Chapter 4 – Strategic Planning – Enterprise Objectives
NOAA’s strategy would be incomplete without detailing the enterprise-wide capabilities required to achieve the environmental, social, and economic outcomes targeted by the strategic goals. NOAA’s enterprise functions comprise three groups: foundational science and technology functions that generate research and development, models, and environmental observations; distinct functions for engaging partners and customers; and underlying administration and management functions that support all NOAA work. These cross-cutting functions define NOAA’s distinctive capabilities. The objectives listed represent cross-cutting requirements for addressing NOAA’s strategic goals as a whole.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE
NOAA’s vision centers on a holistic understanding of the interdependencies between human health and prosperity and the intricacies of the Earth system. Achieving this level of understanding presents an overarching, long-term scientific and technical challenge to NOAA: to develop and apply holistic, integrated Earth system approaches to understand the processes that connect changes in the atmosphere, ocean, space, land surface, and cryosphere with ecosystems, organisms and humans over different scales.
Within this enterprise, NOAA will pursue three objectives over the next five years:
»A holistic understanding of the Earth system through research;
»Accurate and reliable data from sustained and integrated Earth observing systems; and
»An integrated environmental modeling system.
As the challenges NOAA must address become more complex, the agency will need increasingly sophisticated organizational mechanisms to understand user needs and engage stakeholders and customers across local, regional, and international levels. Many of the challenges that NOAA helps address do not stem from a lack of information, but from an uneven distribution of information. The best way for NOAA to meet the needs of its stakeholders is often to better deliver data and knowledge to those who have not yet accessed it. NOAA must understand these needs and respond to them. Conversely, NOAA’s next breakthrough in research, development, operational improvement, or policy action may depend upon the unique knowledge or needs of a partner or customer. NOAA must fully engage with society to be most effective as a service agency.
Within this enterprise, NOAA will pursue three objectives over the next five years:
»An engaged and educated public with an improved capacity to make scientifically informed environmental decisions;
»Integrated services meeting the evolving demands of regional stakeholders; and
»Full and effective use of strategic international partnerships and policy leadership to achieve NOAA’s mission objectives.
ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ENTERPRISE
Supporting all of NOAA’s functions is the management of resources, an essential function of any organization. NOAA’s managers, whether at headquarters or in the field, have common responsibilities to manage the investment of tax-payer dollars, deploy physical infrastructure, and retain a qualified workforce. NOAA’s managerial efforts avail the rest of the agency of the staff , the infrastructure, and the financial capital it needs to get the job done. Effective management of these resources fosters an organizational environment in which core competencies can be used most effectively and final products and services can have the greatest impact.
Within this enterprise, NOAA will pursue four objectives over the next five years:
»Diverse and constantly evolving capabilities in NOAA’s workforce;
»A modern IT infrastructure for a scientific enterprise; and
»Modern, safe, and sustainable facilities; and
»A high-performing organization with integrated, efficient, and effective business systems and management processes.
