DPA's Strategic Plan

I am pleased to be able to share with you some updates on the division's Strategic Plan, and to commend the organization for your accomplishments so far. DPA's Leadership Team has been reflecting on all of the accomplishments and new initiatives of the past year, while also looking ahead and refining our plans. The Strategic Plan that was rolled out last year emphasized a strong focus on outcomes, performance measurement, continuous improvement, and building new teams and teamwork on the heels of reorganization. DPA is delivering on all accounts!

We now have new or stronger processes for achieving positive outcomes, such as the case review process and the QARC committees that have helped to raise accuracy rates. DPA has also done some great work to engage many of you in continuous improvement through the Local Quality Councils. There are eleven Councils up and running now, and two more getting started. The Management Quality Council has also been established and held our first meeting this week, approving three recommendations that came forward from Local Councils. We have completed two "After Action Review" sessions on the Site Assessment and Local Council processes. These meetings generated some new ideas to enhance the processes that will soon be shared by Claudia Moffet-Cook.

These are impressive accomplishments in one short year and a testament to your ability to implement whatever plan you put forward!

Speaking of plans ... the Leadership Team has been working to enhance the Strategic Plan to address more dimensions of our work, and to define how we accomplish our mission. Outcomes remain our top priority and indicator of success. However we also have important initiatives and priorities regarding our internal processes, our people, and our partnerships with other organizations. With this balanced approach in mind, we have developed an updated Strategic Plan which is enclosed. The plan continues to be based on our core mission, We promote self sufficiency and provide basic benefits to Alaskans in need.

The four goals that frame the new Strategic Plan are:

  • Self-sufficient individuals and families
  • Effective and efficient service delivery
  • Quality workforce
  • Stewardship and accountability

To define our work around each goal, the Leadership Team has defined a set of strategies for each. We also have developed a set of cross-departmental objectives for FY05 and are beginning to review our progress on these objectives monthly. This one year plan, which we're calling our 'Performance Contract' is a model that we intend to share and cascade throughout the organization over the next few months. We will be getting out to our many offices to share more about the process and our results.

At this time, I hope you take a look at the Strategic Plan, consider how you each contribute to these goals. I invite you to respond to me, anyone on the DPA Management Team, or through your Local Quality Council members with questions or feedback. In the end, our objective is that every member of DPA can see clearly how their work every day contributes to our mission.

DPA Strategic Plan Summary Sheet

Thank you, and have a great weekend!

Kitty