Harkins, Griffin Bring Strategic Planning, Core Values and Customer Service to PIE

February, 2012

Special to Parking Today
In today’s business world, the keys to organizational success are improved efficiency through streamlining procedures and improved customer service. The question is, “How do we get there?”
University parking professionals Bob Harkins and Ginny Griffin will offer experience-based answers during the PT-sponsored 2012 Parking Industry Exhibition (PIE) March 18-21 in Chicago.
Harkins, Associate Vice President for Campus Safety and Security at the University of Texas, Austin, and Griffin, Associate Director of Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) at the University of North Texas (UNT), Denton, will present a case study on the theory of strategic planning, coupled with practical application, to create a platform for improvements in efficiency and customer service. Their PIE seminar, “Strategic Planning at the University Level,” is set for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 20.
Harkins will bring his 20 years of parking experience to the discussion. He has developed and built parking operations at two major universities, and served as a consultant to several other institutions. Harkins will develop the theoretical basis for organizational structure.
What is the path we will follow to connect with customers? How do we get involvement of the organization? Who is important to our organization? What is our purpose? Harkins will discuss organizational alignment and the principles of empowering, modeling and “co-missioning.”
He also will examine the SWOT (strength, weaknesses/limitations, opportunities and threats) process, and explain how to build a vision, core values, mission, and goals/objectives and how to develop metrics to measure success.
That is the theory. Now, how does an organization actually implement this process? That’s where UNT’s Ginny Griffin comes in.
Specifically, Griffin will address how they developed a path forward to improve efficiencies and customer service. She also will discuss the process for their SWOT analysis, and address how they developed their vision, core values, mission, and goals/objectives. And Griffin will explain the development of metrics used to measure objective outcomes, ensuring success of the PTS department.
The Harkins-Griffin PIE seminar will be an interactive session laying out the theory and practical applications of organizational reviews and strategic planning. They note that it’s exciting to gain “buy-in” from the campus community. At times, they add, it can be frustrating, but in the end, it’s a valuable process.
Harkins and Griffin invite PIE attendees to come join in the discussion and share their experiences.