Mekong Region Training Course
“Strategic and Participatory Planning and
Management”
15 – 26 August 2011
Submitted to
Thailand International Development
Cooperation Agency (TICA)
By Mekong Institute
Khon Kaen, THAILAND
16 February 2011
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STRATEGIC AND PARTICIPATORY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
Course Title
Duration
Location
Strategic and Participatory Planning and Management
Two weeks: 15 – 26 August 2011
MI Residential Training Centre, Khon Kaen, Thailand
A. Introduction:
Participatory strategic planning is a process, which presents a possibility for various
public stakeholder groups to participate in sustainable development strategic planning
and the implementation process. Strategic plan helps create management and planning
systems of communities, towns and municipalities, based on the principles of
sustainable development, democracy and market economy, and to assist for more
rational use of limited resources of municipal/organization budgets and for better
coordination and implementation of programs in various sectors. The Participatory
Strategic Planning process is a consensus-building approach that helps a community
or an organization to join together in explaining how they would like their community
or organisation to develop over the next few years. In the past, participatory
approaches to planning often tend to concentrate on analysing community problems
or opportunities from within a village, cooperative or group. This stance is
understandable since it is the basic principle of PRA that the starting point for
sustainable local rural development should be the knowledge base, priorities and
perceptions of the local community. However, when community strategic
development planning is the goal, the appraisal also needs to address how a
community’s development decisions will be affected by outside, macro-economic or
political forces. This external environmental analysis is vital to the planning process
of public organizations and communities in the Mekong countries since the wave of
regional economic integration has brought drastic changes to the region in a very
rapid manner.
Strategic planning is a systematic process through which an organization agrees onand builds commitment among key stakeholders to - priorities which are essential to
its mission and responsive to the operating environment. Designed and managed well,
strategic and participatory planning can produce better substantive ideas, useful
relationships and stronger civic institutions, new agreements across stubborn divides,
and the kind of legitimacy and political support that's increasingly important for
acting on social problems.
This two-week training program offers a framework and detailed practicum for doing
participatory strategic planning in communities or public organizations. This practical
training aims to help leaders, senior officers and planning staff of government
agencies and public enterprises do effective strategic planning through participatory
approach. It is a skill “studio” where each participant will be guided and has
opportunity to practice his/her strategic planning skills in every step of the planning
process. The ability to execute strategy is in fact more important than the quality of
the strategy itself. This training course will also focus on strategy implementation,
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progress monitoring and evaluation and institutionalization of the strategic
management system.
B. Objectives:
The overall objective of the training is: participants acquire knowledge of strategic
planning process and demonstrate skills in formulating organization strategic plan
using participatory approach and in translating the strategic plan into actions.
C. Expected Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the workshop, each participant can:
1. Articulate clear mission and vision statements;
2. Conduct situation analysis which includes stakeholders’ analysis, EnvironmentValue-Resources (EVR) analysis;
3. assess the effectiveness of an organization using Elements of Effectively Managed
Organization (EEMO) tool;
4. conduct SWOT analysis and use SWOT matrix for planning strategic goals and
objectives;
5. set priorities and develop core strategies, strategic goals, objectives;
6. link department/program operational plan and individual workplan to his/her
organization strategic plan; and
7 Establish planning cycles, evaluate progress, and update strategies
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D. Training Contents and Methodologies
Strategic Planning and Management Training course has six interrelated modules to
be conducted in 10 consecutive days
Module 1: Importance of Strategic Planning and Meaningful Participation of
Stakeholders
This module contains activities that are essential for enabling free and open
participation right from the start of the training program. The first session helped
trainers to prepare the groundwork, break the ice and give the overview of the training
workshop and adult learning principle. The second session will lay the foundation of
participatory planning principles and approach, using visualization in participatory
program planning tools and stakeholder identification and analysis. The third and
fourth sessions will introduce the strategic planning process.
Objectives
1. Participants understand the workshop objectives, sequence of training sessions
and strategic planning process and key concepts
2. Participants can describe their respective organization history and profile
3. Participants realize the importance of participatory strategic planning process
and meaningful involvement of key stakeholders in different strategic
planning steps.
Scope:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Setting the context and exploring participants limits
Visualization in Participatory Program Planning (VIPP)
Purpose of strategic planning. Long-range planning vs STP
Strategic Planning process and Key concepts
Purpose, Business and Values of an organization.
Roles of your organization: what services and products should we be offering
now and in the future that would best enable us to achieve our Vision
7. Participatory approach to strategic planning
8. Stakeholder analysis
Module 2: Environmental Analysis
The strategic management process begins with environmental analysis, the process of
monitoring the organization’s environment to identify both present and future threats
and opportunities. In this context, the organizational environment encompasses all
factors both inside and outside the organization that can influence progress toward the
attainment of organization objectives. Mekong regional economic integration,
bilateral and multi-later agreements and other external environmental factors like
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ASEAN Economic Community and its implication to local economic development
will be discussed in this module.
Objectives:
1. Participants can conduct analytical assessment of different key factors using
different tools and methodologies (EVR Scanning, SWOT Analysis,
Organizational Capacity Analysis, Stakeholder Analysis)
2. Participants can use EEMO framework in making assessment of an
organization
3. Participants can make detailed analysis using SWOT Grid and EEMO and set
core strategies
4. Participants understand the implications of regional economic cooperation and
AEC in their local and national economic development and be able to analyse
threats and opportunities that may arise from the economic integration.
Scope:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Stakeholder analysis
EVR Assessment
SWOT Analysis
Construct SWOT analysis of MRCS
What are the organization’s internal Strengths
What are the organization’s internal Weaknesses?
What external Opportunities exist with respect to pursuing our mission?
What external threats might hinder the pursuit of our mission?
5. Elements of Effectively Managed Organization (EEM)) exercise
6. Mekong Economic Cooperation and ASEAN Economic Community
Module 3: Establishing Organizational Direction.
The second step is establishing organizational direction, or determining the thrust of
the organization. There are two main indicators of the direction in which an
organization is moving; organizational mission and organizational objectives.
Objectives:
1. Participants can establish, reaffirm, or modify its organizational
direction based on the result of environmental and trend analysis
2. Participants know what comprises an organizational mission statement,
understand the nature of organizational objectives, and adopt an
effective and efficient process for establishing organizational direction
3. Participants can identify and formulate organizational objectives at
different levels
4. Participants can facilitate meaningful stakeholder involvement in
setting organizational direction
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Scope:
1. Based on the result of SWOT and EEMO, as the group to work on priorities
and strategies using the grid (Invest, Decide, Defend, Damage Control)
2. Importance of organizational mission and what information appears in
Mission Statements
3. Organizational objectives, areas in which organizational objectives are
established and characteristics of High-Quality Organizational Objectives
4. The participatory process of establishing organizational direction
5. Developing a hierarchy of objectives.
Module 4: Strategy Formulation
The third step of the strategic management process is strategy formulation. Strategy is
defined as a course of action aimed at ensuring that the organization will achieve its
objectives. Strategic formulation is the process of designing and selecting strategies
that lead to the attainment of organizational objectives. The process of formulating
organizational strategies includes two related tasks: First, general strategies must be
selected and developed. Second, specific decisions must be made about what role
various lines of business in the organization will play and how resources will be
allocated among them
Objectives:
1. Participants can use inputs from environmental analysis to begin the strategy
formulation process
2. Participants can formulate organizational-wide strategies and make strategic
alternatives based on the agreed priorities
3. Participants can formulate functional strategies for each core function of the
organization
Scope:
1. Strategic Plan Management Framework – vision, mission, goals and
objectives
2. Criteria of writing strategic goals and objectives
3. Using SWOT Grid and EEMO results in formulating organization strategies
5. General Strategies Alternatives (Concentration Strategy, Stability Strategy,
Growth Strategies, Retrenchment Strategies, Combination Strategies)
6. Structural Analysis of Competitive Forces
7. Functional Strategies
Module 5: Implementing Strategic Plan
The fourth step of the strategic management process is implementing organizational
strategic plan. This step involves putting into action the logically developed strategies
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and gain commitment from all key stakeholders. The ability to execute strategy is in
fact the most important factor shaping management and corporate valuations
Objectives:
1. Participants can formulate communication strategy to get rapport from
stakeholders in the implementation of new strategic plan
2. Participants can links their department and individual work plan to strategic
plan
3. Participants demonstrate skills in formulating individual goals and objectives
to support the organization’s strategic plan
Scope:
1. Designing and Implementing Communication Strategies
 Identifying core messages
 Choose effective and multi-level tactics
 Why Leader can’t lead
2. How to differentiate and formulate business plan and work plan to directly
support the organization strategic plan
 Business Plan
 Operational Plan
 Individual Workplan
Module 6: Institutionalize Strategic Management System and Strategic Control
Strategic control is a special type of organizational control that focuses on monitoring
and evaluating the strategic management process in order to improve it and ensure
that it is functioning properly
Objectives:
1. Participants demonstrate ability in setting up indicators and targets for
Monitoring and Evaluation of Strategic Plan
2. Participants can us M&E Results Framework in evaluating Strategic Plan and
the planning process
3. Participants can design and facilitate participatory monitoring and evaluation
session
Scope:
1. Linkage between strategic plan and programme and department goals and
objectives
2. Work Programmes, Business Plans and Operational Plan and how they link to
the Strategic Plan
3. Institutionalizing Strategic and Participatory Planning Process
4. Setting up M&E system (baselines, benchmark, indicators, targets)
5. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation
6. The strategic control
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a. Measuring Organizational Performance
b. Comparing Organizational Performance to goals and standards
c. Take Corrective Action
Curriculum Design and Methodologies
As required, all training modules, case studies, simulation exercises, field researches,
and best practices are to be drawn from and tailored to the Mekong region context and
will focus on practical knowledge, respect adult learning principles, use real case
studies, adopt participative approaches and be linked to the daily realities of the
participants. They will also from the start, incorporate concrete actions for follow-up
activities after training.
Each training module will be designed and delivered using “Integrated Curriculum”
approach. The salient features of this integrated curriculum are that, competencies are
carefully selected, support theory is integrated with skill practice and essential
knowledge is learned to support the performance of skills, and above all, various
implicit competencies (e.g. facilitation, presentation, communication, negotiation, and
leadership skills) are integrated across the curriculum.
Different negotiation, facilitation and presentation techniques will be incorporated
across the curriculum. These include the use of different planning and presentation
methods in Visualization in Participatory Planning Programme (VIPP) like
Information Market, Mind Map, Venn Diagrams, Fish Bowl, Floor Exercise, PLA,
Mobiled Station, etc.
E. Number of Participants: 30
This course is tailored for senior to middle level government officials, planners and/or
development practitioners who are involved directly in planning, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of strategic plan of communities, local administration,
government agencies and public enterprises. Hence participants for this course must:





be middle or senior level government officials, planners and development
practitioners who are directly involved in planning and managing strategic
or long term plans.
preferably possess tertiary level degree on management, public policy and
administration, community development and related disciplines, or, have at
least 5 to 7 years of related work experience;
have professional capacity to actively participate at an international level;
be fairly proficient in written and spoken English; and
able to attend the entire course duration.
In addition, MI encourages:
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

participants from provincial / local and rural areas ;
a gender balance in participant composition.
Invited participants should come from Mekong Countries
F. Venue
The course will take place on the premises of Mekong Institute (MI), which is also the
course organizer. With its regular course activities and experienced staff, MI, situated
on the campus of Khon Kaen University provides the ideal learning atmosphere for
participants willing to increase their skills and knowledge in strategic and
participatory planning and management. MI Mekong Resource Center provides
important literature on various development issues, regional cooperation, especially in
the context of Mekong economic cooperation and AEC.
The main conference room has the capacity to host up to 50 participants. This room is
equipped with projector, visualizer, video and computers for presentations. Smaller
rooms for meetings and group discussions are also available. In addition, the Institute
has an excellent GMS Information Resources Center, IT and Internet access as well
as, catering services.
MI offers 38 air-conditioned serviced hotel accommodations inside MI residential
learning center in Khon Kaen.. All rooms are equipped with a personal computer with
unlimited Internet access.
Khon Kaen and KKU provide the participants a location that promotes learning and
provides a maximum of safety for participants hailing from various parts of the world.
Staff, students, and inhabitants are friendly and willing to help foreigners. Negative
phenomena of large metropolises are virtually absent.
G. Evaluation
By applying the modular training cycle, learning progress and demonstrated ability of
each participant can be assessed and monitored. MI has its own standard learning
assessment and programme evaluation mechanisms as follows:
1.
Benchmarking or exploring group limits. At the beginning of each module,
an appropriate pre-training assessment tool will be used to assess level of
knowledge, skills and experience of participants related to the
module/topic. The results of this pre-training assessment will help the
course leader and resource persons to adjust the learning contents, process
and methodologies accordingly.
2.
Mood Barometer and Sounding Board to provide opportunities to
participants to express their feelings (satisfaction, frustration, etc.) and
needs on a daily basis.
3.
Daily feedbacking session. End of the day meeting and feedbacking
session with resource persons and facilitators.
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4.
5.
6.
End of programme evaluation. Participatory evaluation process will be
used at the end of the programme. Under this system, participants will
individually rate each evaluation question and provide their written
comments. After the completion, MI facilitator will discuss the result of
each question and comment and will document the feedback, comments
and suggestions to be used for future programme improvement.
Learning assessment and evaluation report. MI has an established
Documentation Team under the Learning Resource Department who will
act as an assessor/evaluator shadowing course delivery and preparing a
“learning assessment and evaluation report”. The team is also responsible
for administering pre and post assessments, module evaluation,
rearranging and puting up course materials and group works in MI
Knowledge Portal. All learning materials and outputs of participants works
will be recorded and provided to each partcipant in a CD-Rom at the end
of the Programme.
Post-training synthesis and evaluation session. A working session will be
held after each training programme to deliberate on the training outcomes,
results of evaluation, lessons learned and best/worst practices and new
innovation. Proceedings of this S&E session will be used in
improving/redesigning the training programme.
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