On Tuesday, April 17th, the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS) held a press conference in the ministry premises, in which Mr. Hamad Rashid Al Athba, Assistant Undersecretary for Planning Affairs, has launched the second updated edition of the Outcome-Based Strategic Planning Manual.
Mr. Al Athba stated that this manual will be an important tool in building planning capacities for those in charge of strategic planning affairs in ministries and government agencies, especially planning and quality departments, helping them perform their tasks in the preparation of strategic and executive plans for their ministries and agencies in accordance with the planning system followed by the State of Qatar, which is the "Outcome-Based Strategic Planning System". The Manual will also contribute to deepening and consolidating the "culture of planning, work and accomplishment", which was called for by His Highness the Emir in his speech at the opening of the 45th Session of the Advisory Council on 1 November 2016.
It is worth mentioning that the first edition of the Outcome-Based Strategic Planning Manual was issued almost seven years ago in July 2011. It was overseen at that time by the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers and with the participation of the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (known at that time as the General Secretariat for Development Planning) and others. It was adopted as a curriculum at the Institute of Public Administration and in specialized workshops in the field of Outcome-Based Strategic Planning supervised by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, in collaboration with specialized institutions selected due to their outstanding expertise in the field of capacity building in strategic planning.
Since then, there have been many organizational, legislative and economic developments that have made it necessary to review and update this manual to keep abreast of such developments and to take advantage of the lessons of successes and constraints that accompanied the preparation and implementation of the First National Development Strategy 2011-2016, and to be aligned with the facts and requirements of the Second National Development Strategy 2018-2022, which has been prepared on the basis of the Outcome-Based Strategic Planning methodology and was launched last month by His Excellency the Prime Minister.
The Task Team that prepared the new manual was comprised of experts from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics.
The new manual is characterized by the following:
- Adoption of the practical approach of planning in addition to the theoretical aspect.
- Maximum simplification for maximum benefit.
- Small size of the new manual compared to the old one.
- Being closely linked to the National Development Strategy 2018-2022 and real examples of the sectoral strategies set forth in the strategy.
- Clear practical steps supported by simplified outlines and graphs that help planners in the ministry/government agency build and prepare strategic plans and outputs plans/executive plans.
