by Kirsten Astrup, INTOSAI Director of Strategic Planning
The INTOSAI Governing Board has expressed its satisfaction with INTOSAI’s current strategic plan and recommended that it be updated for 2011–2016 rather than developing a new strategic plan for that period. INTOSAI’s mission, vision, and goals, as stated in the current plan, will remain the same. In November 2007, the Finance and Administration Committee established a task force chaired by the SAI of the United States to update the plan. The task force is relying on the chairs of INTOSAI’s four goals to take the lead in updating the strategies (activities and programs) under their respective areas. The chairs are encouraged to contact their subcommittees for input and to work with other relevant bodies.
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Before the updated plan is presented to the 2010 INCOSAI in South Africa, a first draft will be circulated to the INTOSAI membership early in 2009 for review and comment. This approach is consistent with both the streamlined process approved at the 2007 INCOSAI in Mexico and the need to include all SAIs in the process. Through the combined efforts of many individuals, INTOSAI is now positioned to bring the strategic goals in its current plan to fruition. Most of the strategies under the three operational goals and one organizational goal are being addressed, and progress is being made.
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 Kirsten Astrup |
But why does INTOSAI need a strategic plan? This subject has been discussed at length since the decision to develop a strategic plan was made in 2001. While there are many ways to explain the need for a plan, I like to use the image of SAIs as mountain climbers. Each SAI wants to reach the top, but we have different paths to climb—some have to scale steep rocks, others have to face waterfalls, and still others may need to fight snowstorms. Furthermore, SAIs have climbed to different heights on the mountain, and those higher up can help those below by sharing information about the way ahead and how best to tackle obstacles and difficulties along the way. While it does not matter that some SAIs are climbing faster than others, we do not want anyone to be left behind. We try to harmonize our efforts and meet now and then to give advice and receive tips; we might even help to carry each others’ burdens.
Those who have a lot of provisions for the journey might share with others whose provisions are not so abundant. And, as often happens when climbing up a hill, those who think that they are about to arrive at the top discover that this is an illusion—there is always one more hill to climb.
It is here that the strategic plan comes into play. It maps out the needs of individuals and the landscape and describes best practises and procedures; in general, the strategic plan helps us to think ahead and find solutions through mutual efforts. Thus, we inch forward in a synchronized manner and prepare for the next steps, communicating all the way. In any organization, making plans to improve performance is a never-ending task, and there are always new challenges to tackle. It helps us greatly to consult with others facing similar situations.
Let us not forget that INTOSAI is a worldwide organization, which means that from the outset we are very different in many ways. Even though INTOSAI has only five official languages, we have much more variation in our languages and cultures. Many of us have to work in languages other than our mother tongue, and this certainly adds to the difficulties of working together. In fact, considering what it takes to arrive at consensus on such a broad scale, the extent of cooperation under the INTOSAI umbrella is quite amazing, Working together as we do in our professional groups—whether a committee, working group, or task force under one of the four goals—has proven to be a very sound way to achieve great results, harmonize our ways of thinking, and share knowledge.
Another subject I would like to mention is the Task Force on Donor Funding, which the Finance and Administration Committee established to lay the groundwork for better cooperation between INTOSAI and the donor community. This is an exciting and necessary project created to achieve many of the objectives under our four strategic goals. The task force’s meeting in Bern in June, which included representatives of INTOSAI’s four goals, was a first step in facilitating cooperation with the donors. (See the report on this meeting in “Inside INTOSAI” in this issue.) We are optimistic that this cooperation will provide us with the funding we need to develop further, share knowledge, improve performance, and help to ensure the accountability of governments all around the globe. As part of your commitment to INTOSAI’s mission and vision, I encourage you to follow this work and look into opportunities for improvement that this cooperation can promote in your countries and regions.
In the October issue of this Journal, I will talk about cooperation with other standard-setting organizations, in particular the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). In July 2008, our Secretary General, Dr. Josef Moser, will meet with the IIA Executive Committee and give a presentation in San Francisco to the IIA Board of Directors.
Please feel free to contact me at astrup@rechnungshof.gv.at if you have any comments or would like to give feedback on issues related to the implementation of INTOSAI’s strategic plan.