Public policy planning involves developing public policies and programs, implementing them, and measuring their success or failure. It is a formal process that helps identify needs for new policies and involves public policy analysis and program design. The key aspects of public policy planning include conducting a needs assessment, setting goals and objectives, forecasting the future environment, determining policy alternatives, evaluating alternatives, selecting a course of action, implementing the plan, and reviewing the plan's impact. Some challenges to effective public policy planning are that it is a slow process, projects face poor assessments and analysis, hasty approvals, corruption, political interference, and weak accountability mechanisms.

1. Public Administration
&
Policy Planning
What is Public Policy Planning?
Why to Plan?
Planning Vs Strategic Management
Issues and Challenges in Public Policy Planning

2. Planning
• Planning is a management function
• It consists of;
– Developing public policies and programs,
– Putting them into action, and
– Measuring their success or failure.
• formal planning process helps identify the need
for new policies
• Planning involves either public policy analysis or
program design or both.

3. Planning
• Planning is derived from the French word
‘prevoyance’, which means to look ahead.
• According to Dimock and Dimock
– “Planning is an organized attempt to anticipate and to
make rational arrangements for dealing with future
problems by projecting trends.”
• According to Simon, Smithburg and Victor A.
Thomson:
– “Planning is that activity that concern itself with proposal
for future, evaluation of alternative proposals and with
method by which these proposals may be achieved.”

4. Why Planning?
• Sound Economic
Development
• Equitable Growth
• Effective coordination for
project management
• Mega projects need
sound understanding
which comes from
planning
• Planning sets direction of
the country and the
nation
• We priorities for best use
of limited national
resources
• Regional Integration
• Global Commitments

5. Levels of Planning
Planning with respect to Scope
• Global Development
Agenda
• Regional Planning
• National level
• Provincial level
• Organization level
Department level
• Unit level
• Personal level
Planning with respect to time
• Visionary Planning
– Beyond 10 Years
• Long-Term Planning
– 10 Years Plans
• Medium-Term Planning
– 3-5 Years
• Short-Term Planning
– 1 Year

6. Public Policy Planning, Implementation and Evaluation
Public Policy
Formulation
• Need/Gap
Analysis
• Setting Policy
Framework
• Feasibility
Studies
• Project Design
• Project
Approval
Public Policy
Implementation
• Project
Activation
• Cash & Work
Plans
• Monitoring/Cont
rols
• Progress Reports
and Review
Public Policy
Evaluation
• Project
Closure
• Project Review
and Analysis
• Impact
Analysis
• Accountability

7. 7-Step Planning Process
1. Recognizing the Need for planning (Gap Analysis)
2. Set Mission, Goal, and Objectives
3. Forecast the Future (Environment Assessment)
4. Determine Policy Alternatives
5. Evaluate Alternatives :Select a Course of Action
6. Implementing the Plan
7. Review and Impact Analysis of the Plan
PolicyFormulation

8. 1. Need Assessment/Gap Analysis
• The gap is the difference between what is actual and
what is desired
• The team of planners assess the need for a specific
policy initiative.
• Need assessment is done to avoid ‘reinventing the
wheel’
• It is done through focal group discussions, preliminary
data gathering, and prefeasibility studies.
• In public sector due to political exigencies certain
programs may skip need assessment/gap analysis stage

9. 2. Set Mission, Goal, and Objectives
• A mission statement is used by a public agency to express
its purpose(s) of existence.
• The mission statement is usually one sentence or a short
paragraph, explaining its culture, values, and existence.
• mission statement provides guideline for future decisions
and a standard against which to measure performance.
• Mission Statement of Energy Department…
Provision of sustainable, clean, green, and cheap energy to
consumers.

10. 2. Set Mission, Goal, and Objectives ……conti
• goal statement includes Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Results-based, and Time-bound
action.
• Example;
• The Energy Department’s Goal is to double the energy
generation in 10 years .
• The Objectives are derived from the overall goal
and in our case these may be;
Obj-1: 3000 MW in 3 years
Obj-2: 5500 MW in 5 years
Obj-3 10000 MW in 10 years

11. 3. Forecast the Future (Environment Assessment)
• Planning tools are used to forecast the future
– Trend Analysis
– Statistical Data Projections Tools
– Standard Deviation Model
– Computer Models (Scenarios Development)
• Environment Assessment
– SWOT Analysis
– PESTL
– Competitive Market Assessment

12. 4. Determine Policy Alternatives
• Policy alternatives are the options the public
agency considers relevant to its goal
achievement.
• In this stage the planning team just list down all
possible alternatives which are relevant
• Example:
5 Policy Alternatives for Energy Generation
i)Hydel ii)Coal iii)Nuclear iv)Solid waste v)Solar/Wind

13. 5-a) Evaluate Alternatives
• Criteria are set to assess and evaluate all the selected
alternatives
• Weightages are assigned
• Alternatives are ranked and judged
• The best alternative is selected which gets maximum
score
• Different tools are used to evaluate alternatives;
– Cost-benefit Analysis
– Break-even Analysis
– Profitability Index
– IRR, NPV
– Sustainability analysis

14. Assessment of Alternatives
Criteria Weightage
Hydel
Power
Coal
Power
Plants
Nuclear Solar/Win
d Projects
Solid-
waste to
Energy
Project Cost 100 35 60 55 85 80
Completion
Time
10 5 7 6 8 8
Plant
Efficiency 100
65 40 90 55 80
Plant Life 10 8 3 9 6 7
Env.
Sustainability 50 8 1 8 10 8
270 121 111 168 164 183

15. 5-b. Select a Course of Action
• Solid waste-to-energy project ranks top
• Nuclear power plants second priority
• Solar/Wind Third
• Hydel Fourth
• Coal Fifth ranking
• Decision making in public sector is influenced by politics more than
any thing else
• In this scenario the team of planners may select hydel and
solar/wind projects.
• Even if the energy crisis is serious the govt. may select coal projetcs

16. 6. Implementing the Plan
• It is putting the alternative(s) so selected into
action
• Project/program execution mode
• Project activation, ground breaking
• Hiring of HR, Procurement of services, supply-
chain management
• Activities are designed and operations
management (MS-Project)
• Tools are available for project execution and
monitoring pace of work

17. 6. Implementing the Plan ….conti
• Financial and human resources are allocated and
mobilized
• organizational structures and systems are devised
• internal policies and procedures must be developed.
• Project authorities issue and enforce directives,
disbursing funds
• award contracts
• analyze operational problems and taking corrective
measures
• Negotiating with citizens, business and suppliers

18. 7. Program Evaluation
• Program/project closure
• Completion status and laying off of resources
• Handing/taking of project to concerned
agencies responsible for day-to-day
operations of the facility
• Impact assessment
• Accountability

19. 7. Program Evaluation …conti
• program evaluation checks each policy or program’s;
– Direction through goal achievement- outcomes evaluation
– Performance-focus on the results of program activity
– Effectiveness-process evaluations
– Sustainability
• Policy/program evaluation is done by;
– Legislators
– Cabinet
– Administrative agencies
– Judiciary in certain cases
• Several legislative groups conduct or sponsor evaluation
• Even public opinion, media and pressure groups also influence both
policy implementation and evaluation phases

20. Issues and Challenges in Planning
• A slow moving process
• Poor/non-professional style of projects
assessments, analysis, and impact evaluation
• Hasty approvals and last moment summary
enactments by the legislature
• Corruption and professional dishonesty leads
to project delays and in certain cases failure
during implementation

21. Issues and Challenges in Planning ….conti
• Weak mechanisms of accountability
• Political interference in the public programs
and projects
• Little concern for linking project performance
with employee rewards system
• Unnecessary litigations and courts’
interventions

22. • Q&A