Policy and Complex Systems
five components to the resolution approach : endstate ( ends ), resources ( means ), lines of effort ( ways ), time , and assessments .
Steven Covey ( 1997 ) in his work , 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , states that one should begin with the end in mind . That is exactly the case with framing and using the resolution approach . Constructing the resolution approach begins determining the desired endstate . Framing provides a rich understanding of the current state of the system of which the policymakers are concerned . Next , an understanding of the desired state should be derived . This desired state is the outcome or ends . Endstates in the resolution model allow policymakers to frame iterative plans well into the future of problem-solving efforts . As progress is made and strategies change , the endstate become the beacon that keeps planners focused on the appropriate ends . The endstate is the first component of the resolution approach to be completed . The following paragraph is the endstate determined by the framing process in the town of White Springs :
A town with a mutually-supportive educated population and industry base that brings its citizens on par with top “ human developed ” communities around the planet . A town with an infrastructure that brings current utilities into tolerance with today ’ s requirements and serves as a means to drive economic development well into the twenty-first century . To preserve natural and historical assets that serve as a beacon of White Spring ’ s great past and also becomes a source for generating economic growth . To become a community with a restored and healthier environment ( eco system ) that is a testament to the new economic development and not the cost of it . To become a town that is resilient and thrives during economic downturns and post major catastrophes .
As a part of the resolution approach , resources are the means to the endstate . Even before the ways are determined , the resources ( means ) must be delineated through inventory . This important step allows plausibility and feasibility to be assessed . White Springs and the DEO conducted an inventory of all resources available to policymakers . After conducting a resource
94