| Building Communities: A Better Approach |
| |
Traditional Approach |
Building Communities |
| SWOT Analysis |
Generic and typically inconsequential |
Specific to each strategy selected by the community |
| Research |
Typically a demographic study with little ultimate relevance to the activities prescribed |
Very specific to each and every action step prescribed |
Selection
of Strategies |
Frequently an extension of previous failed approaches; limited to only the strategies that are apparent |
A full menu of 25 executable strategies targeted to strengths of community |
| Action Steps |
Frequently derived by guessing |
Between 4 and 11 essential actions steps prescribed for every strategy |
| Capacity to Implement Plan |
Frequently not considered in strategic plans; rarely are capacity improvements identified |
Dozens of specific capacity improvement activities prescribed based upon analysis of existing capacity |
Predicting Success
Before Beginning |
No theory or construct from which to base a forecast of success |
Prediction of implementation success forecasted by Four Stages Model |
| Consulting Approach |
Typically offered by a company that is a “generalist” |
Specializes in a strategic planning methodology unique for economic development |
| Community Engagement |
Haphazardly involved with process with no prescribed agenda |
Highly engaged in action-oriented discussion ensuring community-wide buy-in |
| Plan Implementation / Follow-Through |
Frequently results in proverbial report sitting on the shelf |
Requires a steering committee that not only develops the plan, but implements it |
