U. S. Coast Guard

Practice Areas
Communications
Strategic Planning

The Plexus Team


Dates
February-May 2000

Plexus Consulting Group, LLC
1620 Eye Street, NW
Suite 210
Washington, DC 20006
Phone:  202-785-8940
Fax:      202-785-8949
Email:   info@plexusconsulting.com

To that end, the Office retained Plexus to assist in the development of a strategic communications plan to coordinate the development, delivery, evaluation and reporting of key Coast Guard communications.

As a first step, Plexus Consulting Group met with Office staff and obtained key documents pertinent to the Office's long term operations and strategic directions as well as data about staffing, budgeting/financial information, previous studies of communications activities, and past strategic communications plans.

The Situation
After reviewing this information, the Plexus team provided the Office with an analysis of the current structure and communications in a form of a brief report. The Plexus team observed that although some solid groundwork had been laid in these plans, these were not followed through adequately.

The Plexus Approach
Furthermore, the Plexus team noted the need for developing an overarching strategic communications plan and structure, one that would take into account the environmental analysis and identification of target audiences, goals, strategies/tactics and evaluation measures of all the communications constituencies within the Service.

The need for the development of an overarching plan was evident due to the increasing fragmentation of the communications functions within the Service; this fragmentation led to the creation of a "stove pipe" effect: lack of communications interaction among the U.S. Coast Guard HQ communicating entities.

Personal Interviews
During a period of one month, the Plexus team conducted personal interviews with 26 officers and civilians representing 12 communicating entities within the Coast Guard. The interview findings, as well as the current structure assessment were then incorporated in one report highlighting the course or courses of action that seemed the best for developing the most effective Strategic Communications Plan.

Conference
After completion of the preliminary research, the Plexus team used the information gathered as the factual formulation on which to build a two-day Strategic Communications Planning Conference. In preparation for the conference, the Plexus team worked closely with the Office's staff to prepare a detailed conference concept, agenda, and draft message to prospective attendees and developed a conference presentation to be used at the Conference.

Results
During the two day Conference, the participants identified critical communications issues, clarified their visions and mission, identified principles or values which guide, or should guide the Office's management team in its communications efforts, and specified currently stated or unstated communications goals.

Furthermore, the participants translated their visions into strategic objectives outlining the activities the Office will pursue to fulfill its mission and communications goals.

The product of the two-day conference was a multi-year Strategic Communications Plan. In order for this Plan to be implemented, the Plexus team recommended the creation of a permanent structure (Corporate Communications Council) to coordinate the communications function of 14 entities within the Service.

Rear Admiral Patrick Stillman, Assistant Commandant for Governmental and Public Affairs, approved the plan and endorsed the recommended structural changes. Approval of the plan by the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant is pending.