 |
3. STRATEGIC PLANNING
The Office of Strategic Planning supports the Postmaster General, the Executive Committee, and the Board of Governors in the strategic planning process. The Office also provides support to Headquarters departments in the development of functional plans.
a. Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 requires agencies to develop and submit the following documents to Congress:
(1) The Postal Service Five-Year Strategic Plan, FY 2001–2005, was
developed and submitted to Congress in September 2000. The next
update, as required by GPRA, will be published in September 2003,
and will cover the period 2004–2008.
(2) The Postal Service FY 2003 Annual Performance Plan was submitted
to Congress on September 30, 2002.
(3) The Postal Service 2002 Comprehensive Statement on Postal
Operations includes the preliminary performance objectives,
indicators, measures, and improvement targets for 2004.
(4) The final FY 2004 Performance Plan will be published in September
2003 as part of the Five-Year Strategic Plan.
(5) The Postal Service FY 2002 Performance Report, which tracks actual
accomplishment of the targets, is included in the Postal Service 2002
Comprehensive Statement on Postal Operations.
b. Postal Service Transformation Plan
The Postal Service Five-Year Strategic Plan, FY 2001–2005, identified trends in the postal business environment that would make it increasingly difficult for the Postal Service to continue to achieve its mission of providing universal service at affordable rates. The General Accounting Office (GAO) identified the 32-year old structural and regulatory framework of the Postal Service, created by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, as too inflexible for the expected future postal environment and placed the Postal Service on the GAO High Risk list in the spring of 2001. Congress asked the Postal Service to address the issue of transformation, reach out to all stakeholders, and then outline alternatives for structural change. To prepare the Postal Service Transformation Plan and facilitate transformation efforts, the Postmaster General created a specialized team within the Office of Strategic Planning.
The Postal Service published the Outline for Discussion: Concepts for Postal Transformation on September 30, 2001, as part of its effort to obtain feedback about the future of the Postal Service from the public, mailers, the mailing industry, Postal Service employees, and other stakeholders. In April 2002, the Postal Service submitted its Transformation Plan to Congress. The document outlined three alternatives to the current model. Each would require structural legislative reform:
(1) Government Agency. An entity focused on providing essential services
not adequately provided in the market and supported by government
subsidies.
(2) Privatized Corporation. A business entity with private shareholders.
(3) Commercial Government Enterprise. A government-owned enterprise
that would operate more commercially in the market to provide postal
and related services.
The Postal Service recommended the third model, Commercial Government Enterprise, as the option that will best allow integration of the postal system into the future economy while preserving the ability of the Postal Service to fulfill its mission of universal service.
The Postal Service Transformation Plan also included specific strategies to transform the Postal Service in the absence of legislative and regulatory change. Four overarching strategies focused on: growing volume through enhancing the value of customers’ products and services; reducing costs through improved operational efficiencies; emphasizing a performance-based culture among the 750,000 employees; and enabling change through improved financial, technological, security, and privacy support systems. Numerous substrategies to implement the overarching strategies were outlined in four appendices of the Postal Service Transformation Plan. The Office of Strategic Planning is monitoring the progress of this implementation through detailed project plans approved by the Postal Service Executive Committee.
c. Strategic Analysis and Support
The Office of Strategic Planning provided specific support for the development of functional plans, such as the Strategic Technology Plan and the Supply Chain Management Plan. The Office supported the Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) with the development of strategic case studies and the Strategic Direction Seminar, designed for ALP graduates — the next generation of Postal Service leaders who currently support senior management. The Office conducted special studies, in consultation with other functions, on such subjects as electronic diversion, future business environments and strategic policy issues. The Office also assisted in the strategic outreach program with key stakeholders by supporting efforts such as the Mailing Industry Task Force.
|
|
A. Fundamental Service to the People
B. Service to Small or Rural
Communities
C. Employee Compensation and
Career Advancement
D. Postal Cost Apportionment and Postal
Ratemaking Developments
E. Transportation Policies
F. Postal Service Facilities, Equipment,
and Employee Working Conditions
|
