A phenomenological research on the strategic plans of municipalities

In the study, it is aimed to provide solutions for the deficiencies and problems identified in the strategic plans of the municipalities. In this context, the compliance of the strategic plans of the municipalities with the guide was investigated based on the "Strategic Planning Guide for Municipalities, 2019 (Guide)", which is the legislation to be followed. In order to determine the compatibility of the examined strategic plans with the guide, computer software specific to the study was developed, and the strategic plans of the municipalities were ranked according to their compliance rates with the guide. The strategic planning experiences of the personnel who prepared the strategic plan were investigated to confirm how much the compliance rates determined by the computer software reflect reality. The similarities and differences between the data obtained by examining the documents analyzed in the computer software and the interview were revealed. The study was designed with a qualitative research method, content analysis was used in document analysis, and phenomenology design was applied in interviews. By reaching the strategic plans of 333 of the 334 municipalities that were deemed appropriate to be examined; A total of 35,909 pages (each strategic plan averaged 108 pages) were reviewed; Semi-structured interview questions were created for the municipality personnel who prepared the strategic plans by sorting according to their compliance rates. Interviews were conducted with 16 volunteers, strategic planning expert personnel, and two bureaucrats who were experts in strategic plans, which were reached using the snowball sampling method. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed with a qualitative analysis program; It was seen that the answers of the personnel were in parallel with the analyzed data. However, it has been concluded that although some statements are included in the strategic plan, they need to reflect the truth in practice. It was determined that the monitoring and evaluation sections and the preparation process sections of the plans needed to be included. It has been observed that the expert personnel and bureaucrats who participated in the interview mostly expressed their opinions on the issues of not preparing the planning with ownership by the senior management and the weakness of the monitoring-evaluation process. The study ended with suggestions that will contribute to the process.