KATSINA STATE GOVERNMENT CORPORATE PLANNING POLICY PAPER

Transcription

1 KATSINA STATE GOVERNMENT CORPORATE PLANNING POLICY PAPER September, 2013

2 1. Introduction A pilot corporate plan has been completed for the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning (MoFB&EP) and a report of its findings and recommendations submitted to the Head of Service and management of MoFB&EP. The review and assessment of performance and capacity resulted in a set of quite radical recommendations on reorganising the structure, responsibilities, roles and workforce of the ministry. The Ministry s corporate plan is to be presented to ExCo for review and approval. This note provides a brief description of the purpose, scope and methodology of corporate planning and the potential benefits of undertaking such a process. Thus, it provides the context within which the MoFB&EP report should be considered. At its conclusion some proposed ExCo recommendations are presented for consideration. 2. Definition Corporate Planning is a process in which an MDA determines its objectives, priorities, structure and functions in the light of its mandate, and then determines how to organise and apply its resources (human, financial etc.) to achieving its objectives and meeting its service delivery standards and targets. Specifically, a Corporate Plan guides the management and staff of the Ministry in a cohesive effort to carry out the organisation s mandates more efficiently and effectively. A Corporate Plan is one approach to assisting organisations to make themselves 'fit for purpose'. In public services, an organisation which is fit for purpose is usually defined as: Equipped with the correct structure, staff, and resources to carry out the duties required by its mandate 1. With appropriate systems, processes and infrastructure to achieve the specific objectives and/or service delivery standards required by any overarching strategic plan 2. Corporate planning requires the review and possible re-organisation of the functions, structure and workforce of an MDA or other public institution in response to some sort of external change or pressure to perform more effectively. In the case of Katsina State, the change imperatives are: An environment of increasing demands on public funds and sustained pressure to radically reduce the cost of government; 1 The 'mandate' of an organisation is generally understood to comprise the framework of laws, rules, regulations or policies which define the organisation s unique contribution to achieving the objectives of government. 2 Such as a Medium Term Sector Strategy (MTSS).

3 The commitment of government to reform so as to improve the performance of public institutions and public servants; Growing expectations that the Katsina State civil service will improve the delivery of existing services or undertake new tasks within the available fiscal resources: to do more with less. The necessity to introduce new technologies that radically affects the way work is done, e.g. ICT. The adoption of new mandates, priorities or services in response to changing demand from an increasingly aware public. Indeed there is global demand for good governance in public institutions. The implication is a leaner, more efficient government that is focused on developing the right policies, adopting the appropriate strategies for delivering better services to the people and getting value for all public expenditure. When completed a Corporate Planning exercise will enable the MDA to better determine and understand: Why it exists - its mandate What it is meant to be doing - its goals, objectives and strategies. How it can best organise itself to deliver on its objectives Who and how many staff it needs to fit the structure and deliver the service. 3. Corporate Planning Framework Corporate Planning can be best understood by breaking it down into a number of stages beginning with a confirmation of an MDA s mandate and ending with a detailed workforce plan. The Corporate Planning process can be described as 5 main steps: 1. Establishing the MDA s mandate, vision and mission statement, long term goals, medium term objectives, and strategies; 2. Institutional appraisal through functional, process and structural reviews; 3. Proposals: for any revision to the structure and organization of the MDA ; 4. Establishment and Workforce Plan: to define the composition of the work force required to respond to the structure, functions and processes proposed and adopted; 5. Implementation: implementation action plan and timetable.

4 4. Undertaking a Corporate Plan Step 1: Establishing the plan context: An MDA s mandate should have been set out in the State s Constitution, a law or some other legal instrument. The actual mandate should be reaffirmed and reviewed to make sure they are still relevant. On the basis of its mandate, an MDA can then develop its Vision and Mission Statements. This leads on to the next stage in which the MDA identifies its long-term strategic goals the priority services and outputs it considers it should deliver over a 5 to 10 year time horizon based on analyses of the developmental challenges confronting it. These Strategic Goals set the scene for the formulation of more precise medium-term objectives. The medium-term objectives take account of political manifestos, short-term priorities, likely budget and other resource envelopes and constraints. They are usually set for a 3 to 5 year time horizon and revised annually to take account of new issues and implementation performance. The medium term objectives should normally be presented in set standards against which actual performance can be measured. Step 2: Delivering on the medium-term objectives and overall strategic goals requires a mix of well-planned financial resources, materials and tools as well as human resources allocations. Medium term objectives will often have been identified in a Sector Plan or an MTSS and the finance needed and its availability should also have been identified. The next challenge is therefore, how to best organise the human resources, structures and systems of the MDA so it can achieve its objectives. The starting point for this is to conduct Functional, Process and Structural Reviews which involve clarifying core functions (derived from the mandates and medium term objectives) and identifying service delivery processes and the capacity of the staff to undertake them. Step 3: Deciding on any necessary re-alignment of the structure of the MDA (the departments, divisions, units etc.) and redistributing their responsibilities so they can most effectively and efficiently deliver these functions and services. The end point of the reviews will be clear terms of reference for each department, section or unit. Step 4: Once the overall structure is decided, it is then possible to look in more detail at the internal make up of each department, section, unit etc. i.e. to produce an Establishment Plan. This involves identifying the key posts, drawing up job descriptions and linking the jobs to the salary grades. The next challenge is to match the existing workforce with the Establishment plan. This will highlight areas requiring repositioning of staff, manpower training, recruitment and right sizing, and will culminate in the preparation of a Workforce Plan. A Workforce Plan sets out the process of getting the right people, with the right skills, in the right jobs (identified in the revised Establishment) at the right time to enable the MDA to deliver its goals, strategic objectives and

5 service delivery targets. The concept of the right people with the right skills must extend to deliberate efforts to appoint females and those from socially deprived groups so that the Katsina government workforce is better balanced and better able to respond to the needs of all its citizens. Ultimately each employee will have a clear job description from which annual targets can be derived, thereby providing the basis for individual performance assessment. The workforce plan will also enable the MDA to provide individual career development and training plans for its employees. Step 5: Once the proposed changes to the MDA s organization and structure have been approved and the Establishment Plan drawn-up then a plan of action and timetable for implementation should be developed. Such a plan will be time-bound and include steps needed to finance the changes through budget allocations. 5. Managing the Change: Involving all Stakeholders Corporate Planning is, in essence, a process of enabling the MDA to initiate, anticipate and/or respond to change. In the present fast-moving world, institutions are being constantly challenged to keep pace - change is all-pervasive in terms of expectations, technologies, attitudes, politics, resource availability etc. MDAs need to recognise that: Change is about challenge and opportunity Change is about people it requires the active participation of all personnel Change is a perpetual process requiring constant review of an MDA s structure, systems and processes in order to achieve its mandates Change is about ownership by all stakeholders Change requires competent change agents to help steer the process. Top Management support is crucial to the success of corporate planning. Managers should commit to a transparent process to achieve improvements in effectiveness, efficiency and service delivery. Managers should also signal commitment to follow through on whatever plans are produced without favour to any particular group in the process while ensuring that those currently under-represented, particularly females, are equally considered when filling any vacancies. Change is often perceived as threatening the status quo and a destabilization of erstwhile stability. Consequently, change suffers obstruction tacit and open. Thus, change champions must take care to sell the project with all earnestness and in the most inviting manner. An approach that is collaborative and responsive is needed:

6 Whilst Top Management should drive the process, they should do it by facilitating, guiding and enabling rather than simply imposing; People need to understand the reasons and objectives of the corporate planning process and see a plan for its implementation; Communication and openness are essential to obtaining agreement and support from people within the system; This all implies a need for face-to-face communication through workshops and meetings rather than paper-based instructions handed down from above. Overall, the organisational development approach will be highly participative involving the use of mini-roundtables, forums, meetings, retreats, feedback sessions, etc to facilitate corporate planning. Clear management arrangements and structures, including some sort of temporary steering committee, including the top officials, to plan, manage and communicate the process, approve the corporate plan and ensure its implementation, and technical teams which will do the detailed consultations, data gathering, and analyses. Well-designed communication systems which keep the corporate planning team fully informed, but which also communicate effectively with all affected staff, and even with external stakeholders such as the public. 6. Outputs and Benefits Although corporate planning may seem complex and time-consuming it can produce significant outputs and generate substantial benefits: Clear MDA mandate, functions, processes and structures reduce ambiguity, establishes clear boundaries and decision-making and determines cost-effective methods for conducting governance business. Confidence that the purpose and organisation of MDAs has been subjected to rigorous review and made clear to Senior Management and staff. Better understanding and articulation of long term and medium term strategies and planning across the public services and specific sectors, in conjunction with MTSS and MTEF Clarity about staffing across the public service and where changes may need to be made

7 Emphasis on manpower development, rational resources allocation, proactive goal development and management; all of which are crucial to successfully drive current Katsina State Government s strategic goals. Effective support to the concept of equal opportunities for all, including women and those from socially deprived groups. Effective management of strategic objectives by establishing clear monitoring systems to measure the progress of outcomes and by developing quantitative-based key performance indicators (KPI) so that government can reliably gauge progress. 7. Progress to Date The corporate planning process that was undertaken in MoFB&EP provided experience and lessons for both the Corporate Planning Technical Team and the Reform Steering Committee that will strengthen their capacity to lead further corporate planning exercises. The role of the Technical Team in introducing the corporate planning approach has been critical and will remain critical if the approach is to be more widely implemented. The Technical Team s contribution to introducing the concepts and practice to MoFB&EP, in sensitizing the ministry s staff, in collating, interpreting and analysing documentation and managing the work of the consultant was crucial. If so requested, SPARC will continue to support corporate planning in Katsina but it will do so by building the capability of the Technical Team to enable it to lead the process rather than directly undertaking the work itself. 8. Prayers ExCo is requested to: i. Consider and review the report on the corporate plan prepared by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning and to endorse its findings and approve the recommendations set out. ii. Issue instructions that those recommendations that are approved be implemented forthwith and identify the appropriate oversight mechanism to manage implementation. iii. Endorse the corporate planning approach outlined in this policy paper and approve the roll out of the approach throughout the State Government. iv. Mandate the Reform Steering Committee to co-ordinate the corporate planning programme.

8 v. Instruct the Reform Steering Committee to undertake, as a first step, the review and reaffirmation of the mandate of all MDAs of the government. The review should identify any overlap, conflict, gaps, or redundancy in or between the mandates of MDAs. The Reform Steering Committee is to establish a mechanism to consider and reconcile any shortcomings in MDA mandates and then report on its findings and recommendations to ExCo. vi. Agree that, once an agreed set of mandates has been established the corporate planning approach will be rolled out in a phased programme under the general oversight of the Reform Steering Committee and the Office of the Head of Service.