PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.      7c 
STAFF BRIEFING 
Date of Meeting      June 14, 2016 
DATE:    June 6, 2016 
TO:     Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Dave Caplan, Senior Director  Strategic Initiatives 
SUBJECT:  Strategic Positioning for Growth Budgeting Initiative 
SYNOPSIS 
This briefing will provide an update on the status of the Strategic Positioning for Growth 
Budgeting Initiative (SPG) undertaken by the Port to operationalize the Century Agenda
within the Aviation, Maritime, and Economic Development divisions in preparing our
2017 budget.  A similar approach will be conducted for the Corporate Service
Departments next year. 
BACKGROUND 
The Port conducted a Zero-based Budgeting (ZBB) process in 2009 as a response to a
severe economic downturn and the corresponding need to reduce expenses. At this point
in time, the Port is facing unprecedented growth  in the midst of solid economic
fundamentals. As a result, the SPG effort has been designed to move beyond a traditional
ZBB approach to accomplish three primary goals: 
1.  Alignment:  Aligns operational activity at the department level with divisional
strategies and objectives.
2.  Cost Justification: Assign s a unique cost factor to variable units of operational
activity at the department level to provide a cost-justification metric.  When
applied to all of the department-level activities, the resultant financial roll-up will
comprise a bottoms-up divisional budget in which the divisions' primary
strategies and objectives will have been cost-justified.
3.  Resource reallocation/cost avoidance: An analysis of this exercise may reveal
opportunities for the reallocation of resources to maximize divisional operational
efficiency and effectiveness. 
The duration of this project extends from May through early August, 2016. Progress for
this project is managed through Working Group & Steering Committee meetings held
weekly and bi-weekly, respectively. 


Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
June 6, 2016 
Page 2 of 2 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
SPG briefing slide presentation. 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
None.