Strategic Planning Process
Strategic planning provides focus and clarity on the direction an organization is moving to maximize its impact on the overall University community. Strategic planning helps align the vision, goals and resources needed to support your organization’s mission within 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 basic structure for its geographically distributed organizations to highlight, manage, and report their planning progress. This structure, rooted in the University’s mission and vision, 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 How-To Guide to help you and your organization familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts surrounding this strategic planning process – as well as to provide a template outlining a basic structure for your 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 the plan your organization develops 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 organizational 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 represent tactics designed to finish Objectives These Strategies will be evaluated by tangible Metrics, which serve a similar measurement and progress function as KPIs do for Objectives.
Notes on Accreditation
As you are implementing your plan, do 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 been following during your organization’s planning process. You will want to make sure that you 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:
- institutional objectives, both institution wide and for individual units, 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;
- clearly documented and communicated planning and improvement processes that provide for constituent participation, and incorporate the use of assessment results;
- 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;
- fiscal and human resources as well as the physical and technical infrastructure adequate to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered;
- well-defined decision-making processes and clear assignment of responsibility and accountability;
- 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;
- an annual independent audit confirming financial viability with evidence of follow-up on any concerns cited in the audit’s accompanying management letter;
- strategies to measure and assess the adequacy and efficient utilization of institutional resources required to support the institution’s mission and goals; and
- periodic assessment of the effectiveness of planning, resource allocation, institutional renewal processes, and availability of resources.
(Source: https://www.msche.org/standards/)