Strategic planning and position management, just as the field of public administration itself, are both an art and a science. Strategic planning measures can look different from agency to agency, but the overall meaning is not unique. At its very core, strategic planning involves committed leaders securing employee buy-in to achieve the mission, vision, and goals of an organization.

Execution of strategic planning and position management

Execution can involve practices such as transparency relating to organizational priorities and timelines, access to and/or involvement in planning, and/or a focus on long-term organizational value. However, an important part of any organization’s strategic planning blueprint is position management.

At its very core, position management is the connection between positions, employees, and the organization. When it comes to the basics of strategic planning position management, three types of personnel strategies are present in the public sector: election, appointment, and rules. An election is just what you think – citizens vote on those who will inevitably create, execute, and implement policy. Related to an election, appointment involves elected officials selecting individuals for certain positions. For example, at the federal level, cabinet members, commissioners, and chief deputies are all appointed. At the state level, some state legislatures appoint their judges. Virginia is one such state. An appointee always serves at the will of the appointer.

Rule-based selection also affects a majority of public sector employees and will be the central focus of the training on strategic planning This type of selection is merit-based, considering technical qualifications and applying them to public sector personnel administration.

Strategic Planning Questions

How might you coordinate such efforts across agencies, industries, and sectors?

What state agencies might be tasked with implementing the workforce-training benchmarks?

What roles might secondary and postsecondary education have in advancing toward the workforce-training benchmarks?

How might community and technical colleges contribute to achieving these benchmarks?

Additionally, what benefits might you champion as ensuing from the achievement of workforce-training goals for the state?

Lastly, what, if any, other benchmarks might be affected by achieving a more educated and better-trained workforce in the
state? Answers should be based on strategic planning and position management.

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