(a) Strategic planning.  Strategic planning:

• (1) is an ongoing process that assists the Director of Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) in managing the activities of OKDHS to support the OKDHS mission;
• (2) allows OKDHS to be more responsive in a rapidly changing environment;
• (3) uses organizational assessments to provide the foundation for the development and implementation of strategy; and
• (4) assists OKDHS leadership, including the Director, Oklahoma Commission for Human Services (Commission), and executive team in establishing the mission, values, and vision.
• (A) Organizational divisions collaborate to identify relevant goals and objectives based on organizational competencies and mandates.
• (B) All core activities of OKDHS are aligned to implement the mission of OKDHS.
• (b) The OKDHS mission describes the purpose of the agency.  The OKDHS mission is to help individuals and families in need help themselves lead safer, healthier, more independent and productive lives.  The Commission reaffirmed the mission on June 12, 2007.
• (c) The OKDHS values describe the manner in which staff strives to work.  The OKDHS values and guiding principles, approved by the Commission on June 12, 2007, are described in (1) through (5).
• (1) Safety.  We protect and serve vulnerable adults and children and reduce the risk of harm to individuals and families.
• (2) Respect.  We treat everyone with courtesy, promote mutual respect, and honor individual and cultural differences.
• (3) Family.
• (A) We build on the strengths in each family.
• (B) Healthy families are the foundation of a healthy society.
• (4) Relationships.  We promote honest, dependable, and compassionate relationships and partnerships to build healthy families and communities.
• (5) Excellence.  We deliver prompt, accurate and courteous service in a fiscally responsible manner.

(d) The OKDHS vision describes the business direction of the agency.  OKDHS promotes:

• (1) an engaged local community. 
• (A) A community is a place or group of people that promotes individual responsibility and the shared responsibility for the care of its vulnerable members. Interdependent, trustworthy relationships form healthy communities that meet the needs of its members.
• (B) OKDHS will be a trustworthy, dependable, participating member of the communities we serve.  The healthy relationships we develop promote individual, family, and child well-being.  OKDHS will be flexible in the development and delivery of meaningful services;
• (2) creative solutions to complex challenges.  OKDHS will continually seek new solutions that help the individuals and families we serve;
• (3) a technological advantage.  OKDHS will operate with greater knowledge, efficiency and effectiveness through improved technological solutions that add value to services and reduce costs;
• (4) positive outcomes.  OKDHS will equip individuals and families to make life choices that help them lead safer, healthier, more independent and productive lives through education and training; and
• (5) partnerships with others.  OKDHS will partner with public and private organizations to produce the best outcomes possible for the individuals and families we serve.

(e) Goals.  OKDHS goals are developed to focus all activities of the agency toward attaining the OKDHS mission, values, and vision.  Goals are projected for long-term outcomes and reviewed annually by the Director to ensure their continued appropriateness.  Identified changes in the OKDHS goals are submitted to the Commission for approval.  Outcome measures are identified for each goal and approved by the Director.  Targets are set for critical success measures, which are tracked on a monthly basis.

(f) Key indicators.  Key indicators are performance measures for OKDHS business functions.  Each division director or designee is responsible for establishing key indicators and setting targets against which performance is measured.  The Director conducts a quarterly review of key indicator performance.