BY LARRY STAPLES, P.ENG.
APEGGA President-Elect

Council established a Strategic Plan task force at the June meeting. The mandate is twofold: pull together existing elements and some new thinking into a cohesive plan; and propose an annual planning process to update the strategic plan.

The Task Force met four times during the summer. Approximately two dozen reports and presentations have been reviewed as background. These are mostly APEGGA documents, but also include papers from the Alberta Government, the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Environmental factors and issues which the professions will likely face during the next decade have been identified. A first cut has been made at a “strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats” analysis. Preliminary “outcomes” statements have been formulated, i.e. statements that describe a successful APEGGA in 2015.

These ideas and statements are being progressively compiled into a working draft of the strategic plan.

The task force expects to meet several times before year-end, to flesh out the plan to a consultation draft. Initial dialogue will take place during the fall with focus groups of APEGGA volunteers who are already familiar with APEGGA mission and operations.

Broader input will be sought in early 2005 through posting on the APEGGA website, PEGG articles and the President’s Visits to the branches.

Fine tuning of the 2005 Strategic Plan will be done at the Council planning retreat in May 2005, so it can be put forward for approval at the June Council meeting.

Task force members include Councillors Barbara Howes, P.Eng., Chrys. Dmytruk, P.Eng., Dave Chalcroft, P.Eng., Ian McIlreath, P.Geol.; President Linda Van Gastel, P.Eng.,and Past-President Mike Smyth, P.Eng.; as well as Public Member Larry Ohlhauser, MD, and Executive Director Neil Windsor, P.Eng. The chair is me, Larry Staples, P.Eng., your President-Elect.

APEGGA members are always welcome to provide ideas and references to “best practices” in strategic plans of other organizations – these should be submitted to APEGGA in care of the writer.