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Plan Design and Timeline

 

While there is no required order of events in a planning process, here is a sample for your consideration. Reviewing the REACH for Greater unit planning outline can provide additional guidance for an effective planning process.

Set up for Success

  1. Examine the results of your organization’s previous strategic plan and final reports. Look for lessons learned, goals that might be carried over, or other strategic directions.
  2. Review the Presidential Vision and Goals and Penn State strategic plan to consider how the organization’s future strategic work can support these efforts.
  3. Assemble your organization’s main planning team. It should be representative of the organization’s makeup and include members of its leadership. If your organization involves working with students, include them as well.
  4. Perform an environmental scan to understand your organization’s current state and identify or forecast factors that may affect your organization’s future.

The Basic Planning Process

  1. Design or update your Mission and Vision statements to guide your planning process. Distribute to key stakeholders for approval. (Mission, Vision, Values section)
  2. To achieve a positive, forward-thinking, aspirational plan, consider the data collected in the environmental scan and start with a SOAR analysis to help your organization differentiate itself from similar groups. (Using SOAR v SWOT.docx)
  3. Consider the broad themes (or “priorities” if you prefer) for the organization’s plan. (Note: These themes are generally reflected in your organization’s Vision statement.) Try to keep the list of themes to five areas or fewer. Ensure all your organization’s functional areas (i.e., departments, divisions, schools, programs, centers, institutes, etc.) are engaged in this process. If your organization develops more than five areas, this may indicate that the efforts are focused more on completing tasks than enacting meaningful change.
  4. Based on these themes, define Goals for your organization over the next plan cycle. Goals should illustrate the forward-looking outcomes your organization will strive for and reflect the aspirations in your Vision statement. Limit yourself to 3-5 distinct Goals that do not overlap in intent. You may consider a process such as SMART to define your Goals. Consider assigning each Goal to a subcommittee for an elaboration phase. (SMART section of goals tab)
  5. For each Goal, identify relevant Objectives (3-4 max per Goal). Objectives outline the direction that builds towards the achievement of each Goal. Once you have outlined your Objectives, create Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that illustrate progress towards each Objective. (Measures section)
  6. For each Objective, identify Strategies (again, 3-4 max per Objective). Strategies are the specific initiatives and processes that will be used to achieve an Objective. Then, craft Metrics for each Strategy. Metrics are progress measures towards the completion of each Strategy. (Measures section)

After drafting your plan

  1. When the plan is complete, have the organization’s major stakeholders review the plan.
  2. After receiving feedback, make any necessary edits, publicize your plan internally, and begin implementation. (Implementation section)
  3. Establish baselines for KPIs and Metrics. Determine how your organization will track progress towards each target.
  4. Prioritize the order of execution for objectives and create a timeline for implementation, including personnel assignments for completing the Strategies.
  5. The responsible party tasked with implementation can create a list of Tactics (tasks) to achieve each strategy’s initiatives. (Implementation section)
  6. Report progress to your organization and its stakeholders and solicit feedback and recommendations. Adjust the plan accordingly.
  7. Enjoy and celebrate your organization’s evolution, improvement, and change!

 

The current unit planning process requires units to submit plans before December 15, 2025, for implementation to begin in January 2026.

Unit planning guidance for the 2025-2030 planning cycle can be found in the following resources:

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