Developing the strategic context is a key action in the strategic case. It includes assessing the strategic alignment of the proposed investment, and also examining the wider environment within which the investment is being made.
The strategic context needs to establish how well the proposed investment aligns with your organisation’s priorities, regional and national priorities, other programmes and strategies and other organisations’ priorities, if relevant. You should also consider where your proposed investment sits with regard to the Transport Outcomes Framework developed by the Ministry of Transport.
Transport Outcomes Framework(external link)
When we look at strategic alignment, the must-have for the purposes of the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) is a clear indication of alignment to the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport (GPS). Be specific about which GPS priority outcome the investment will make the most contribution to. Simply saying your investment ‘aligns to all the GPS priorities’ doesn’t help decision makers understand the contribution the investment will make, meaning it may not be given the right priority in the NLTP.
Government Policy Statement on Land Transport(external link)
When describing strategic alignment, aim to be as concise as possible. Avoid simply listing all of the strategies you think may be remotely connected to the investment. Instead focus on the three or four highest strategic priorities that are most relevant to your investment, whether from the GPS or local or regional strategic goals, and be clear about the contribution that your investment will make.
The strategic context also needs to describe the environment within which the investment is being considered, to the extent relevant. In particular, you should look for any key interdependencies with things that are or may be changing, such as:
Information sources that can help understand the strategic context include existing strategies, monitoring data, previous studies and reports, and current organisational goals and outcomes sought, such as:
Be clear about the relevance of any existing information to the investment being considered.
As with strategic alignment, the description of the investment environment needs to be focused and concise. The main purpose of considering the strategic environment is to identify any:
It also provides important context against which potential options can be considered, to make sure they will continue to be appropriate into the future.
Avoid writing a lengthy discourse of the entire strategic environment for the area of interest, regardless of relevance. Instead focus on:
Contact either your NZTA investment advisor or email the Business Case Process team at businesscaseprocess@nzta.govt.nz
