Strategic Planning

Since 2009, TRS has engaged in a formal strategic planning process through which a new plan is developed every two years. The process generally takes place in the summer following each Montana Legislative session.

The purpose of strategic planning is to review the organization's mission, vision, and guiding principles, to set goals, and formulate a plan of action for TRS leadership and staff. 

During the formal planning session, the TRS Board and leadership team discuss internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and challenges that may help or hinder progress. Input gathered from board members, staff, and external stakeholders is reviewed to identify possible areas for improvement, and three main goals are identified.

Overarching Goals

Goal 1: Maintain an actuarially sound "qualified" retirement plan in compliance with the Montana State Constitution and State and Federal laws and regulations governing such plans.

Goal 2: Sustain a high-performance work culture and service excellence through staff and board development, innovative leadership and management strategies, and expansion of organizational capacity.

Goal 3: Continue and expand communication and outreach efforts to increase member and employer knowledge of and involvement with the system, to educate and inform other stakeholders about the system, and to foster support for the system.

Objectives

Within each of the three main goals, the Board and staff develop specific, actionable objectives to guide the organization's work over the next two years. The TRS Executive Director maintains a Commitment Worksheet that lists specific objectives, target completion dates, and criteria for measuring success, and he provides a status update at each regular Board meeting. 

At the midway point of each two-year period, the Board conducts a thorough review of the plan and may add, remove, or change the priority of objectives listed on the Commitment Worksheet. This may be necessary, for example, when new state or federal requirements will affect TRS operations. 

The current strategic planning summary is available below.