The Community Services Division (CSD), Human Services Department, City of Phoenix, AZ, has engaged Blackerby Associates to facilitate development of its strategic plan. This site contains the relevant documentation of this process, so that participants and other interested people can monitor the project's progress and activities.

Strategic Planning Process Goals

• To produce a strategic plan for CSD, including the mission, strategic issues, goals and a high-level action plan.
  Planning horizon: 3 years, July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007.



• To produce an implementation plan (for year 1, July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005) for CSD that will include the action steps necessary to implement the strategic plan.



• To ensure that every voice is heard.

1.  Plan-to-Plan

Plan-to-Plan Summary document, Community Services Strategic Plan 2007

Plan-to-Plan document, Community Services Strategic Plan 2007

2.  Environmental Scan

The following documentary sources will be reviewed as part of the environmental scan, focusing on internal strengths and weaknesses, and external threats and opportunities (SWOT).

• 2003 Customer Satisfaction Survey, Report on Results, Community Services Division, May 2003.
• Human Services Department Diversity Survey, October 15, 2002.
• Human Services Department Organizational Report Card, 2001-2003, undated.
• Human Services Department Strategic Plan, January 2002.
• Human Services Department Strategic Plan Highlights, January 2002
• Human Services Department 2003-2004 Operating Budget.
• 2002-03 Annual report, City of Phoenix Human Services Department.
• Various brochures and marketing materials, undated.

Environmental Scan analysis report, Community Services Division Strategic Plan 2007. Based on a review of the documentary sources described above.

3.  Focus Groups: Analysis and Validation of Fact-Finding

Focus Groups Facilitator Role and Ground Rules governing focus group sessions

Focus Group Questions

1. Community Services Division Deputy Director, Wed., May 26, 8:30-10:00 a.m., City Hall, 17th floor East.
2. Community Services Division senior staff, Wed., May 26, 10:00-11:30 a.m., City Hall, 17th floor East.
3. Community Services Division field service personnel (A group), Wed., May 26, 1:00-2:30 p.m., Burton Barr Library, Room A, 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix.
4. Community Services Division field service personnel (B group), Wed., May 26, 3:00-4:40 p.m., Burton Barr Library, Room A, 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix.
5. CSD Committee, Wed., June 9, 3:00-4:00 p.m., City Hall.

4.  Strategic Planning Retreat

Strategic Planning Team retreat to be held at:
Flinn Foundation
1802 North Central Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85004-1509
Main: 602-744-6800
Fax: 602-744-6815

Dress: Business casual
Bring: Open mind

Please arrive at 8:00 a.m. for continental breakfast. Program begins at 8:30 a.m., and will adjourn at 4:15 p.m. each day.

5.  Documentation & Communication of Community Services Division Three-Year Strategic Plan

• Draft Strategic Plan (July 14, 2004) as developed in the two-day strategic planning session.



• Updated Draft Strategic Plan (August 13, 2004) as revised in the first Follow-up Session.



• Final Strategic Plan

Key Participants

Responsibility for each step in the Project Timeline is assigned to a group of individuals. In general, the Blackerby Associates Project Manager, acting in concert with the CSD Project Coordinator, will prompt these groups and individuals to accomplish their responsibilities in a timely manner. The key participants include:

CSD project team consists of the Lead Deputy Human Services Director, Deputy Human Services Director for Community Services, CSD Strategic Plan Project Coordinator, CSD Client Services Coordinator and any other individuals they may designate from time-to-time.

Blackerby Associates includes Phillip Blackerby, Principal and Project Manager, and Lynne Brown, Senior Associate and Facilitator. In most cases, Mr. Blackerby and Ms. Brown will work together as a team.

CSD Employees includes all approximately 100 paid employees of CSD. All CSD employees are encouraged to provide input into the strategic planning process, so that every voice is heard.

Strategic Planning Team members are a group of up to 40 individuals who volunteer, are nominated by peers or are selected by CSD management from among CSD employees. Selected other stakeholders may also be named. Members of the Strategic Planning Team will participate in a two-day Strategic Planning Session, make decisions about the future development of CSD, and communicate the substance of the Team’s discussions and decisions back to constituent CSD employees. CSD Strategic Planning Team members will include most CSD senior staff; other members must meet specific attributes, to ensure that, taken together, Strategic Planning Team members broadly represent a "diagonal slice" of CSD employees, including all hierarchical levels, job categories and geographic areas. Most of the non-senior staff Team members will not have participated in the focus groups. Participation on the Strategic Planning Team may be considered a leadership development activity.

Focus Groups are made up of people—8-12 individuals per group—who will participate in group discussions, giving their input into the strategic planning process. Each focus group session will begin with a brief review of key themes derived from the environmental scan, followed by a facilitated discussion. Focus group participants are volunteers who meet the qualifications for each group; the CSD Project Team will invite potential participants to volunteer, and will then select participants from the list of volunteers. Each focus group will be facilitated by a consultant, while another consultant takes detailed notes on the discussion.

The three focus groups include:

• CSD employees (2): two focus groups will be made up of front-line employees who agree to participate. Some focus group members will be volunteers; others will be selected by CSD management to ensure that representative voices are heard.



• CSD Senior Staff are key CSD employees charged with managing, overseeing, evaluating and allocating resources within the Community Services Division, including the Lead Deputy Human Services Director.