Strategic Planning Process
Strategic planning provides focus and clarity on the direction in which an organization moves to maximize its impact on the Penn State community. Strategic planning helps align the vision, goals, and resources needed to support your organization’s mission with the broader University mission and strategic plan. Well-developed strategic plans also help make tracking progress easier and assist with future decision-making by providing informed data to both organization and University leadership.
While countless methods for strategic planning exist, Penn State has elected to provide a structure for its geographically distributed organizations to highlight, manage, and report their planning progress. This structure, rooted in the University’s mission, vision, and strategic plan, should deliver a framework for supporting your organization’s thinking about its evolution over the next planning cycle.
We at the Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research (OPAIR) developed this Planning Handbook to help you and your organization familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts surrounding this strategic planning process and guidance to help you develop your organization’s strategic plan.
As we get started, we would like to acknowledge the guidance, expertise, and support of the many members of the Penn State community who have been involved in this work.
Overview of the University Strategic Planning Process
The basic flow of the process begins with the University Strategic Plan. In this process, any aspect of your organization’s plan should ultimately connect with this primary driver of our work.
Once this guiding framework for your organization is in place, you will develop a set of Goals for your planning process, using thoughtful input from all the organization’s functional areas (i.e., departments, divisions, schools, programs, centers, institutes). Each of these Goals will be supported by several Objectives, illustrating what your organization will need to accomplish to achieve the changes reflected by your goal. Progress towards achieving these Objectives will be measured via Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Each Objective is further broken down into Strategies. Strategies are the assignable sets of tasks which, when concluded, should result in completed Objectives. Strategies are where the “rubber meets the road” and should move Objectives toward completion. Tangible Metrics will evaluate these strategies, which serve a similar measurement and progress function as KPIs for Objectives.
Notes on Accreditation
As you implement your plan, remember that one of the major standards for Penn State to maintain its regional accreditation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education is Standard VI: Planning, Resources, and Institutional Improvement.
Many of the items requested by Middle States can be found within the documents and processes that you have created or followed during your organization’s planning process. You will want to preserve this information so you can have it ready for any upcoming MSCHE self-study and site visits.
Below is the text of Standard VI, so you can be prepared and support a smooth accreditation process:
STANDARD VI
The institution’s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals, to continuously assess and improve its programs and services, and to respond effectively to opportunities and challenges.
Criteria
An accredited institution possesses and demonstrates the following attributes or activities:
1. institutional and unit goals that are clearly stated, assessed appropriately, linked to mission and goal achievement, reflect conclusions drawn from assessment results, and are used for planning and resource allocation;
2. clearly documented and communicated planning and improvement processes that provide for inclusive constituent participation;
3. planning that integrates goals for institutional effectiveness and improvement, including a focus on student achievement, educational outcomes, overall institutional improvement, and the results of institutional assessments;
4. planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion that is aligned with the institution’s mission and goals, maintains sufficient resources, and leads to institutional improvement;
5. a financial planning and budgeting process that is aligned with the institution’s mission and goals, evidence-based, and clearly linked to the institution’s and units’ strategic plans/objectives;
6. fiscal and human resources as well as the physical and technical infrastructure adequate to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered;
7. documented financial resources, funding base, and plans for financial development, including those from any related entities adequate to support its educational purposes and programs and to ensure financial stability;
8. a record of responsible fiscal management, including preparing a multi-year budget and an annual independent audit confirming financial viability and proper internal financial controls, with evidence of corrective measures taken to address any material findings cited in the audit or an accompanying management letter;
9. well-defined, inclusive decision-making processes and clear assignment of responsibility and accountability for achieving institutional and unit effectiveness;
10. comprehensive planning for facilities, infrastructure, and technology that includes consideration of sustainability and deferred maintenance and is linked to the institution’s strategic and financial planning processes;
11. compliance with its program responsibilities under existing federal title IV and other state laws and regulations, including any audits of financial aid programs as required by federal and state regulations;
12. strategies to measure and assess the adequacy and efficient utilization of institutional resources required to support the institution’s mission and goals; and
13. periodic assessment of the effectiveness of planning, resource allocation, institutional renewal processes, and availability of resources.
(Source: https://www.msche.org/standards/)
Some colleges or units may have other unit-specific accreditation standards. OPAIR can work with these groups to meet those additional requirements and stay connected to the university’s strategic plan process and requirements.