Up & Coming Weekly

OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 3, 2009 UCW 7 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Goals can be tricky on an individual level, start talking in terms of teams, companies and even municipalities and managing/measuring the success of an entity can get pretty confusing to say the least. Nevertheless, without objectives and an effective way to measure them, success can become not only diffi cult to defi ne but elusive and nearly impossible to achieve no matter how hard individuals are working and striving to move an organization forward. The folks at Greater Fayetteville Futures II know this. They met last March, along with about 500 Cumberland County citizens, and came up with 10 objectives that are to be met by 2020 that will move Fayetteville forward and bring about continued positive change in the community. The objectives are: OBJECTIVE 1: Create a Model Education System that Supports and Networks Workforce Readiness and Sustainable Innovations OBJECTIVE 2: Effectively Implement the Community's Economic Development Strategy OBJECTIVE 3: Ensure Safety and Security for All OBJECTIVE 4: Expand and Develop Services that Lead to a Better Living Environment for All OBJECTIVE 5: Leverage the Region's Defense Technology Assets OBJECTIVE 6: Increase/Improve Traditional and Non Traditional Connectivity Infrastructure (Transportation and Information Technology) OBJECTIVE 7: Improve and Sustain Health Services and Wellness OBJECTIVE 8: Grow and Sustain a "Green" Community OBJECTIVE 9: Communicate our Community Story OBJECTIVE 10: Sustain and Grow Cultural and Recreational Opportunities Once the objectives were established, the Greater Fayetteville Futures II leadership did the right thing. Instead of stirring up a frenzy of activity designed to meet the newly defi ned goals, they started slowly and methodically. "We've had all this community involvement," said Fayetteville Mayor and Greater Fayetteville Futures Co-Chair Tony Chavonne. "And one of the things we've committed to is that throughout this process there will be a report card — a gauge — issued about the progress we have made in each of the areas." In fact, the past six months or so have been spent coming up with just that, a way to measure the progress and successes that greater Fayetteville is reaching for. With 10 different measurements which have all been broken down into smaller, more manageable targets the process has been painstaking, but well worth it. "This is not something the community has been used to doing," said Chavonne. "It is kind of a new model to come in and say 'Wait a minute, we want to have a base line. We want to agree on what a good measurement is, that way we can actually track the success of those efforts — and let you know why you are doing it.'" This gauge that is about to become a big part of Cumberland County's identity was built around research and expertise. "It wasn't someone picking something out of thin air," said Greater Fayetteville Futures II Strategic Planner Kirk deViere. "We have subject matter experts, we've pulled all kinds of data that is already out there. We are looking at questions like 'What are those indices?' What are the best practices from other communities?" For example, to measure the arts and culture index, they looked at a successful model in San Diego, Calif. It was a close fi t for what the arts and culture of Fayetteville need to measure so they borrowed that model and are implementing it here. "So it wasn't just one person sitting in a room saying 'This is how we are going to measure it.' We worked with a lot of different people on the different objectives — with subject matter experts from the community. We are putting a metric on the wall, a base line of where we want to go and we have a system on how we are going to measure it that allows transparency and more importantly accountability as well as that horizontal view." Look to hear from Greater Fayetteville Futures II quarterly. They'll have new information on successes and the progress being made. For more details on the undertakings of the organization and the opportunities available, visit www.greaterfayettevillefutures.org Fayetteville Futures Checks In by STEPHANIE CRIDER November 5 - 8 Crown Expo Center Thursday - 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Super Shopper is 9 a.m. to Noon) Friday - 1 0 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday - 1 0 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday - Noon to 5 p.m. General Admission Tickets: $8 Super Shopper Tickets: $12 Tickets available at the door.

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