Since its inception in 1979 and legal formation in 2004, the Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA) has served as a model for regional collaboration in pursuit of shared goals. The WRA is governed by a Board that represents the diverse interests of each of the seventeen participating communities. Though the organization has always been innovative and has worked diligently to maximize its value to the participating communities and the region, until recently, the WRA lacked an articulated framework and organizational approach for defining, prioritizing, and pursuing its strategic objectives. To close this gap, the WRA engaged Raftelis to initiate a strategic planning effort. We helped the WRA create an organizational vision and a framework to guide the authority into the future, and to use as a blueprint for continued success in regional collaboration and meeting the objectives of different stakeholder groups.
The WRA’s strategic plan lays out a structure for annual reviews to ensure that goals and objectives retain relevance over time, and for the Board to provide regular input to the organization’s strategic direction. By laying out a course of action, the plan represents a disciplined process to make fundamental decisions that will shape the WRA’s future. The strategic plan also addresses WRA’s current challenges and helps to ensure continued success in managing operations, assets, and other resources through its Vision, Mission, Values, Goals, Objectives, and Strategies. Through a replicable process with both internal and external engagement, the WRA developed a five-year strategic plan that will provide a guide for the organization’s long-term strategic success.
