PNP’s strategy map, governance scorecard

How did the Philippine National Police (PNP) become a Performance Governance System (PGS) participant? The following is a report of the PNP and the PGS. The PNP was chosen as one of the first six national government agencies to participate in a program designed to raise the standards of governance practice at the national level.

The PNP responded positively to the directive to participate in a PGS, which builds on its ongoing Integrated Transformation Program and other reform initiatives that its leadership had already initiated.

The PNP was chosen mainly because of its developmental impact to the country and it was deemed ready, based on the programs it has already been pursuing, for productive participation in a good governance program. Its Integrated Transformation Program (ITP), for instance, provides a good basis for a comprehensive governance system demanding a balance in the consideration of all key facets of PNP operations, and one requiring breakthrough results. Moreover, the PNP is one national government agency that has close daily direct contact with ordinary citizens. Any breakthrough results from an improved governance system within the PNP would have immediate positive impact on the welfare of the people in all communities it serves. Those results would be immediately felt and seen, and ultimately deeply appreciated.

Prior to the initiation of the PGS in the Philippine National Police, the PNP Integrated Transformation Program (PNP ITP) was put into place in 2005. The PNP ITP was developed as a 10-year program that would serve as the organization’s roadmap toward long-lasting reforms, to address organizational dysfunctions, improve the quality of police services in the country, strengthen law enforcement capabilities, and enhance the welfare and benefits of PNP personnel and their dependents. With the PNP ITP fully implemented in the next 10 years, the PNP envisions to transform itself into a highly capable, effective and credible police service working in partnership with a responsive community toward the attainment of a safer place to live, work, and do business. This is the essence of the PNP Integrated Transformation Program.

The PNP’s version of the PGS is essentially an updated version of the ITP. The transition from the ITP to the PGS can be best illustrated by a software upgrade, say for example, from Windows XP to Windows 7. While the original platform still works, the new system includes updates that address current needs, make programs run faster and ultimately help improve operating efficiency.

The PNP PGS Roadmap, using the PNP ITP as its core foundation, was formulated, focusing its direction toward the achievement of the PNP’s vision by year 2030. Called the “PNP Integrated Transformation Roadmap 2030,” the PNP PGS takes off from the gains of the PNP ITP and is reflective of this initial effort.

The PNP responded positively to the invitation to participate in a PGS, which builds on its Integrated Transformation Program and its other reform initiatives that its leadership had already launched.

Focus on governance

The PGS focuses on governance, which demands a long-term strategy, aimed at enabling an institution to strengthen itself as it pursues a vision. It is determined to realize and make actual by a deadline sometime in the foreseeable future, in this instance, by 2030. It asks that such a vision should be fully consistent with the mission of the institution—as mandated by law—and with the core values that serve as its institutional bedrock. It therefore requires that a governance charter statement be formulated: this includes an articulation of the institution’s vision (of what it shall become by 2030); a clear mission statement (which sets forth the reason for the institution’s existence and the positive difference it is expected to make); and the core values the institution should hang on to as shaping its guiding philosophy, arising out of the principles and ideals that should imbue all its strategies and operations.

The PGS installs a system that translates an institution’s governance charter statement into a strategy map. The system insists on the discipline of looking at the entire institution through the prism of all key facets of its operations. These facets include learning and growth (or the investments that must be made to upgrade the motivation, values observance, knowledge, and skills of the people in the institution); internal process (which would need significant improvement if the institution were to move forward towards the realization of its vision); resource management (which forces the institution to harness the resources it can mobilize and to use them efficiently and effectively); and finally, the constituencies, the sectors, and the people it serves (whose approval and satisfaction need to be won, and whose support and trust need to be gained). Consideration of all these facets and deep examination of the institution’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats relative to them would point to a set of priorities or objectives the institution needs to pursue, if it were to place itself on a clear pathway towards actualizing its vision. Not a single facet is disregarded, and a proper balance is struck between people, processes, resources, and service to constituencies. Moreover, it soon becomes clear that the genuinely strategic priorities under each of the facets are closely interconnected with each other. Their close relationship with each other can be traced, and once such inter-connections are clearly drawn, a strategy map emerges. The pursuit of one or two of them, because of the inter-connections between strategic objectives, would facilitate success in pursuing the others as well. The strategy map is systemic: it covers and affects all aspects of the institution’s operations.

The PGS then insists that the strategy map should be used as a discipline for directing and coordinating various initiatives. After all, initiatives need to be specified as answers to the question, what should be done to effectively pursue a given strategic priority? This question leads to another question, what measure should be used in order to indicate that progress is being made towards achieving a strategic priority? The answer to this question leads to a third and final question, what targets should be set in the intervening years (between today and the end of the vision period)? Meeting targets produces results, and they have to be produced every year, indeed every quarter of each year to ensure that in the end the initiatives specified bring about positive, productive, substantive results, which gradually give substance and actualization to the vision originally articulated in the governance charter. It is in this light that the governance scorecard—which specifies initiatives for each strategic priority, along with clear measures and targets for different intervening periods leading up to the end of the vision period, e.g. 2030—becomes an essential tool to help ensure that PNP delivers breakthrough results.

The PNP has already been granted “initiated status” in the PGS. It has a governance charter statement.

PNP has enhanced their ITP roadmap to formulating a strategy map. It has also come up with a governance score-card, the components of which—i.e.initiatives, measures, and targets—is posted on its website for the information of the general public in the Philippines and across the globe. This pamphlet lays out the PNP governance charter statement, its strategy map, and the components of its governance scorecard.

PNP Governance Charter Statement

The Philippine National Police has crafted a program for higher standards of public governance by participating in the Performance Governance System, the local adaptation of the balanced scorecard for national government agencies, local government units, and private sector corporations.

The PGS requires each participating national government agency, local governmnets, or private sector corporation to craft its own governance charter statement. This includes three elements: a vision; a mission, and a set of core values. The PNP has put forward all these elements of its governance charter statement in one page.

First, the PNP vision statement is as follows: “Imploring the aid of the Almighty, by 2030, we shall be a highly capable, effective and credible police service, working in partnership with a responsive community towards the attainment of a safer place to live, work, and do business”. This is the dream our PNP is committed to realize by 2030. This is how it sees itself becoming twenty years from now, and ideally perhaps even before then.

It is a bold, audacious goal, which our PNP commits to achieve within a given, specific time frame. In setting a goal of becoming a “highly capable, effective and credible police service,” our PNP also identifies the main pathway it shall travel on in order to achieve it. Indeed, it proposes to be “working in partnership with a responsive community”, both at the national and local levels. Only with such a partnership, which needs to be operational and fully functioning, would it be able to help in the “attainment of a safer place to live, work, and do business” in. The PNP sees itself as in need of reaching out to the local and national community so a working partnership can be forged in securing a “safer” environment. Absent such a partnership, the PNP cannot go very far towards realizing its vision.

PNP vision is fully aligned with its mission, which has been shaped by 3 successive “Republic Acts” or laws concerning the PNP. These laws are: Republic Act (RA) 6975, as amended by RA 8551, and as further amended by RA 9708. They give a clear mandate to the PNP to “enforce the law, prevent and control crimes, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety internal security with the active support of the community.” Again, the support of the community is essential for the PNP to carry out its mandate and continuously pursue its mission.

The PNP mission, lofty and noble but demanding and difficult, can be pursued only by an organization firmly grounded on core values and a clear philosophy. That philosophy is framed by “service, honor and justice”; and the PNP core values are: “makaDiyos, makabayan, makatao, and makakalikasan”. This philosophy and core values provide a solid anchor for the PNP as it develops and strengthens itself as an organization, and which can keep it safely and soundly grounded as it goes through the vicissitudes of pursuing its mission in trying to realize its vision by 2030.

The PNP Strategy Map

The PNP has decided to put at the very top of its strategy map a one-line summary of its vision. It reads: “highly capable, effective and credible police service by 2030”.

Also up there at the top of its strategy map are the principal outcomes the PNP intends to bring about by realizing its vision by 2030. These are: “effectively enforce laws” and “a safer place to live, work and do business.”

Here, PNP does not only refer to spaces where people live and work, PNP also wishes to underscore the business and economic dimensions. It wants our country to be a safe place where we and everyone else who wishes to invest in our country, carry out economic activities and do business in.

The PNP has chosen to highlight four facets it has considered, as it works towards bringing about those two principal outcomes in the process of realizing its vision by 2030. Within each of these four facets are the strategic priorities the PNP seeks to give a lot of importance to, as it goes about the strategic tasks related to it “becoming a highly capable, effective and credible police service.”

Stakeholder’s support

The first facet, not surprisingly in view of the mission and vision the PNP has already formulated, is “stakeholders’ support.” Here, three separate but closely inter-related strategic priorities are identified.

These are: “public information and dialogue;” partnership and cooperation;” and finally, “attain positive performance to gain public trust and confidence.” In other words, it is necessary to inform the general public and engage it in substantive, constructive and positive dialogue. It is also essential to forge partnership and other cooperative agreements with the communities the PNP serves. But at the end of the day, it is “positive performance” in effectively enforcing the laws and in providing communities with the appropriate safety everyone needs for peace in one’s home and in the work place, and for prosperity through doing business: it is this that “gains the trust and confidence” of the general public in their police force.

Resource management

The second f’acet is “resource management.” For the PNP to eventually realize its vision, the resources provided to it in pursuit of its mission should be “adequate,” and this can happen only if virtually all communities in the country can be secured and rendered safe for doing business in.

Moreover, those resources provided to PNP should be used “optimally.” To help achieve optimal utilization of resources, the PNP must observe high standards of “transparency and accountability” in all its “financial and logistical transactions.” The close connection between the three strategic priorities under this second facet is clear and straightforward; and these three, as articulated by the PNP in its strategy map, are: “attain financial and logistical adequacy consistent with law;” optimize utilization of financial and logistical resources;” and “attain transparency and accountability in all financial and logistical transactions.”

This is as it should be: in a strategy map, the strategic priorities included within one facet, and indeed with those in other facets as well, should be closely inter-related: they should be mutually supportive of each other.

Here, in the second facet (and in the first facet as well) the PNP has considered in formulating its strategy map, it has more than adequately adhered to the standard of consistency and inter-dependence between strategic priorities.

Learning and growth

The third facet the PNP has considered comes under the label, “learning and growth.” This is crucial for the PNP because it can not keep doing the same things as in the past if it is to realize its vision by 2030.

It has to look forward, towards a future, in which it does things much better through better people and processes than in the past. Thus, it has to invest in people and processes so it can win “stakeholders’ support” (the first facet) and undertake proper, efficient, and effective “management of its resources” (the second facet).

Recognizing how crucial “learning and growth” is to the police organization, the PNP has decided to put as many as five strategic priorities—again, closely related with each other and thus tightly inter-connected—under this third facet. The set (of strategic priorities) starts with recruitment: “the most qualified applicants have to be attracted” to the PNP. Then, they have to be “trained, developed, and motivated,” serving within a “competent police service.” The PNP, for its part, needs to “uphold and promote the principles of meritocracy and fitness.” And all throughout the police organization, from top to bottom, there is the imperative of “living the PNP core values.” The set (of strategic priorities) finishes with a reference to the basic need of “institutionalizing [an] adequate package of benefits and remuneration” for the entire police force.

Without any doubt, all these strategic priorities within the third facet of “learning and growth” would depend upon the adequacy of resources provided the PNP and upon the commitment of the PNP to its philosopy framed by service, honor and justice as well as to the four core values it has chiselled into its governance charter. Resources AND commitment need to go together; it is noteworthy that the PNP has specifically listed “living the PNP core values” as among the strategic priorities under “learning and growth.”

“Learning and growth” focused upon people but it must complemented by strategies under the fourth facet, “process excellence.” This refers to the different processes and practices the PNP uses in carrying out its mission.

The four processes of “intelligence,” “investigation,” “operations,” and “community relations” are given their due, top billing. In addition, two concrete strategic priorities are highlighted. These are: “adopt best practices in community and rights-based policing supported by appropriate information and communications technology” and “achieve excellence in performing the integrated ‘quad +’ operations.”

There is due stress to the importance of reaching out to the communities the PNP serves and of obtaining their support, cooperation, and eventually also their higher level of trust and confidence in their police force. The second underscores excellence and integration (close coordination for maximum effectiveness and efficiency) in the conduct of police operations.

There is absolutely no doubt how important these strategic priorities under “process excellence” are.

Progress in pursuing them effectively would strengthen and widen the base of stakeholders’ support (the first facet), and would facilitate the provision of more resources for the PNP (the second facet).

Moreover, such progress would also be facilitated by breakthrough results being achieved under the learning and growth facet (the third). Thus, in the PNP strategy map we see several strategic priorities within each facet being very closely tied up and linked with each other. Moreover, several of those strategic priorities within one facet are also closely connected with those in another facet. Finally, we also see that the different facets themselves show close and deep interdependence with each other.

The PNP’s ITP served as a strong backbone for the creation of a very coherent strategy map. This further enabled the creation of the PNP governance scorecard.

The PNP is absolutely right in giving due importance to the perspective of winning stakeholders’ support.

Moreover, its strategy map makes clear that this is to be done mainly through improving further the positive performance of the PNP, and then undertaking a sustained public information program, with a view towards strengthening the partnership and cooperation it should be forging with the communities it serves.

19 reform initiatives

In order to attain positive performance, the PNP has already identified 19 reform initiatives under its Integrated Transformation Program (ITP). It now commits to pursue these reform initiatives, and the targets it sets are clear: four of the 19 shall be completed in 2010; another 10 in 2020; and the remaining five by 2030.

It is expected that the positive results from the completion of the reform initiatives under the ITP shall provide the substance of PNP’s public information and dialogue program. In order to complete them, the PNP would need the support, cooperation, and understanding of various sectors of the community. The PNP, therefore, has resolved to conduct a nation-wide pro-active advocacy campaign, pitched to both internal and external stakeholders. In 2010, 100 percent of the internal stakeholders should be reached by such a campaign; only 3 percent of external stakeholders are targeted for the campaign’s outreach in 2010. This figure will then move up to 20 percent in 2020, and 80 percent in 2030.

The PNP has a number of concrete initiatives directed towards local government units (LGUs) and zones.

These require active partnership with LGUs and specific tourist zones. For instance, its “Safer Community Project” aims to include from 40 percent to 50 percent of cities, provinces, and towns in 2010. This target rises to 70 percent in 2020, and finally to 90 percent in 2030.

Another initiative is for the PNP and the local government concerned to have an AntiCriminality Action Plan. In 2010, 50 percent of all police stations shall already have such a plan, which would require coordination with the officials of the local community which the police station serves. By 2020, 90 percent of all police stations are expected to have such a plan; and by 2030, all police stations shall be accounted for. –Manila Times

To be continued