Cluj-Napoca Strategic Plan Update Assignment Strategic Planning Course Public Administration Department Babes-Bolyai University October, 2011.

OVERVIEW As a form of active learning for the students of the UBB Master-level Public Administration course in Strategic Planning, students will actively engage the process of strategic planning as their principal assignment. The city of Cluj-Napoca undertook a strategic plan process and completed a report many years ago (approx. 2006-07), partly with the help of the UBB Public Administration Departments students and teachers. Cluj-Napoca has changed in many ways since that time, and some of the suggestions of that strategic plan have already been accomplished. It seems appropriate therefore that the community begins to formally rethink its future, and update the strategic plan document. Such an extensive effort, including updating data and engaging community participation cannot be fully undertaken in the short period of time allowed for this class project. But, students can learn about the process, and the community can benefit from the students perspective if the class works through the strategic planning process as a major course assignment. As a result, the following course activities are anticipated: FULL CLASS All of the students in the Public Administration course in Strategic Planning, while completing readings and listening to lectures, will also engage in a process of class discussion to develop statements of Values, Vision and Mission for the city. This is a subjective process that takes corresponding statements from the previous plan and updates them based on the students perspectives and new information. SMALL GROUP PROJECT The students of the course will divide into working groups of approximately 3 persons each. Each group selects a subject area for analysis, corresponding to each chapter or subchapters of the previous strategic plan. Groups then focus on that subject area and develop a report of about 20 pages. Each subject area report will have the following outline:

I. GOAL This section will contain one concise goal statement for the community related to the groups subject area followed by any additional explanation of the goal. Goals should be long term and give the community a direction to move into the future relative to that subject area. II. ANALYSIS This section will be an analysis of how the community has changed since the time of the last strategic plan with respect to the relevant subject area. This analysis will refer to appropriate THEORIES about how communities develop and will reference updated INFORMATION where possible. The analysis should discuss TRENDS, SYSTEMIC COMPLEXITIES and, TIPPING POINTS were appropriate. This section should be written in thoughtful, concise prose, NOT with just bullet points or lists of data. Tabular data updates should be included in an appendix. III. MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES. This section should list and describe one to three measurable objectives, the accomplishment of which would move the community in the direction of the state goal. Objectives are long or intermediate term (5-25 years) and should be stated in a way that allows for measurement. Measurement should not only indicate ultimate achievement of the goal, but should also allow for determination of progress toward partial achievement. This measurability does not always require a precise, absolute cardinal value but may be stated in sequential or ordinal or other measurable forms. IV. TARGETS For the purpose of this project, a target is defined as something to be achieved in one year. Hitting the target should move some aspect of the community toward one or more of its measurable objectives. V. METRICS While all kinds of data are collected about a community, the consistence of the data is often questionable. Data collection is expensive and time consuming. Data elements come and go with budget constraints and political considerations, and methodologies used to derive statistical information sometimes change. One of the important benefits of defining measurable objectives and targets is that those efforts help to prioritize data collection. Certain data elements are identified as critical to tracking community progress, identifying trend lines, take off points or at-risk situations. Each groups report should have a section that identifies a limited set of high priority information elements that should be collected consistently over time. A compilation of these elements can act as a slate of community indicators or metrics that 1) allow for the community to keep score of its progress, 2) promote analysis of trends over time, 3) facilitate making future projections, and 4) promote spotting interrelationships between variables.

ACTION PLAN STATEMENT For each measurable objective, the report should describe at least one ACTION. The description should explain what should be done?, who should do it?, what resources are needed? (not just money), who has authority over the actors? (chain of accountability) and how long it should take. A set of initial (first year) TASKS should also be described in similar terms. EVALUATION This section should describe how and when progress toward GOALS and OBJECTIVES will be evaluated. Describe any unusual methodologies that are to be used in the evaluation. The evaluation plan should include evaluation of both process and results.