Project Description

To:	Matthew W. Hart, Town Manager
From:	Management Partners, Inc.
Subject:	Mansfield, CT Strategic Planning Project
Date:	June 1, 2007

Management Partners is very pleased to have been selected by the Town to facilitate the development of a strategic plan.  As discussed in the initial response to the Town’s request for qualifications, the approach we have developed for the Town of Mansfield uses a facilitation process known as a “Search Conference” or “Future Search.”  This technique was developed in Australia and brought to the United States in the 1990s. The Search Conference “brings people together to achieve breakthrough innovation, empowerment, shared vision and collaborative action,” (Discovering Common Ground, Marvin R. Weisbord, 1992).  Elements of a Search Conference include developing an environmental scan, identifying key issues, articulating likely and desired futures and action plans which are designed to set the implementation process in motion.

The Search Conference is a strategic planning event that is purposefully designed to be inclusive and action-oriented.  It is a participative planning method that enables people to create their desired future.  It is a flexible process designed for today’s rapidly changing environments.  Participants in the Search Conference create a plan based on shared ideals with tangible and flexible goals.  Management Partners has used the Search Conference technique in a variety of settings and our staff has trained others in how to apply this innovative approach. 

The strategic planning process is centered around two “Search Conference” events. During these events as many as 80 members of the Mansfield community can participate in articulating and planning for the community’s future.  The first event is the Visioning Conference.  Participants in this event will have the opportunity to review input from an environmental scan Town staff will develop prior to the initial Search Conference.  The environmental scan will combine a traditional scan with data about demographic, financial, economic development, planning and other data-based trends with community forums where interested town residents will have an opportunity to provide specific input about the vision they have for the community’s future.  Management Partners will work with Town staff to summarize relevant community data to discuss during the Visioning Conference.

The second event is the Action Conference.  The vision and critical success factors developed at the Visioning Conference will have been presented to the community for consideration and input during a series of open houses.  The Action Conference participants will then consider that input and form “teams” that will commit to implementing the actions and initiatives identified as critical to the future of the community.

The project is divided into seven activities which are described below.

Activity 1 – Start Project

A successful strategic planning exercise will benefit a collaborative relationship between the consulting team and strategic planning team from the very beginning of the process.  This activity is intended to begin the collaborative relationship.  The strategic planning team will serve as a steering committee for the entire process.  We will refer to this group as the strategic planning committee, or SPC.

The first step for Management Partners will be to meet with the Town Manager and SPC to gain a clear picture of what the Town hopes to accomplish from the strategic planning exercise.  We want to ensure that we have a shared vision for how to develop the strategic plan. 

Activity 2 – Collaborate About Project Planning

During this activity, Management Partners will meet with the SPC to finalize plans for the community forums that will be held as part of Activity 3, and to reach agreement on the best way to encourage broad participation in the Search Conference events.  Participation in the Vision and Action conferences will require a commitment of time on the part of community members and the process will be most successful if a broad cross-section of the community has an opportunity to participate.  The SPC will discuss and decide on an application and/or invitation process for their “casting call” to solicit participation by community stakeholders. The search conference community can include between 40 and 80 participants. These participants should also include formal community leadership (the Town Council and Town department heads) who will work hand-in-hand with the community to implement the plan and achieve the articulated vision.

At the conclusion of the invitation and/or application process, the SPC will meet to decide on the final participants in the Vision and Action planning events.

Activity 3 – Conduct Environmental Scan

The purpose of this activity is to develop background information for Search Conference participants that will inform their participation in the visioning exercise.  Management Partners will work with Town staff to identify important information that should be provided to the Search Conference participants including current demographic information, as well as projections about the future.  Information about Town finances, planning, and other relevant trends will also be gathered and shared with search conference participants.

Activity 4 – Facilitate Visioning Conference

With the planning complete, and every detail attended to during Activity Two, Management Partners will facilitate the initial Visioning Conference.  The participants will spend two days together to articulate a desired future for the Mansfield community and identify critical success factors for achieving that vision.   Critical success factors are those things that must be in place for the community vision to be realized.  The actual Visioning Conference will include activities with the entire group as well as small group break-out sessions that will allow everyone to actively participate and engage in the process.  One of the phenomenal outcomes of the process that we are recommending is the spirit of community that is developed among Search Conference participants during the event.  Participants will develop ownership of and a commitment to the process – and its implementation.

In addition to providing expert facilitation, Management Partners will provide a graphic recorder to create visual representations of the vision that stakeholders express for the community, as well the critical success factors.  The “pictures” are truly worth a thousand words when it comes to sharing the information with the entire Mansfield community.

At the conclusion of the Visioning Conference, Town Staff will summarize the activities and create materials designed to solicit the broad community input sought in Activity 5.

Activity 5 – Solicit Community Input

A community strategic plan is best when touched by as many people as possible.  During this activity, the community will be invited to attend “open houses” where they can provide input on the vision and critical success factors.  We anticipate the “open houses” will be both physical – perhaps at a library, school, community center or Town Hall – as well as “virtual.”  The virtual open house will allow the results of the Visioning Conference to be viewed on line.  Comments will be welcome on line as well.

The input received during this phase of the process will be summarized by Town Staff for the Search Conference participants to consider during the Action Planning Conference.

Activity 6 – Facilitate Action Planning Conference

The Action Planning Conference takes the vision and critical success factors identified at the Visioning Conference and provides the opportunity for stakeholders to develop action plans that will guide implementation so the vision can be realized.  Management Partners will facilitate this event, and provide focused expertise for developing successful action plans.  Ideally, each person who participates in the Visioning Conference will also participate in the Action Planning Conference.  During this two-day session Management Partners will work with the break-out groups to create a structure for ongoing implementation and tracking. 

Activity 7 – Assist with Implementation

The success of the entire process will hinge on effective implementation.  Management Partners will share a template that can be used to provide regular reports to the Town Council to  build in an element of accountability to see that the Town’s strategic plan is implemented.

This should be an exciting engagement.  We look forward to kicking-off the project with you and the SPC.  In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to call Julia Novak or Amy Paul.