Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook - Flipbook - Page 20
Goals play a central role in several CEDS elements. Specifically, the strategic direction element calls for a vision statement with
goals and objectives, and goals are also an essential part of the economic resilience element in planning for and implementing
resilience, pre-disaster recovery planning, and measuring resilience.
In this context and in planning for economic resiliency, goals are important to a community because they create a baseline
for measurement, allow the community to progress toward recovery, and help define what resiliency looks like. Goals provide
guidance and direction not only during an economic disaster, but also during economically prosperous times by using
engagement and outreach to determine the community’s needs and aspirations. In addition, when preparing for a natural
disaster or economic disruption, goal setting can be a key element of the process. This chapter provides the tools and resources
necessary to clearly define economic goals before and afer an economic disruption that will help you prepare your community
for economic recovery and resiliency when faced with these challenges. When preparing for any kind of disaster or economic
downturn, goals can also support eforts to build economic resiliency.
Some of the desired outputs of the goal planning process could be:
• Building a strategy to meet a specific goal;
• Crafing an emergency business response plan;
• Cataloging and securing resiliency funding;
• Developing a collaborative process among neighboring jurisdictions; and
• Creating a strong relationship with partner organizations.
Economic resiliency is an ongoing, measurable process that should start with eforts to
incorporate economic resiliency into all aspects of the economic development strategy —
before a disaster or economic disruption occurs.
It is important to note that economic goal setting should be an ongoing process that is measurable and constantly evaluated.
Goals that afect economic disaster recovery and resiliency should be included and considered in all economic development
strategies. Doing so helps ensure that responding to the next economic disaster will be easier, recovery will be more simplified,
and the community will foster economic vitality. This chapter explains the many elements of the goal setting process for the predisaster (resiliency) and post-disaster (recovery) phases.
Economic resiliency is an ongoing, measurable process that should start with eforts to incorporate economic resiliency into
all aspects of the economic development strategy — before a disaster or economic disruption occurs. On the other hand,
economic recovery (post-disaster) is usually a targeted response triggered by a disaster or economic impact and requires
immediate action.
Getting Started
Before you begin, you will need to ask and answer questions about your goals. What will the goals achieve? What are the
objectives of each goal? Which goals have your stakeholders identified? How do these goals meet community needs? The FEMA
Community Planning and Capacity-building page9 ofers an excellent resource.
When defining and setting economic goals, many approaches are available. Using specific, measurable, attainable, realistic,
and time-based (SMART) goals is an efective approach (see Fig. 2.1 on page 13). Many management experts use the SMART goal
setting principle, which is attributed to Peter Drucker. Setting SMART goals allows you to clarify your ideas, focus your eforts,
use your time and resources productively, and increase the chances of achieving what you want.10
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https://www.fema.gov/pdf/recoveryframework/community_planning_capacity_building_rsf.pdf
SMART Goals - Time Management Training From MindTools.com
CALED | Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Playbook
