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STRATEGIC

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Letter from the Administrator - Page 2

Vision - Page 2

Mission - Page 2

Products and Services Goal - Page 4

People Goal - Page 5

Industrial Goal - Page 7






























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|To Western employees

As Western begins its third decade, we face many challenges.We must respond to changes in the electric

utility industry, government and Federal regulatory

oversight.These are just three areas we must address and act

upon to be an effective provider of cost-based hydropower

across the western United States.

In charting our course, senior managers developed a plan

that outlines how we will carry out our mission while meeting

these challenges.This is our Strategic Plan.

As you review Western’s FY 2000 Strategic Plan, I encourage each of you to analyze how your work contributes to

achieving our goals and objectives. If the connection isn’t clear,

visit with your supervisor to find out how your work supports

our plan. Or better yet, evaluate ways you can better support

Western’s direction.

We have accomplished much since developing our original

plan in 1994. Personal and organizational building blocks, such

as our core competencies and decision rules, were highlighted

in our earlier plans.These have now become ingrained in our

work practices and relationships, defining not only how we do

business, but how we treat each other.

These building blocks are the foundation for our future

success.Their essence is summed up by these four tenets:

◆ Treat each other with respect.

◆ Live up to your commitments.

◆ Take pride in what you do.

◆ Work as a team.

I expect everyone at Western to employ a fundamental

business principle—produce quality work that meets customer

needs on time and within budget. If we operate in accord with

these tenets and follow this principle, we will make wise decisions that are in Western’s and our customers’ best interests.

The challenges we face are significant.They demand personal commitment, resources, talent, time and sound business

decisions from each of us.Working together, we can become

the premier power marketing and transmission organization

that is my vision for our future.

Michael S. Hacskaylo

Administrator

Vision

Western will be a premier power marketing 

and transmission organization.

Mission

Western markets and delivers 

reliable, cost-based hydroelectric power  and related services.



































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Planning Process 

Development of Western’s Strategic Plan was

guided by our desire to maintain competitiveness in a dynamic electric utility industry.

The plan gives employees and managers clear goals

and strategies to accomplish our mission and fulfill

commitments to power customers.

This is Western’s third Strategic Plan. Early on, we

made a commitment as an organization to develop

the tools to clearly set forth our goals, objectives and

strategies. Each plan has helped us examine and refine

our strategies for success.

We are confident that the goals and measures laid

out in this document will lead to greater program

results for the budget dollars expended and provide a

basis for evaluating our need for future resources.

Key Assumptions 

S

everal key assumptions were made in developing

Western’s Strategic Plan:

◆ The combination of appropriations and customer

funding will adequately meet program funding

requirements.

◆ Staffing levels will remain relatively constant in

keeping with streamlining targets.

◆ Western’s mission responsibilities, including the

legal framework governing management of our

programs and organization, will not change significantly.

◆ Our power management responsibilities will not

increase or decrease significantly.

◆ Western’s cost of providing power and related

services to our customers will not increase significantly as a result of legislation.

◆ Our existing legal authorities provide us with sufficient flexibility to meet the demands of a changing electric utility industry.

Western’s Strategic Plan covers FY 2000 through

FY 2004. However, we regard an ongoing planning and

review process as a requirement for success.We will

revise the plan to reflect any significant changes at

least every three years.

   yyyyy zzzz {{{{{ ||||Strategic Goals and Objectives

Western developed three strategic goals

and several objectives under each goal

to explicitly define how we intend to

accomplish our mission and eventually achieve our

vision.These goals and objectives are supported by

specific strategies and measurements, as well as an

annual performance plan.

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PRODUCTS AND SERVICES GOAL 

Use sound business practices to create and deliver 

high-value products and services to our customers.

Objective 1: Continue to manage our costs.

Strategy: Establish and meet rate targets for Measure: Actual rates relative to rate targets.

each project that are responsive to customer 

needs and cost-recovery requirements.

Strategy: Establish specific annual cost Measure: Actual costs relative to cost targets.

management goals.

Western is a wholesale power marketing organization with an array of products and services that

customers purchase.Through a strong tradition of

customer service,Western’s first strategic goal is to

remain wholly customer-oriented.We have listened

to our customers and it is clear that they expect

excellent service that will reinforce their ability to

remain competitive in the evolving electric utility

industry. Our objectives under this goal are

designed to meet or exceed their expectations;

ensure we have adequate financial resources to

meet those expectations; and leverage our business

systems to improve productivity, product and service delivery, control our costs and rates, and meet

repayment and cost recovery requirements.

Objective 2: Continue to repay the Federal investment within the time

frames established by law and regulations. 

Strategy: Manage power delivery costs, Measure: Variance of actual from planned principal

establishing rates for each project that are payments to the U.S.Treasury.

sufficient to meet repayment and cost recovery

requirements.

Objective 3: Secure adequate funding to accomplish our mission, goals and

objectives. 

Strategy: Prepare a well-justified and docu- Measure: Percentage of final congressional

mented annual budget request. appropriations/funding authority received as compared

to Western’s original budget submittal to DOE.

Strategy: Work with customers to maintain or Measure: Percentage of Western’s program funded

enhance alternative financing methods. through alternative financing.





































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Objective 4: Continuously improve our business systems and follow sound

business practices.

Strategy: Leverage the capabilities of business Measure: Customer feedback on satisfaction with

systems to achieve functional efficiencies and business systems and support.

process improvements.

Strategy: Fully use Maximo for maintenance Measure: Maintenance standby and down time.

planning, inventory control and to establish a comprehensive maintenance database for preventive 

maintenance.

Strategy: Rigorously use project management Measure: Planned vs. actual cost, schedule and

principles and practices throughout Western. performance.

Strategy: Develop and implement a formal, Measure: Percentage of EMS and high priority

written environmental management system. corrective actions completed.

Strategy: Develop and implement security Measure: Number of security-related incidents and

plans. offenses.





































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PEOPLE GOAL

Recruit, develop and retain a safety-focused, highly productive, customer-oriented and diverse work force.

Objective 1: Ensure everyone at Western is aware of, committed to and has

the tools to work safely.

Strategy: Establish specific annual safety goals. Measure: Annual safety goals accomplishment.

Strategy: Continuously update and implement Measure: Annual safety goals accomplishment.

Western’s Safety Action Plan to effectively 

integrate safety throughout the organization.

Strategy: Keep employees continuously aware Measure: Annual safety goals accomplishment.

of safety goals and practices.

People are the foundation of our success.To sustain that success,Western provides a work environment that emphasizes safety, technical improvement,

diversity and customer focus. Western expects a

great deal from its people and they deliver. In turn, we

must attract, retain and train our people to perform

those activities that create the greatest value for our

customers, ensure their personal safety and protect

the interests of the Federal government.

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Strategy: Provide incentives to employees for Measure: Number and total value of awards for

evaluating and improving their work processes. process improvement activities.

Strategy: Enhance partnership relationships Measure: Periodic labor-management surveys.

with Western’s unions.

Objective 5: Provide exemplary customer service.

Strategy: Ensure work groups establish and meet Measure: Customer feedback on products and 

customer service standards that are appropriate services.

to their functions.









































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Objective 2: Attract a diverse, well-qualified pool of applicants.

Strategy: Use creative and innovative recruit- Measure: Annual statistical results on hiring.

ment approaches to attract highly skilled

candidates, especially those who add diversity

to the work force.

Objective 3: Select individuals whose technical abilities, competencies and

personal goals best match job and organizational objectives.

Strategy: Ensure selecting officials use such tools Measure: One-year satisfaction checks from 

as panel interviews, background checks and other employee and supervisor.

effective hiring techniques.

Objective 4: Develop and retain a highly skilled, motivated, customerfocused work force.

Strategy: Execute Individual Development Plans Measure: Annual feedback from employees as to 

that focus on developing appropriate skills and whether they have the tools and training needed to

increasing knowledge of all employees. do their jobs.

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|INDUSTRY GOAL

Promote competition and reliability in the evolving electric

utility industry.

Objective 1: Support industry reliability

Strategy: Meet or exceed national and regional Measure: Number and total dollar value of North

operating criteria. American Electric Reliability Organization,Western

Systems Coordinating Council and Mid-Continent

Area Power Pool compliance sanctions.

Strategy: Meet all national and regional reliability Measure: Control area performance standards.

requirements for operations within allotted time.

Western is the third largest owner of high-voltage transmission lines in the country. Our facilities

stretch from the upper Midwest to the West Coast

and southwest corner of the United States.

We are a key player in maintaining the reliability and stability of the nation’s electrical transmission system. Open access on our transmission system supports the transition to a competitive

wholesale energy industry. System operation and

maintenance are key to supporting our customers.

Because we’re interconnected to other systems,

our activities can directly affect their stability.

Western does not have the responsibility to

meet load growth in our service territory, nor to

procure long-term generation resources.





































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Objective 2: Support industry competitiveness

Strategy: Provide open access to our Measure: Number of adverse Section 211 decisions

transmission system. from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Strategy: Encourage the voluntary use of Measure: Number of energy services partnerships,

renewable resources and energy efficiency workshops and other activities with public power

measures by our customers. organizations that Western organizes, sponsors or 

facilitates.

Objective 3: Work to protect and maximize the value of the Federal

resource.

Strategy: Participate in decisionmaking processes Measure: Operational capacity available each year.

with natural resource agencies and others whose 

decisions affect hydropower generation.

Strategy: Help the Bureau of Reclamation Measure:Total dollar value of alternative financing

and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers secure furnished to Reclamation and Corps annually,

alternative funding for power facility operations compared to their total power program financial 

and maintenance and rehabilitation. requirements.

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Objective 4: Ensure long-term transmission system reliability and

availability

Strategy: Participate in national and regional Measure: Self-evaluation of the impact Western

transmission studies. has on the results of those industry committees that

conduct studies on transmission proposals that could

impact Western’s power system.

Strategy: Reduce accountable outages. Measure: Annual reliability bonus goal accomplishment.

Strategy: Accomplish all scheduled construction Measure: Work program accomplishment as 

and rehabilitation work for the year. compared to the Maintenance Design and 

Construction Council’s annual plan.





































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The three goals in this Strategic Plan set the

framework for developing our Annual

Performance Plan. Annual performance goals

indicate progress toward achieving Strategic Plan

goals. By relating budget requests to annual performance goals,Western can fully demonstrate to

Congress how we intend to turn our resources into

results. In the Annual Performance Plan,Western

develops performance goals for the funds we are

requesting and shows how reaching those goals will

help us attain long-term results.

As such,Western’s Annual Performance Plan

describes the link between annual performance goals

and the mission statement and strategic goals, day-today activities and budget programs.This connection

between performance goals and program offices helps

to reinforce accountability and to ensure that, in dayto-day activities, we keep in mind the results our

organizations and programs are striving to achieve.

Western’s Annual Performance Plan identifies

those areas/agencies where efforts should be closely

coordinated, consolidated or streamlined, as appropriate, to ensure goals are consistent and program

efforts are mutually reinforcing.

Western’s performance plan identifies the coordination required to operate the Federal power program, defining performance goals that maximize the

effectiveness and efficiency of agencies/activities

involved.

Plan Goals and Annual Performance

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