We're updating our Strategic Plan

The Park Board's Strategic Plan is a valuable tool that serves as a road map for the delivery of parks and recreation services and programs, helps frame policies, and links the work plans of our many business units. While the Board's current plan has served the organization well between 2005 and 2010, the time has come for this important document to be updated. As a result, earlier this year, we began the process of renewing our Strategic Plan so that it can take us confidently into the future.

More information on the process to update the Strategic Plan and the Park Board's associated organizational redesign is provided below.

Strategic Plan Phase One — Setting the Foundation for the Future (April to July 2011)

In conjunction with our consultants, the Board reviewed the many successes of the current Strategic Plan and its five themes: Greening the Park Board, Engaging People, Working Together, Managing Resources and Meeting Future Challenges. By building on these past successes, the Board's Strategic Framework has been updated to better position the organization to address challenges and opportunities facing it over the next five years. The Strategic Framework includes the Park Board's mission and vision and priority directions and goals.

Before the updated Framework was presented to our Board for approval in late July (click here to view the Board report ), key stakeholder groups (including users, residents, visitors, partners, and the public at large) were engaged to review and validate the Framework.

The public's participation and feedback in this process was very important. As a result, four Public Town Hall Meetings were held on June 22, 23, 28 and 29 at different locations throughout the City. At these sessions, we explained why we need to update the Strategic Plan, reviewed key accomplishments of the existing Plan, and obtained your feedback on key elements of the Strategic Framework.

If you weren't able to attend one of the Public Town Hall Meetings, you can view the meeting presentation here .

Organizational Redesign (June to October 2011)

In order to support and help deliver the organization's updated Strategic Plan, the Park Board's organizational structure will be redesigned - informed and directed by the updated Framework developed in Phase One.

As part of this process, the Park Board will be moving from a geographic organizational model to a functional model to more effectively enable the organization to deliver the goals and strategies identified in the Plan. These changes will be implemented in a phased manner under the leadership of our new Directors of Parks, Recreation and Planning.

Strategic Plan Phase Two — Bringing the Plan to Life (January 2012 onward)

With an updated Strategic Framework and organizational structure in place, Phase Two of the strategic planning process will begin (development of a detailed Action Plan). The detailed Action Plan will translate or convert the Park Board's high level strategy into an integrated series of detailed actions to be implemented in the coming years. More information on this phase of the project will be provided as the initiative unfolds.

Questions?

Please direct any inquiries to the Park Board's Communications Manager, Joyce Courtney, by phone at
604-257-8699 or by email at joyce.courtney@vancouver.ca.

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