Don’t Plan to Fail so Start Strategically Planning Justin Camputaro Director of Student Centers and Activities Virginia Tech

Outline 1.How Organizations Work from a strategic planning framework 2.Strategic Planning Process 3.Process in Action

Who makes decisions? What is your process? What organizational tools do you use? policies, procedures, agreements, precedent values, mission, vision strategic plan

What is a Strategic Plan? “A disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does,…why it does it [and how it does it]” John Bryson, Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations

How Organizations Work We enter an organization with differing values, needs, and interests. The challenge: create alignment out of diversity. Reproduced with permission from Jim MacQueen, Virginia Tech UOPD

How Organizations Work Framework

Framework Elements Structure Leadership Processes & Tools Rules (Policies & Procedures) Culture

Framework Elements Structure Leadership Processes & Tools Rules (Policies & Procedures) Culture

How Organizations Work: Organizational Framework

How Organizations Work: Converging Lenses Values: What’s important? Needs: What do we require? VALUES/ NEEDS

How Organizations Work: Converging Lenses Mission : What are we here to accomplish? MISSION VALUES/ NEEDS

VISION MISSION VALUES/ NEEDS How Organizations Work: Converging Lenses Vision: What does success look like? External?Internal?

Vision We tend to be pretty heavily siloed

How Organizations Work: Diverging Lenses Strategy: Broad plans for reaching goals STRATEGY VALUES/ NEEDS MISSION VISION

How Organizations Work: Diverging Lenses Tactics: Procedures and methods for realizing strategies TACTICS VALUES/ NEEDS MISSION STRATEGYVISION

How Organizations Work: Diverging Lenses Action: What we DO to implement tactics ACTION STRATEGY VALUES/ NEEDS MISSION TACTICS VISION

You are a leader – This is your guidance system.

How Organizations Work VALUES MISSION TACTICS ACTION VISION STRATEGY Strategic Planning Process

Strategic Planning Process Strategic Thinking Preparation Development of the Strategic Plan Implementation Tracking and Measuring

Strategic Thinking Preparation Fundamental Questions Where are we now? Where do we want to be in the future? How do we plan to get there? Who are our primary stakeholders? What does the current environment look like?

Develop the Strategic Plan Agree upon and initiate the planning process Assess external and internal environment (SWOT) Identify organizational mandates Clarify mission and values Identify strategic issues facing the organization

Implementation Review and adopt the strategic plan Establish an effective organizational vision Formulate tactics to manage those issues Identify who will be responsible

Tracking and Measuring Reassess strategies, tactics, and the strategic planning process Mechanism & point person for tracking and reporting progress

Planning Frameworks Vision-Based or Goals-Based Issues-Based Alignment Model Scenario Planning Self-Organizing Planning Real-Time Planning

Virginia Tech A Plan For A New Horizon strategic-plan.pdf Division of Student Affairs Strategic Plan, Student Centers and Activities Strategic Plan 2012 – _strategic_plan.html

Student Centers and Activities Planning Process Retreat Identify top 3 strengths as a whole Review mission and values Opportunities for SCA -> Themes Discuss meaning of Themes & possible tactics

Student Centers and Activities Planning Process Work Groups Develop brief description of strategic direction Priority evaluation process –Goals, Benefits, Risks, Stakeholders, Organization Strengths, Organization Weaknesses, Resources Needed, Timeframe –What are the potential Impacts? –How Feasible is the initiative? –How Urgent is the opportunity now? Groups presented at Leadership Team Consolidated

Student Centers and Activities Planning Process Implementation Assessment Coordinator Created tracking document Goal – Action Item – Area Contributions – Target/Status – Responsible Area - Notes Functional units annually identify action items –Staff identified performance plans based on action items Update done this year

Benefits of a Strategic Plan Anticipate students’ needs Hire the right people Catalyst for collaboration and cooperation Opportunity to let go of programs, policies, and strategies Depoliticizes budgeting and allocation Communicate importance of org’s work Able to respond to accountability

References Askew, P. & Ellis, S. (Spring 2005). The power of strategic planning. NASPA Leadership Exchange. (pp. 5-8). Yeager, J. L., El-Ghali, H. A., & Kumar, S. (2013). A guide to the development of an institutional strategic plan. In P. J. Schloss & K. M. Cragg (Eds.). Organization and administration in higher education (pp ). New York: Routledge.

Justin Camputaro Director of Student Centers and Activities Virginia Tech