Periods of executive change provide an ideal time for the development of planning efforts for public school systems and for self-examination of the system's strengths, weaknesses, and long-range needs. In the anonymous school system under study, the new superintendent's application of general systems theory to school district management entailed a model of five overlapping workgroups, including such relations as board of education/superintendent and superintendent/central administrative staff, as well as a five-step problem-solving cycle for realizing objectives: (1) analysis of existing conditions, (2) diagnosis, (3) prescription, (4) program implementation, and (5) evaluation. A three-step procedure was initiated to move the district toward outcome-based management. In phase 1, individual and small group interviews with community representatives validated preplanning issues raised by the board of education. Phase 2 involved all school administrators in the design of formal work plans dealing with such issues as organizational relations and comprehensive planning. Organizational planning has since become an integral part of the school system's management. Although the greater involvement of teachers and staff projected by phase 3 is still in the early stages, the model has already improved communication and focused the school system on assessment and improvement rather than maintaining the status quo. (JBM)