Photo of people meeting at a table strategizing and planning.

Office of Strategy & Innovation

Mecklenburg County’s Office of Strategy & Innovation is responsible for managing the County’s strategic business planning work, leading operational and organizational performance management processes, and conducting annual evaluations throughout the organization.

Mecklenburg County strives every day to provide services to the community in an effective and efficient manner. To understand to what degree it does so, the Office of Strategy & Innovation in the County Manager’s Office works to provide decision-makers the information they need to fully grasp the impact of County programs and services across community, as well as helps set the strategic direction for the County. 

Strategic Business Planning

Strategic planning is an essential County function, focusing on defined goals, objectives, strategies, key performance indicators and key initiatives for both the short- and long-term. Such work guides leaders and departments to elevate pressing, important issues to the forefront, while also allowing decision-makers and the public to understand County priorities as outlined in the corporate and departmental strategic business plans. 

The most recent Corporate Strategic Business Plan was created in 2023 and lasted through June of 2025. The County used a bottom up (information from the FY2023-2025 department strategic business plans) and a top down (information from the Board of County Commissioners’ Community Vision and other related information) approach to develop the three-year Plan. To view the details of that archived plan, please click the Corporate Strategic Business Plan link below. You may also find the archived Department Strategic Business Plans below. 

The County is now working toward a refresh of its strategic systems and will have a fresh plan established early to mid 2026. Please check back at that time for more information.

Performance Management

Performance management principles and practices are the ties that bind strategic planning and evaluation. The County’s first performance management framework was implemented in 2002 and since that time has evolved to meet the business needs of the organization and the community. Every department within Mecklenburg County is required to not only monitor and track performance but also manage performance, leveraging information via printed reports or performance dashboards. 

Evaluations

While strategic planning and performance management activities are essential to effectively and efficiently manage the County, the service evaluation framework considers the areas where a greater level of analysis might be needed. For example, if a County department director recognizes they are not meeting target for a particular key performance indicator, then an evaluation will help leaders understand why performance is lagging and how the department can course correct to improve its service offering(s).

Other evaluations that have been conducted by the Office of Strategy and Innovation include: The Community Survey, Community Pulse Report, and Employee Climate Survey.

  • The Community Survey gauges resident attitudes, perceptions, and awareness of County services.
  • The Community Pulse Report is a forward look at social, economic, health, and environmental factors that could impact the live of residents in the near future.
  • The Employee Climate Survey assesses employee motivation and satisfaction, development, perceptions of internal business processes, and general sentiments about their work environments.

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