Plan Formulation: General

1. Plan Formulation: General Module G-3: How to identify measures and build them into plans

2. Student Learning Objectives The student will be able to: • Identify the major steps of plan formulation • List ways to identify measures for any type of planning situation • Identify ways by which plans or measures are narrowed from many to a few

3. Three Major Steps • Develop appropriate measures • First iteration where measures are combined into plans using a formulation strategy • Subsequent iterations where plans are reformulated to better meet the formulation criteria

4. Plan Formulation Process • Determine planning objectives and constraints • Determine potential measures to address planning objectives • Eliminate the less promising measures • Combine measures into plans by using formulation strategies • Iteratively screen and reformulate plans • Select and designate plans

5. Planning Steps and Plan Formulation Problems and Opportunities Planning Objectives & Constraints Inventory and Forecast Management Measures Plan Formulation Alternative Plans Evaluation Comparison Reformulation Selection

6. Where to Start? With the planning objectives/constraints (Based upon the without condition)

7. How to Identify Management Measures?

8. How to Identify Management Measures? • There are several ways • One of the most effective ones is to brainstorm with others • This builds team work • Helps to identify relevant measures • Brings together people with different backgrounds, skills and interests. • Can be done “in-District”, “in-Corps” or “publicly”

9. Let Us Practice We are working on a hurricane protection study authority for an area of the Gulf Coast. Last year’s category IV hurricane missed Center City by about 80 miles, causing some flooding and power outages in Center City. A category III hurricane hit directly about 20 years ago causing substantial damage

10. Let Us Practice

11. Problems: High winds Rain and related flooding Storm surge Beach destruction Weakened natural protection against tidal flooding Loss of recreation Power outages Storm and flood damages to commercial and residential structures Planning Objectives: Reduce damages from hurricane surge and flooding at Center City Restore beach related recreational opportunities Problems Associated With Hurricanes; Planning Objectives Associated With Center City

12. Let Us Practice - Brainstorming Alone, take three minutes to see how many measures you can come up with

13. Let Us Practice - Brainstorming Ten Minute Exercise: Now break into your groups and see how many more measures you can come up with Prepare to report results to the class

14. Let Us Practice In three minutes, revise your lists to accommodate the following constraints • Do not disturb littoral drift reaching wildlife area • Avoid blocking ocean view

15. Let Us Practice – Report Out • How many measures did you come up with no constraints? • How many measures dropped out with the constraints? • What is the most creative measure?

16. Additional Tips for Successful Brainstorming • Practice - Brainstorming is a skill that gets better with practice. • Sharpen the Focus – Describe the problem at the right specificity (planning objective). • Post Playful Rules - such as: “Go for Quantity”, “Defer Judgment”, “Encourage Wild Ideas” and “One Conversation at a Time” If a discussion veers off course, point to a rule. • Stretch the Mental Muscles – with content related homework, related show and tell, fast paced word games, etc. • Get Physical – move around. Brainstorming is very visual -include sketching, diagrams, stick figures, etc.

17. Tips for Successful Brainstorming • Number Your Ideas – This motivates participants, provides a gauge of how you are doing and allows a way to jump back and forth without losing track. • Build and Jump – Brainstorming normally follows a series of steep power curves. Transition when discussion tapers off. “Lets switch gears” is a good transition statement. • The Space Remembers – Spatial memory is powerful tool. Have a recorder write the flow of ideas down in a medium visible to the whole group. Adapted from: The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelly

18. How to Identify Management Measures? • Interviews-in District • Office “historians” • Technical experts in many disciplines • Interviews-go public • Public/Scoping Meetings • Other Districts • Other Agencies, especially resource agencies for restoration projects

19. How to Identify Management Measures–More • Site visits with Interdisciplinary team • District • Non-Federal Agencies and Organizations • Resource agencies • Consult documents • Similar projects • Same resource • Consult texts • Make checklists

20. How to Identify Management Measures – Summary • Don’t reinvent the wheel • Don’t stay stuck in old ruts

21. Screening Management Measures • At this point in the process, your team has probably identified a lot of measures • Can any of them be eliminated. If so, why? • Severe and obvious adverse impacts • Dominated measures – same output less cost or greater output for the same cost • Formulation criteria provide a framework for screening

22. Screen Measures based on Formulation Criteria • Completeness • Effectiveness • Efficiency • Acceptability

23. Combining Measures into Plans Where to start? • With screened management measures • Focus on combinability, dependency and mutual exclusion • Now apply a formulation strategy • Candidate NED, NER and NED/NER Plans are special cases-but important ones

24. Combining Measures into Plans

25. What to do with the Plans • Evaluate first to determine beneficial and adverse impacts • Compare and apply screening criteria • Threshold levels of the 4 formulation criteria can be used for screening. • Apply other study specific screening criteria. • Go back to the stakeholders • Coordination is a continuing process • Make sure everyone who has an interest or stake has been involved • Was some important impact or concern missed? • Is there a plan out there that was missed? • How can the plans be better?

26. What to do with the Plans • Coordinate to ensure that the study is on the right track • Technical input: engineering, economics, environmental resources • Public input..consider a public meeting • Internal milestone conferences • Confirm that the correct array of alternatives are being considered and obtain feedback on how to make them better

27. Planning Steps and Plan Formulation Problems and Opportunities Planning Objectives & Constraints Inventory and Forecast Management Measures Plan Formulation Alternative Plans Evaluation Comparison Reformulation Selection

28. Reformulation of Alternative Plans • Why reformulate? • Bring in new ideas • Fix any problems with the screened plans • Avoid/mitigate adverse impacts • Improve performance against the 4 Formulation Criteria • Take advantage of other opportunities created by each plan • Where to start? • Public Input • Refined planning objectives and constraints • Results from additional inventory and forecasts • Alternative plans that survived screening

29. Reformulate to Avoid/Mitigate Adverse Impacts • Safety • Cultural Resources • Induced Flooding • Fish and Wildlife habitat • Community Cohesion • Hazards • Business Disruption • Other

30. Reformulate to Better Meet the Four Formulation Criteria • Completeness • Effectiveness • Efficiency • Acceptability

31. Reformulate for Opportunities • Ecosystem Restoration • Recreation • Beach nourishment • Beneficial use, esp. dredging • Sand and gravel • Wildlife Sanctuaries

32. Take Away Points • Formulation starts with planning objectives and constraints • Formulation systematically applies a three step process • Identify measures • Formulate plans • Reformulate plans

33. Looking Forward • But first, we will discuss the NED Plan, NER Plan, Combined Plan, Other Plans

34. Challenge:When Do You Stop Reformulating? • When the plan’s responses to the formulation criteria cannot be significantly improved? • When the level of detail is adequate for review and approval? • When resources and time are exhausted? • When an NED Plan or Locally Preferred Plan is identified? • When a feasibility report is completed? • Never? • It depends