Framework in 2020. He has significant experience in corporate and community services, community engagement, social infrastructure planning, policy, service planning and guiding the development of agile and responsive organisations.

Good governance has been at the core of his work for over two decades and this has established a solid foundation for his consulting work and board appointments. 

 

Learning outcomes

A pre-workshop survey of participants is used to tailor and align the workshop program to group learning objectives.

A background discussion paper and outline agenda are issued one week prior to the workshop.

The Act signals four key shifts in strategic planning and reporting arrangements that will require Council engagement and response, these include:

• Community Vision – the Act brings community and its aspirations and longer-term sustainable thinking to the core of policy and strategy development.
• A focus on outcomes – the deliberate move to a principles-based Act shifts regulatory focus from prescriptive rules to local policy that reflects local demands and aspirations.
• Community engagement – all councils must now develop appropriate consultation mechanisms, including deliberative processes in the context of its community and capacity.
• New medium to long-term plans – community transparency to long-term financial and asset planning is a new requirement under the Act.

The workshop will focus on the strategic role of the Mayor and Councillors working constructively with the CEO, Executive, and administration to engage with and deliver on the requirements of the Act. It will highlight the need for and importance of effective, respectful, and strong relationships and the role of Councillors in building a constructive culture focused on delivery of outcomes.

Two simple frameworks will be used to explore the role of Councillors, Executive, and administration in strategic planning and reporting and to illustrate the interdependence between the two groups:

• Public value – explores the role of Council as the elected authority and governing body and the administration as principal advisor and facilitator to get things done.
• Decision framework – provides a means of exploring the roles and functions of Council, issues such as mandate, legitimacy, public value, and public interest.

Part Two

Online follow up discussion – largely determined by priority issues identified in Part One and application of principles in the workplace.

The workshop explores the strategic role of the Mayor & Councillors, CEO & Executive and Administration to engage with and deliver on the requirements of the Act. It will highlight the importance of well-defined, effective, respectful, and strong relationships. Critical relationships within three operational domains will be explored:

• Council’s democratic and representative role and how elected members can work effectively to set an agenda and realise benefits for the community
• The critical relationship between Council, the Executive and organisation and the respective roles and responsibilities
• The relationship between Council and the community and how legitimacy and trust is built through transparency and engagement

The course applies two simple frameworks to generate insights and describe the roles, responsibilities, and work of the elected Council and the Administration.

• Public value – explores the roles of Council as the elected authority and governing body and the administration as principal advisor and facilitator to realise benefits and deliver outcomes.
• Decision framework – provides a useful and practical means of exploring the roles and functions of Council, issues such as mandate, legitimacy, public value, and public interest.

Other learning outcomes will include:

• Improved understanding of the rationale for the move to principles-based legislation and objectives of the Act.
• What the transition means in practical terms for local accountability and decision-making
• Exploring the respective roles of the Council, CEO and Administration

 

Course Details

This workshop is held in two parts

Part 1 In person
Duration: 4 hours
Time: 9:30am - 1:30pm

Part 2 Online
Duration: 2 hours
Time: 10am - 12pm

Investment

• Member: $735 incl. GST
• Non-member: $1,050 incl. GST

Prices are valid from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024

Member prices are valid for the following individual LGPro Memberships:  LGPro Fellow, Professional & Young Professional Members

More information

For further information email [email protected] or phone (03) 9268 6400

Cancellation Policy: LGPro is an independent member association and all money generated is used to develop quality professional development activities and services. Our events and programs are budgeted on a minimum number of attendees so providing us with sufficient notice regarding non-attendance is imperative to the success of all our events. Where a substitute delegate cannot be appointed, the following will apply for any cancellations:

• 7+ business days prior the workshop: full refund and/or transfer available
• 6 business days prior the workshop: no refund available, however substitute participants are welcome.
A substitute delegate is encouraged to attend in place of a cancellation.

All cancellations and substitutes must be received in writing by LGPro.
* Transfers to the next available program intake are subject to any applicable fee increases.

LGPro's full cancellation policy.