The Strategy Plan of the Scottsdale Police Department focused on forecasting or determining the possible scenarios so that they may establish a common goal and apply measures so as to come up with the said goal. This Strategy Plan utilized many assumption, including the evolution of homeland security, the possibility of economic decline and unemployment, and a decrease in the city revenue. All of these assumption were likewise made under a predictive model so that they may prepare accordingly. As such, seeing that forecasting is among the most important and the focus of the Strategy Plan of the Scottsdale Police Department, they made sure that this is done properly through appropriate data mining and analysis. Coordination with other agencies were also done to improve the accuracy of the forecasting efforts of the Scottsdale Police Department. Furthermore, this paper will describe the strategy for communicating the Strategic Plan of the Scottsdale Police Department.
ADMINISTRATION ISSUE
Forecasting in strategic plans are essential, but there may be problems in the administration of the strategic plan themselves. Often times, most strategic plans fail and leads to disasters. This is because there were barriers that were not addressed and taken into consideration. Among the barriers or issues in the administration of a strategic plan includes the people themselves. When institutions and agencies disregard that there are certain values and culture that may come into play, then strategies fail. Understanding the people, and the values and culture they hold on are key to understand a situation. People are unique and this should be likewise considered (Latif, Gohar, Hussain & Kashif 16). A strategic plan that worked on another location will not necessarily work on another one and this can be due to the characteristics of the people. A proper strategic plan would take into consideration that there are diversities among the people and this may affect the plan.
Another issue with the administration of the strategic plan is the lack of commitment and accountability. In terms of accountability, knowing what may happen is not enough. There should be a periodical assessment and reconsideration of the plans with regards to changes in the system. In terms of commitment, having a strategic plan, but not having the commitment to attain the goals will simply mean failure (Latif, Gohar, Hussain & Kashif 19).
Lastly, inadequate communication can also be an issue with the strategic plan since it could mean the failure for most people to cooperate and understand anything that is going on. Opening communication channels, not only with select agencies, but with everyone involved will surely lessen the chances of the strategic plan failing. It could even lead to a more consolidated plan since there are many inputs (Latif, Gohar, Hussain & Kashif 19).
STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholders, both internal and external, should always be considered in strategic planning. Furthermore, the strategic plan has many possible impact on the stakeholders. The stakeholders, which may include those who has the ability to make efforts more credible and allow the necessary interventions, may benefit from the strategic plan. They could be positively affected if they participate more and provide several perspective during the planning process. Furthermore, the stakeholders may also benefit if they are not blindsided and this may be done transparent planning and open communications. Allowing stakeholders to participate enhances the success of a strategic plan, which can likewise benefit them. On the contrary, disregarding the stakeholders with regards to the strategic plan can weaken the strategic plan greatly and cause any opposition to overwhelm the plans (National Criminal Justice Association). Thus, having negative impacts on stakeholders in times of crisis, especially when the aforementioned adverse scenarios happen, should be noted.
Since it had been established that stakeholders greatly affects the success of the strategic plan, specifically the strategic plan of the Scottsdale Police Department, it is important that they get involved through communication. Funding, support, and information from the stakeholders are valuable and they may be acquired through successful coordination and the leverage of resources. First, stakeholders must be made aware of the impact they have and the impact that the strategic plan has on them. This relationship should be emphasized and used to an advantage. After which, the Scottsdale Police Department should be transparent with their plans and how they came up with the said forecasting. Stakeholders should know where the data presented to them were acquired and analyzed to build trust that factors in when it comes to strategic planning. Lastly, stakeholders should also be transparent. Their concerns should be made known so that everyone involved may prioritize and make necessary measures. The information that stakeholders hold are relevant and they should always be communicated. Of course, communication is not exactly easy. However, this may be made easier by letting all sides know that it is important while making sure that every voice must be heard so that no one may be discouraged from communicating (National Criminal Justice Association).
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES There are ultimately two possible outcomes: success or failure. Failure is often a common outcome of strategic plans, but it may be avoided. Through participation and the consideration of any issues in the administration of the strategic plan, success may be evident.
Works Cited
Latif, Bilal, Gohar, F.R., Hussain, A., and Kashif, M.M. “Barriers to Effective Strategic Planning.” International Journal of Management & Organizational Studies, vol. 1, no. 2, n.d., pp. 16-21.
National Criminal Justice Association. “Strategic Planning.” NCJP. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Aug 2016.
