Strategic 2009 Planning Toolkit Guide to the Strategic Planning Toolkit to review the mission, vision and beliefs and develop the goals/objectives for strategic planning in higher education institutions. Manual and CD
Introduction Strategic planning is a critical component of planning every successful institution s future. Strategic planning charts a course designed to guide the institution safely around challenges while taking advantage of opportunities in the environment. Strategic planning also allows the institution to exploit its strengths and reverse its weaknesses. This document presents an approach to strategic planning developed by Palm Beach Community College 1 to manage a strategic planning process within a multi campus environment, although the tools are equally useful in a single campus institution. There are many approaches to strategic planning, and there is not a right or wrong way to develop one. The purpose of the Strategic Planning Toolkit is to provide institutions with a set of tools, ideas and tips to help make the strategic planning process more manageable. The result is a strategic plan that has broad based input and can be implemented by the institution. Assumptions This document assumes the reader is familiar with basic tenets of strategic planning and its role within higher education institutions. For an introduction to the subject, see Strategic Planning in Higher Education: Theory and Practice, by Robert A. Sevier, CASE 2000 (ISBN 978 0899643564). This manual and accompanying CD ROM is helpful for planning and implementing a strategic planning process, and works with any of the leading theoretical frameworks used for strategic planning. The Strategic Planning Toolkit breaks the strategic planning process into phases: Phase 1: Prepare background documents for meetings Phase 2: Conduct meetings at campuses to gain input from internal and external stakeholders Phase 3: Conduct a strategic planning workshop to develop the mission, vision, goals and objectives Phase 4: Implement the Strategic Plan through committees and action plans This manual is accompanied by a CD ROM where all the resource documents described in this manual are located. The content in some of the resources is specific to, but can easily be edited to fit your institution s needs. The CD is organized with folders labeled for each phase of the process. Any document mentioned in italics and underlined is included on the CD. All of the documents are also available at www.pbcc.edu/sacs2009.xml. Overall Timeframe for Strategic Plan Development and Implementation Table 1 (page 2) presents the timeline for implementation that used for the development and implementation of our strategic plan. The time needed at your institution may vary due to local circumstances, but the example should serve to illustrate a typical situation. 1 Effective January 1, 2010, will become Palm Beach State College. 1 P age
Table 1 Sample Timeline for Development and Implementation of a Strategic Plan Term Event Month Responsible Entity Fall 2008 Presentation to President, VP/Provosts on September 2008 Academic Affairs/IRE Strategic Plan 2009 2012 Methodology Fall 2008 Prepare final report for the 2006 2009 October 2008 IRE/Academic Services Strategic Plan QEP finals Fall 2008 Academic Affairs/IRE meets with Provosts September 16, 2008 Academic Affairs/IRE on planning for Campus Forum Meetings and provides toolkit Fall 2008 Provosts provide Campus Forum Meeting October 1, 2008 Provosts Dates to IRE Fall 2008 Campus Forum Meetings (External input) Oct/Nov 2008 Campus Provosts/IRE Fall 2008 Campus Internal Forum Meetings Oct/Nov 2008 Campus Provosts Fall 2008 Campuses submit Campus Forum reports to December 1, 2008 Campus Provosts IRE using provided template Fall 2008 Prepare Environmental Scan Report November 1, 2008 IRE Fall 2008 Finalize Strategic Planning Committee November 2008 Academic Affairs/President Spring 2009 Prepare information for Strategic Planning Committee Environmental Scan, compilation of forums, QEP report send to Strategic Planning Committee December 2008 IRE/Academic Services Spring 2009 Strategic Planning Steering Com. Meeting Vision/Beliefs/Mission/objectives Spring 2009 College Approval of draft 2009 2012 Strategic Plan January 29 30, 2009 April 2009 Academic Affairs/IRE/Academic Services Academic Affairs/IRE/Academic Services Spring 2009 DBOT approval of Strategic Plan May/June 2009 Academic Affairs Summer/Fall 2009 16 Planning units develop strategies and action plans for all goals/objectives in the 2009 2012 Strategic Plan 3 year plan with interim follow up November 2009 Campuses, District Offices monitored by IRE Spring 2010 Implementation of Action Plans January 2010 16 Reporting Units Spring 2011 Interim Evaluation January 2011 16 Reporting Units Spring 2012 Final Evaluation April 2012 16 Reporting Units Phase 1: Prepare Background Documents for Meetings We developed basic data tools to provide some background about the institution. We prepared a onepage summary on enrollment and an Environmental Scan document that provided a broad overview of the current environment. The Environmental Scan was organized around the topics of Demographics, the Economy, Environment and Energy, Learning, Politics, and Technology. Phase 2: Conduct Meetings at Campuses to gain input from Internal and External Stakeholders The second phase of the Strategic Planning Toolkit was to gather input from internal and external stakeholders on each campus. Campus leadership had the opportunity to invite partners from their 2 P age
communities to develop a vision of the institution at an established end year of the strategic plan. PBCC develops three year strategic plans, although many institutions develop five year strategic plans. This phase of the Strategic Planning Toolkit is designed to assist in planning and implementing the campus meetings and includes suggestions for invitees, agendas, staffing, meeting formats, and templates for invitations and electronic reminders and announcements. The kit also includes the Vision Questionnaire for Strategic Planning and the Strategic Planning Meeting Results Template. Table 2 presents a sample planning calendar for the campus that detailed the events that the campus administration had to arrange and plan. This was especially helpful in a multi campus environment. Table 2 Campus Meetings Planning Calendar When As Soon As Possible As Soon As Meeting Dates Are Established 2 Weeks Before Meetings 1 Week Before Meetings 3 Days Before Meeting Day Before Meeting Day of Meeting Within One Week After Meetings What Develop list of invitees Select date(s) for meetings Notify IRE of dates and times by October 1, 2008 Send electronic Save the Date announcement Send formal invitation email Determine formats to be used for meetings and develop agenda Order any supplies needed Send follow up email to invitees who have not RSVP d Hold briefing meeting with all persons who will be assisting Train group leaders if groups will be used Determine room configuration and make arrangements to have physical settings ready Send reminder email to invitees who are attending Prepare name tags, etc. Prepare easel chart sheets Make all copies, hand outs, etc. Check room(s) for proper configuration Check that all supplies are present Check any equipment to be sure it s operating properly Run through responsibilities with staff Set up registration table After the meeting, gather all easel chart sheets, questionnaires, etc. used and designate one person to keep them together and safe Tabulate results and fill in Meeting Results Template 3 P age
When What Send all materials to IRE Suggested List for Invitees to Strategic Planning Campus Meetings The following types of personnel were suggested as invitees to the external and internal stakeholder meetings held at the campuses. External Stakeholders (40 50 people) Business Partnership Councils Mayors/other appropriate political office holders Chambers of Commerce High school/middle school/elementary school principals University/college partners PTA members (parents) Religious leaders Community organizations Alumni Internal Stakeholders (open) Staff Faculty Administration Students Sample Agenda for Strategic Planning Campus Sessions Total Time 2 hours Introduction... 5 minutes Purpose & Agenda... 5 minutes Ice Breaker... 15 minutes Vision Questionnaire for Strategic Planning (participants complete form)... 15 minutes Open brainstorming session for vision questionnaire... 70 minutes Refer to options for conducting this session Session wrap up... 10 minutes Total...120 minutes 4 P age
Suggested Ice Breakers for Large Groups Concentric Circles Everyone count off by 2s. Ask the 1s to form an inner circle, the 2s an outer circle. Each person stands across from someone in the other circle. (You can use two sets of circles for a large group have everyone count off by 4s. 1s and 2s form one set and 3s and 4s form another set. If there is an odd number of participants, one of the group leaders joins in to even it out. The timekeeper keeps the time for the exercise. Ask facing pairs to introduce themselves by name and what they do and each talk about themselves for 30 seconds, if time allows for the size of the group. If the group is very large, they can tell one or two things about themselves that most people would not know and take only 15 seconds. When time is called, ask everyone in the inner circle to shift one place to the left. New pairs introduce themselves and repeat the process. Continue until time runs out. Nametags Prepare nametags for each person and put them in a box. As people walk into the room, each person picks a nametag (not their own). When everyone is present, participants are told to find the person whose nametag they drew and introduce and say a few interesting things about themselves. When everyone has their own nametag, each person in the group will introduce the person whose nametag they were initially given and mention something of interest about that person. This helps participants get to know and remember each other. Suggestions for Generating Ideas and Prioritizing All participants complete the Vision Questionnaire for Strategic Planning. This document allows the participant to provide input on what types of programs the institution should offer, the institution s role in the community, the institution s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, what they would like to change about the institution and any general comments. This input served as the starting point to get conversations moving in the open brainstorming sessions. Open Brainstorming Session Ideas for Conducting a Meeting at a Campus One Large Session Post It easel chart sheets are put on the wall. Each sheet has a subject heading, e.g., PBCC s Strengths, PBCC s Weaknesses, What PBCC Does Well, etc. The facilitator leads the discussion, asking for one or two subjects at a time strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, etc. Assistants use hand mikes in the audience to get responses. The scribe records them on the easel chart sheets, the timekeeper calls time. This set up requires a strong, experienced facilitator. Break out Groups Break the large group into smaller teams of 6 8 people and have them brainstorm each subject. Leave time for each team to report their results and have the scribe write them on easel chart sheets at the front of the room. One person should be designated team leader for each team and should be trained in how to lead the team and what results are expected at a meeting prior to the main session. Be sure to configure the room so that teams are separated enough to not distract each other. Ideally, they could go to separate rooms. 5 P age
Setting Priorities Have participants select the top six items for each subject. These will probably be the most... Voting can be accomplished in several ways: Clickers (Student Response System Devices) This requires someone who can create the PowerPoint slides quickly and works best with the large open session. As the facilitator completes a subject and moves on, the person can prepare the slide. Voting with Sticker Dots Using peel off file folder dots, hand out a strips of six dots (one for each subject) to each person. Ask participants to place their stickers on their top six choices on each easel chart page. Each sub group (faculty, students, community stakeholders, etc.) can have a different color. Participants move around the room until they have voted at each easel chart sheet. Ballots Give each participant a ballot with subject heading on it and lines for six choices. Ask them to select the six top choices from the main easel chart sheets at the front of the room and list them in order of their preference. These will be tabulated by hand later. Have a place on the ballot where the participant can indicate his or her affiliation category (student, faculty, etc.). Strategic Planning Sessions Suggested Staffing Chair Introduction and closing Facilitator Assistant(s) to Facilitator equipped with hand mikes Scribe Assistant to Scribe to tear off sheets, supply pens, etc. Time Keeper Supplies Registration table/registration sign in list Name tags Post it Note easel chart Permanent markers for easel charts Copies of vision questionnaire Extra pencils/pens for participants to fill in questionnaires Hand microphones for assistants Stopwatch or watch with second hand for timekeeper If break out groups are used o Writing tablets for each group o Table/chairs for each group If voting with sticker dots is used o File folder stickers in different colors If clickers are used o Data projector and screen viewer, clickers & equipment, knowledgeable and fast computer operator If ballot voting is used o Ballots 6 P age
Preparing the Final Report to the Institutional Research Office From the campus input, based on the questionnaires completed by participants and consensus gained in the meeting, the campus administration prepares a document that summarizes the results of the meetings. This is collected in a uniform manner through the Strategic Planning Meeting Results Template, which follows the categories listed in the vision questionnaire (types of programs the institution should offer, the institution s role in the community, the institution s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, what they would like to change about the institution and any general comments). Phase 3: Conduct a Strategic Planning Workshop to Develop Mission, Vision, Goals and Objectives This phase of the Strategic Planning Toolkit involved inviting a broad sample of internal stakeholders from across the campuses to participate in a two day workshop to develop the mission, vision and from that develop goals and objectives to achieve the mission. The participants needed for your institution may vary, but we included faculty, staff, administrators, students and a board member. Table 3 Overview of the Strategic Planning Workshop with Outcomes What Where When What Where When Strategic Planning Day 1 PBG Bioscience Hall SC 127 January 29 1:00 PM 4:30 PM Strategic Planning Day 2 PBG Bioscience Hall SC 127 January 30 8:00 AM 4:00 PM Overview The purpose of this two day workshop is review the mission, vision and beliefs of PBCC, and develop goals and objectives for the 2009 2012 Strategic Plan. Workshop Outcomes 1. To review the current mission statement and revise if needed. 2. To review the current vision statement and revise if needed. 3. To review the current beliefs and revise if needed. 4. To develop 3 5 goals for the 2009 2012 strategic plan, based on the mission. 5. To develop 2 3 objectives per goal for the 2009 2012 strategic plan, based on mission and goals. Briefing Package To prepare the team for the workshop, we prepared a comprehensive briefing package that was sent to all participants prior to the meeting. This packet contained a few unique items. One of the issues that often can occur when a packet is sent to participants is that the material is not reviewed prior to the meeting. To encourage people to do their homework, we provided a scavenger hunt questionnaire that required the participant to read and search through the material to answer the questions. Participants who correctly answered the questions were entered in a drawing where prizes were awarded throughout the day. Almost all of the team members participated in the scavenger hunt and it helped build a spirit of engagement. 7 P age
Table 4 Briefing Package Contents Document Cover Letter explaining the process Letter from Dr. Dennis Gallon, President of Event Information Page (map and directions to the campus and building) Environmental Scan College Profile Page 2006 2009 Strategic Plan (the former strategic plan) Final Report on the 2006 2009 Strategic Plan Campus and District Forum Summaries Scavenger Hunt Page Quiz Word Clouds To provide a visual way to represent campus input, we prepared word clouds. A word cloud is a visual representation of text. Words that appear more often in your source document will be larger in the represented diagram, meaning that it was mentioned often by the participants. We created these by simply cutting and pasting in the results from the Strategic Planning Meeting Results Template into a free online tool available at www.wordle.net. Participants reported that the tool helped them synthesize the results in an efficient way from across the campuses. Complete results can be seen in the Campus Strategic Planning document on the CD. Figure 1 Example Word Cloud from a Campus Meeting 8 P age
Website We also created a web site, which can be viewed at http://www.pbcc.edu/x16599.xml. The site included an overview of the strategic planning meeting, all participant names, the agenda and of the contents of the briefing package. Refreshments and Atmosphere We met in a large conference style room that allowed us to serve breakfast and lunch in the same room as the meeting. We felt that if participants were to have lunch on their own, some my not return and be tempted to attend to regular College business. It also allowed the group to bond and socialize in a relaxed environment. We encouraged people not to check College email while at the meeting. Table 5 Refreshments Refreshment Items Timeline Afternoon Break Cookies, Coffee/Tea Thursday, Jan. 29 Breakfast Bagels, Fruit Friday, Jan. 30 Lunch Wraps, Salads Friday, Jan. 30 Candy for Tables Candy Thursday/Friday Water Stations Water for tables Thursday/Friday Technology We used technology to facilitate the meeting. We had laptop computers at each table and appointed a scribe to collect information at each table. Each scribe was given a short training session on the technology. As groups developed draft mission and vision statements, beliefs, goals and objectives, results were compiled from each laptop using flash drives. The information was then copied into a PowerPoint presentation for voting using a clicker, or student response system device, which allowed us to quickly gather input and gain consensus. We used another PowerPoint presentation to use as background slides to indicate which part of the meeting was occurring. Table 6 Types of Technology Used in the Strategic Planning Workshop Type of Technology Used for: Laptop Computers (9) Table input for all areas Clickers (2 sets) Input for voting Flash Drives (9) Saving table input for slides Wireless microphones One for facilitator, one for audience 9 P age
SAMPLE AGENDA STATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP Thursday, January 29, 2009 Palm Beach Gardens Campus, Room SC 127 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Note: AA Staff arrive in the morning for set up and technology testing). 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Welcome Ice Breaker / Introductions Sharon Sass Dennis Gallon Helen Shub 2:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Review of materials, process, agenda, goals, timeline Ginger Pedersen Jennifer Campbell 2:30 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Mission Statement Definition, review, discussion 3:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Tables Report Tables Vote / Consensus Sharon Sass 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Belief Statements Definition, review, discussion Vision Statement Definition, review, discussion 4:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. Tables Report Tables Vote / Consensus 4:30 p.m. Closing Sharon Sass STATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP Friday, January 30, 2009 Palm Beach Gardens Campus, Room SC 127 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Note AA Staff arrive at 7:30 for setup and technology testing. 8:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 8:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m. Welcome Recap: Agenda, Goals, Timeline Sharon Sass 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Update Mission / Belief / Vision Grace Truman 10 P age
9:30 a.m. 9:45 a.m. Tables Vote 9:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Strategic Plans / Goals Definition and examples of goals Ginger Pedersen 10:45 a.m. 11:15 a.m. Tables present Facilitators 11:15 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Vote / Consensus on 3 5 goals 12:00 p.m. 12:45 p.m. Lunch 12:45 p.m. 2:15 p.m. Strategic Plans / Objectives Definition and examples of Objectives Ginger Pedersen 2:15 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Tables present Facilitators 3:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Vote / Consensus on 2 3 objectives 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Closing Review: Finished product; timeline Action Plans Sharon Sass Dennis Gallon 4:00 p.m. THANK YOU! Phase 4: Implement the Strategic Plan through Committees and Action Plans After the strategic planning workshop, the developed mission, vision goals and objectives were edited for clarity and sent out to the College community for review and input. The final versions were approved by the College's board of trustees. To begin the implementation phase, each goal was assigned to an Administrator to see that the objectives under each goal were achieved. Action plan committees were formed to plan and implement the goals and objectives. In turn, each objective was assigned to a Chair for strategy and action plan development. Each Chair received the names of the persons who volunteered to serve on a committee. The Chair could decide that additional persons were needed and could appoint additional persons to the committee as needed. The Chair could form sub committees to develop the action plans if needed. Role Administrator Chair Committee Member Table 7 Roles of Each Person in Strategic Plan Implementation Responsibility Ensure that the goal is achieved through the objectives. Provide leadership to the objective committee; appoint committee members as needed; ensure that: 1) Action plans are developed and submitted 2) Minutes of all meetings are taken and submitted to the Academic Minutes Distribution list in Outlook using the minutes template. (http://www.pbcc.edu/documents/academic_services/minutestemplate.doc); 3) Progress reports are submitted as per schedule. Serve on committee or sub committee as required; provide input to developing the action plan; help prepare the action plan for submission. 11 P age
The Action Plan Defining Strategies for Objectives The charge of each committee was to develop strategies to implement the objective. Each strategy was developed through an action plan, which is a planning document that provides detail on how the strategy will be implemented, and most importantly, who will implement the strategy and how it will be implemented. Purpose of an Action Plan An action plan is a document that provides detailed steps as to how a particular strategy will actually be accomplished in support of the goals and objectives. An action plan is not a plan to plan ; it should be a step by step plan with timelines and responsibilities to implement the strategy. The action plans were posted to the PBCC website so that the College community could see how the College is implementing the strategic plan. Each objective could potentially have many action plans developed, depending upon the complexity of the objective. In most cases, there is not a one to one ratio of objectives to action plans. Format of the Action Plan The plan can have as many steps as is needed to implement the objective. Extra rows can be inserted into the document as needed. The following table explains the fields on the action plan. The form also has built in follow up reports so that the document stays intact as a complete plan, rather than have separate documents for follow up. A sample of the form is provided on the next few pages. Table 8 Form Field Explanations Page 1 of the Action Plan Field PBCC Goal: PBCC Objective: Strategy to address the objective: Brief Narrative: Team Members: Submitted By/Date: Action Steps: Responsibilities: Timelines: Resources: Potential Barriers: Involvement: Explanation A cut and paste of the goal addressed. A cut and paste of the objective addressed. The strategy that the committee has developed that addresses the objective. A brief one to two paragraph summary describing the strategy and the issue it addresses in relation to the strategy. Provide the names of the committee members who developed the action plan. Provide the submittal date. ACTION PLAN STEP DETAIL Provides a description of each action step. More lines can be inserted into the form if needed. Who will actually be responsible for implementing the step? When should this action step be completed? (Day/Month) What resources are available to accomplish the step and what resources (human, financial, political, other) are needed? What barriers exist (individuals or offices) that might resist the step? How might they resist? What other groups are involved in the implementation of the step and how are they involved? 12 P age
Figure 2 First Page of Action Plan Form Fields Page 2 of the Action Plan Field Explanation Evidence of Success How will you know if the plan is succeeding? What measures do you plan on using? In what time frames should change be expected? Assessment Process What process will you be using to assess the effectiveness of the plan how will you know that it made a difference. Assessment plans should produce measurable objectives. Request for Funding Are funds required to implement the action plan? Describe the need for funds, specify the type of expenditure, the amount needed and the date needed. Progress Report At dates established in the timeline, the chair (or designee) will provide an update on the progress of the report. The reporter will provide a short paragraph narrative and check off the current status with green signifying that the plan is on schedule, yellow signifying that the project is delayed and red that the plan is very behind schedule. If yellow or red is selected, detail should be provided as to the barriers or difficulties being encountered. 13 P age
Figure 3 Second Page of Action Plan Table 9 Sample Progress Report Due Dates Event Due Date Progress Report #1 April 30, 2010 Progress Report #2 November 30, 2010 Progress Report #3 April 29, 2011 Progress Report #4 November 30, 2011 Final Progress Report April 30, 2012 Conclusions We hope that this compilation of strategic planning tools will be helpful to other institutions that are embarking on a strategic planning cycle. The entire methodology, or parts of it, could be adapted to the needs of any institution, large or small, that wishes to develop and implement a strategic plan to achieve the institution's mission, vision, goals and objectives. 14 P age
Contact Information: Dr. Jennifer Campbell Director, Institutional Research & Effectiveness campbejd@pbcc.edu Dr. Ginger Pedersen Dean, Curriculum, Planning & Research pederseg@pbcc.edu Ms. Helen Shub Manager, Outcomes Assessment shubh@pbcc.edu Website for Materials: http://www.pbcc.edu/sacs2009.xml 15 P age