Report on business plan’s tasks and milestones - May 27, 2005

From: Gene M. Seibert, National Commodore
To: All hands
 

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The Coast Guard Auxiliary Strategic Business Plan provided a list of the key tasks (and associated schedule) necessary for the successful implementation of the plan.

As with any useful plan, the Auxiliary’s Business Plan cannot become “shelf-ware.” It has to be dynamic and continually changing, so as to meet the current and ever evolving challenges facing the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s transformation.

Many of the tasks and milestones listed in the Business Plan (listed below), in themselves have evolved from the time they were first listed in the plan. They are persistently being worked so as not to become stagnate but rather to adapt to the change around us.

Therefore, as you review or compare these tasks and milestones, please be aware that some have been deleted, changed, expanded, etc. in our attempt to remain dynamic and to address the evolving challenges facing the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

In essence, our Business Plan with its tasks and milestones is our initial attempt to become more effective and to address barriers. It is designed as a method to help the Coast Guard Auxiliary alter strategies, reengineer processes and improve quality. We still have a ways to go but it is meant to create better performance through customer- and productivity-oriented behavior, more and better leadership and more effective management. Likewise, it is an approach to articulate the connection between new behaviors and organizational success, as well as to ensure leadership development and succession.

We will keep you updated on our process as it pertains to the successful implementation of our Business Plan and its benchmarked tasks and milestones with reports such as this.

Business Plan Key Tasks

Review the Business Plan with competent Coast Guard Authority, NEXCOM, and the DCOs. Based upon feedback, the Business Plan will be revised as necessary and posted on the Auxiliary website to ensure prompt dissemination to the membership. These activities are to be completed by 15 December 2004. The Business Plan should be presented in the 2005 N-TRAIN session. The Business Plan should also be explained at the first meeting of each District (and thereafter, as appropriate). To ensure that members have a common understanding of this plan, a standardized Power Point presentation should be developed for presentation at District meetings. The presentation should be completed on or before 31 December 2004 and distributed to all DCOs.

RESULTS: COMPLETED. Business Plan was presented at N-Train; All DCOs have initially met with their respective District Commanders to insure that both the needs of the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary were being met within their specific District Business Plans. All district have either completed or in the process of completing a business plan in conjunction with the District Commander. While the quality and comprehensiveness of each district plan varies, it is the first time the districts have put forth a unified effort as a mainstay of the Auxiliary’s new direction.

Make appropriate “stroke of the pen” changes to AUXMAN and draft additional guidance documents regarding organizational changes at National, District, Division, and Flotilla levels. These activities are to be completed by 31 December 2004.

RESULTS: ONGOING. “Stroke of the Pen Changes” is no longer authorized by CGHQ. However, Change 1 to the AuxMan is scheduled to be coming out shortly (by 1 July) on CD. We have reviewed and analyzed the feasibility/necessity of restructuring any/all layers within the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The initial analysis suggests that further analysis is required. NACO is in the process of establishing a Quality Action Team which will include at a minimum, one DCO from each Auxiliary Areas to review the feasibility study and to make recommendations to the National Board by year end.

Revise the organization charts for National Staff for inclusion in the 2005 Edition to the National Program. These changes include those specified in the Business Plan together with those devised by Department Chiefs in support of the Business Plan. These activities are to be completed by 15 January 2005.

RESULTS: COMPLETED

Appoint a task force to develop a new management objectives (commitment accountability) system. This task force should complete its activities no later than 1 February 2005. The system should be in place for the year 2005. It is essential to convince the membership of the need for this system and to ensure that the members fully support the system. Therefore, a communications plan will be an essential component of the “roll out” strategy.

RESULTS: COMPLETED. A Task Force chaired by Tom Venezio, VCO-1SR, has completed the feasibility of buy-in by the entire organization as to need and acceptability of an accountability/measurement system for the Auxiliary. Next steps are to have a Quality Action Team develop applicable design and implementation of this system. Completion date: 1 Sept 2005.

Continue to monitor and assist execution of RBS tactical programs; we will update our strategies and course materials for youth courses and develop RBS performance goals for 2006 and beyond.

We will continue to explore and initiate new RBS partnership agreements; seek new grants for the initiation and maintenance of RBS programs; and develop RBS budget model and funding for continued support for the RBS programs.

We will develop and communicate new strategy on State and Power Squadron involvement in the VSC program; execute an Army Corp of Engineers MOU to provide public education, multi-mission patrols and America’s Waterway Watch services in their areas of responsibility and finally determine the feasibility of creating a Recreational Boating Specialist designations

RESULTS: An RBS specialist program and two proposed RBS device designs were submitted to PNACO for comment and coordination with other recognition programs under development, at the end of April. Next step is to review at summer NEXCOM.

The Operations and Marine Safety Directorate is charged with the task of planning appropriate revisions to various operations programs, including whether or not (and how) to develop an “Operations Specialist.” At a minimum this plan should include (as an Appendix) a Power Point or other suitable presentation on the expanded MHLS functions of the Auxiliary and the role of the membership in these programs. This presentation should be sufficiently generic to be used by Coast Guard officers in briefing the membership on appropriate occasions. The plan should address MDA and be prepared in consultation with the National MDA Director. This plan should be developed no later than 15 March 2005.

RESULTS: At the present time, we conclude that the qualification programs offered by both the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary Department of Operations are sufficiently robust to meet the operational support needs of the Coast Guard. The needs of the Coast Guard should be continuously evaluated to identify new opportunities as well as the knowledge and skills that each opportunity requires. Although we see no role for an "Operations Specialist" designation at this time, the Auxiliary must be prepared to respond if and when additional qualification programs are determined to be necessary to meet the CG operational needs.

The Member Services Directorate is charged with the task of planning appropriate revisions to its programs and Departments as are required to support the Business Plan. The plan should address MDA and be prepared in consultation with the National MDA Director. This plan should be developed no later than 15 March 2005.

RESULTS: COMPLETED/ONGOING. Phase one has been completed with the policy that, given the priority of existing and emerging mission sets, the MS Directorate will provide priority support to the MDA director as needed. The existing department’s structures and operating procedures makes it unnecessary to make changes at this time. Department Chiefs, in consultation with the MDA director, will make modifications as necessary in anticipation of, or because of, evolving developments.

All Department Chiefs should review their individual department organization and programs to ensure that these are in alignment with this Business Plan and make any necessary revisions. Any Department-related changes should be timed to coincide with the Directorate plans.

RESULTS: COMPLETED. Where applicable, changes within the departments have been made and continuous review/changes are ongoing so as effectively manage and align our resources to our needs.

Assign the NADCOs the responsibility of drafting new job descriptions at all staff levels. These job descriptions should reflect the Business Plan and other relevant documents prepared pursuant to this plan. The new job descriptions should be completed no later than 15 May 2005.

RESULTS: COMPLETED.

Finally, as noted at several places above, it is essential that the Business Plan, various supporting Directorate plans, and new security-related programs and activities be fully explained to the membership. Because these programs/activities/initiatives will impact all the Auxiliary Directorates, the responsibility for development of a communications strategy is the ultimate responsibility of the National Commodore. The NACO (and designees) will orchestrate a communications initiative, including articles in the Navigator, publications of various Departments, speeches/presentations of senior elected officers and staff, web postings, and other media. This is an ongoing activity with no specific completion date.

RESULTS: ONGOING, STATUS TO DATE. A NACO web-sire has been developed to gather NACO’s policy statements, reports and publications in one place. An e-publication, “On Course” has been developed as a communication vehicle from NACO to all members addressing certain items of interested expressed by the membership. Furthermore, two groups (Long Range Planning Committee and Communications Study Team) have both considered Auxiliary internal and external communication policies. The LRPC has submitted their report to NADCO-MS for consideration. Likewise, the Communication Study Team analysis is underway and will be presented to the NEXCOM in June for consideration.

SOME MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITHIN FIRST 100 DAYS

IMPLEMENTATION OF TACTICAL PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES: At our National Training conference in January, the national staff laid out tactical programs in support of our strategic direction. Predicated on these high level programs, the districts are now in the process of developing their local programs, adding individual specificity to meet both Auxiliary and Coast Guard requirements to their strategic plans. These plans are now progressing down to the unit level.

DEVELOPED AND EXECUTED A BUSINESS PLAN FOR THE COAST GUARD AUXILIARY ASSOCIATION, INC.: As the fiduciary arm of the Auxiliary, the Coast Guard Auxiliary Association’s business plan has been executed, which visualizes developing diverse income-producing sources and enhanced fundraising initiatives to make the Association a self-sustaining organization in support of our fiscal commitment to the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary through innovative financial resources.

AUXILIARY OPERATIONS POLICY MANUAL: In the first hundred days, we completed a 22-month review and rewrite of the Auxiliary Operations Policy Manual outlining new policies and procedures necessary for the effective operation of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. This manual is currently being distributed to our members.

STANDARDIZATION TEAMS FOR AVIATION, SURFACE OPERATIONS AND MARINE SAFETY: We have implemented Standardization Teams for Aviation, Surface Operations and are in the process of standing up Marine Safety. The Aviation STAN Team was established to develop needed policy and procedural guidance to support the infrastructure of the AUXAIR program. Likewise, the Surface STAN Team will provide a mechanism for periodic review of surface operations policy, procedures, mishap reports and issues facing the surface force; and with the Marine Safety Team, we initially envision this team to provide the mechanism for standardizing policy and procedures that apply to Auxiliary programs from location to location as they pertain to commercial fishing vessel examinations, harbor patrol and other marine safety programs.

AUTOMATED IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (AIS) PROOF OF CONCEPT: The AIS proof of concept was a successful test which determined that Auxiliary aircraft could be used as receiving platforms in blacked out areas. The Auxiliary stands prepared and ready to provide Auxiliary Air assets to assist in executing this Coast Guard/MDA mission.

MARITIME DOMAIN AWARENESS – WHITE PAPER: We developed and published a MDA White Paper which described the Coast Guard’s strategic MDA Program; what it is; and how it specifically relates to the Auxiliary and each member. Furthermore, it captures the current status of the seven Operation Patriot Readiness Phase III missions. This White Paper has been disseminated to our membership.

RECREATIONAL BOATING SAFETY VISITOR PROGRAM: In RBS, the Auxiliary signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Coast Guard establishing the Auxiliary as the Executive Agent for this newly re-engineered program. Also, this MOU authorizes the involvement of other boating safety groups in an effort to provide recreational boaters with important safety and homeland security information. The Auxiliary also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Power Squadrons for the RBS Visitor Program.

UPDATED AUXILIARY’S LEADERSHIP CONTINUUM AND FRAMEWORK: The Auxiliary Leadership Continuum is a sequence of leadership and management courses that are targeted at the leadership transition points within our organization. The Auxiliary’s Leadership Framework correlates the competencies that need to be introduced at each level of responsibility, as well as those that we need to continually reinforce. The framework provides structure to the continuum, so that changes and updates to the curriculum content will not lose the focus of the competencies.

AUXILIARY SENIOR OFFICER COURSE CURRICULUM UPGRADED:
The changes made to the 2005 Auxiliary Senior Officer Course were instituted as a result of the needs of the Auxiliary at this time. The largest difference is found in the course organization, which is now based on the Leadership Competencies; the addition of a definitive District Commodore job description, a leadership assessment tool; and the replacement of the Negotiation module with Conflict Management and Resolution module.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT SURVEY: We have begun implementing the Coast Guard’s 360-degree survey, adjusted to meet Auxiliary standards, for those leaders who are preparing for accession to the District Commodore level.

COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL EXAMINATIONS ANALYSIS: The Auxiliary was asked to explore the feasibility of becoming the program manager for this critical program. An Auxiliary white paper concluded that the Auxiliary is not in position to do so at this time because the Auxiliary faces several challenges that include: the lack of consistent policies and procedures that are applied to the Auxiliary program from location to location; continued difficulties in obtaining reimbursement for out of pocket expenses incurred by Auxiliary examiners in the performance of their duties; and the aging out of the examiner pool. However, we are addressing these unique challenges and continue to carefully grow and expand the Auxiliary’s presence and responsibility for the program. Our recommended course of action is to shoulder more of this programs responsibility while growing our pool of qualified examiners.

SECTOR ALIGNMENT MODELING: The Auxiliary has completed an organizational study to improve alignment with Coast Guard Sectors. Organizational changes are being implemented and should increase efficiency and support. Specific criteria, along with geographical alignment plans and various sector alignment models have been developed by the Auxiliary for utilization by its districts/regions so as to meet their specific needs. In several areas, the alignment is complete and integrated with the Coast Guard. The Auxiliary will continue to step out and take the initiative in planning where they feel there is the need. Furthermore, the Auxiliary has developed an Auxiliary Coordinator to the Sector Commanders. The Auxiliary Coordinator will become a member of the Sector Commander’s staff when a sector is formally stood up. This position offers the opportunity to resolve and address one of the concerns often voiced by the active duty contingent, that of the need to “Manage and Coordinate” the Auxiliary support initiative on a broader and more uniform basis.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? THE NEXT 100 DAY’S TASKS AND MILESTONES

During the next hundred days, we will move forward with our tactical actions in support of our strategic imperatives. We will continue to provide sound risk management, purposeful planning, diligent stewardship and operational excellence. We will collaboratively continue to work with you and our other professional stakeholders toward a common goal of improving safety, enhancing efficiency and increasing security.

NEXCOM TASKS AND MILESTONES

ARCOs will develop an understanding of each of their district’s business plan and work with the District Commodores to determine their three most critical challenges to the strategic imperatives for their district, the actions undertaken to address those concerns and determine what the National staff can do to assist the process.

MEMBER SERVICES TASKS AND MILESTONES

1. Member Services will continue to monitor and assist in the execution of tactical programs at the district and unit level.
2. We will further research and develop our e-Learning capabilities
3. We will establish a communication strategy that addresses both our internal and external customers.
4. We will nationally, roll out the following new programs:
   The Ombudsman Family Programs; a National Auxiliary Chefs Program; and a Videography Corps, modeled after the successful Photographic Corps, will be stood up as a resource for local Auxiliary and Coast Guard units, helping capture important events and archived file footage for use by local media.
5. The Personnel Department will develop a “RED Team” (Recruit, Educate, Develop) concept for districts to assist meeting recruiting and membership goals as a part of a recruiting drive. Along with this, we will formalize and execute a targeted recruitment strategy.
6. We will continue to support of the Academy Introduction Mission and AIM weeks.

OPERATIONS AND MARINE SAFETY TASKS AND MILESTONES

1. We will, as in all program areas, continue to monitor and assist execution of tactical programs at the district and unit level.
2. We will establish MTSA support guidelines
3. We will employ within our districts and regions, both Operation Patriot Readiness Phase III and MARSEC preparedness planning and exercises.
4. We will continue our District Mapping of Auxiliary Assets by type and location.
5. We will further our strategic alignment of our Operations and Marine Safety departments.
6. We will review and rewrite MARSEC 2 and 3 support guidelines, publish sector guidelines, and implement our Waterway Management Security pilot program.
7. We will survey and analyze all present Land Patrol Activities and integrate MDA activities into a proposed Land Patrol Guide Lines.
8. We have completed the new Operations Policy Manual and are working on field training material to review major items and changes.
9. We are preparing an Evaluation Syllabi for all levels of Pilot Check ride.
10. We are completing the Air Crew Training Manual to enhance the competency of Air Crews and safety of Air Operations.
    

RECREATIONAL BOATING SAFETY TASKS AND MILESTONES

1. Continue to monitor and assist execution of RBS tactical programs.
2. We will update our strategies and course materials for youth courses.
3. We will develop RBS performance goals for 2006 and beyond.
4. We will continue to explore and initiate new RBS partnership agreements; seek new grants for the initiation and maintenance of RBS programs; and develop RBS budget model and funding for continued support for the RBS programs.
5. We will develop and communicate new strategy on State and Power Squadron involvement in the VSC program; execute an Army Corp of Engineers MOU to provide public education, multi-mission patrols and America’s Waterway Watch services in their areas of responsibility and finally determine the feasibility of creating a Recreational Boating Specialist designations.

Gene M. Seibert
National Commodore

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