This framework is used by FCM as the first stage in a process that leads to designing tailor-made programs that will strengthen local government. Municipal government capacity is therefore a function of a complex mix of skills and knowledge oriented towards ensuring effective management process and service delivery. Termed the Legal and Regulatory Framework , this element of the Framework outlines the roles and responsibilities of municipal government and establishes the municipality's position within the national financial and legal structures. It gives municipal government the mandate to manage and deliver programs and services. Municipal governments have management processes which are shaped by these variables.
Strategic leadership establishes a vision and sets the goals and strategies for the municipality.
Strategic leadership involves long term planning and policies which facilitate social well-being, economic development, environmental sustainability. It also creates a framework within which governance mechanisms operate. Strategic leadership is formulated at the senior levels and is often realized through the interrelationships between the political and administrative parts of the municipal government. Operations management is the management processes to translate the municipal vision into systems for informed decision making, effective resource allocation and effective management by those resources, be they financial, human or other. Operational management also involves management of staff, financial management and investment decisions, communications, operations monitoring and evaluation and other functions related directly to the functions of the municipality.