Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard
Project Vanguard – how should we organise and run swimming in New Zealand to support growth and success in this new decade?
Why are we doing this?
At Swimming New Zealand’s AGM in late 2008, it was agreed that a review of the current structure of our organisation should occur. That review began in 2008 and was named Project Vanguard. It is looking at how we’re organised to deliver services to our members and the wider New Zealand swimming community.
To be successful with any review requires a high degree of involvement with the organisation’s stakeholders. We’re going to be engaging with our stakeholders to identify the challenges and issues that they face so we can identify if there are better ways to run our sport – ways that can deliver better, more cost effective services to our members. For Swimming New Zealand our key stakeholders are the members, clubs and regions but other stakeholders are coaches, parents, SPARC, funding agencies and local authorities.
The project will be broken down into 4 main phases:
1. Information gathering phase
· clearly understand the current position and the motivation for considering changes
· identify what challenges and issues exist across the organisation
· confirm what’s working well and why that’s the case
2. Options phase
· prioritise the identified issues
· create options to remove or mitigate the highest priority ones
· agree which initiatives to actually proceed with
3. Implementation phase
· create an implementation plan
· execute the implementation plan
4. Review phase
· confirm that the changes that have been made have delivered the expected benefits
· agree any further initiatives to be implemented
Although this is an important exercise, it can’t be rushed. The time taken at the start to engage with the organisation – especially the clubs and the regions – will be essential to achieving practical and well supported recommendations to implement.
During the second half of 2009 the project consulted extensively with clubs and regions – this was achieved by:
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firstly, creating an on-line survey that went out to all clubs and regions – this was well responded to and provided the information basis for the next step - a high-level analysis was presented at the 2009 AGM
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secondly, and most importantly, consultation meetings were held throughout New Zealand – 22 meetings from Invercargill to Kaitaia from October to December – which gave club and regional representatives the opportunity to raise and discuss the issues that were impacting their clubs – and to suggest solutions to overcome them
The last of these meetings was held just before Xmas.
Now, back from a break over the holidays, the project needs to complete the consultations with the other stakeholders, collate the findings and produce a report of recommendations for review by the SNZ board in mid-February.
Following that review, the intention is to then travel round the country, meeting again with clubs and regions, to explain and discuss the proposed initiatives to ensure that there is understanding and commitment to proceed with implementation during 2010.
We’ll continue to use the website to keep you up to date on progress and as another channel for your feedback as we go through the process.
Change can be both exciting and challenging. It needs to be well planned and the benefits need to be well understood to ensure success. We’ve started the journey now - let’s see where it takes us.
If you have any questions about Project Vanguard please contact
Mike Byrne, SNZ CEO, email: mike@swimmingnz.org.nz
