Strategic Planning Leading from the Top

The Planning “Landscape” Focus groups of parents, students, faculty, staff, board and alumni Focus groups of business, diplomatic and other important communities Focus group of neighbors if applicable Focus groups of sending schools and receiving schools Focus group of competitors Surveys? of parents? graduates? staff? students? Pros and cons Data on competitive positioning in the community

Workshop Participants Board AND Management team? Key faculty? Influential parents? Current older students or graduates? Important outsiders? Embassy/consulate other key individuals

Workshop Step 1: Mission Clarity Clarity of mission, rooted in tradition and needed by constituents and the local market Shifts in mission based on changes to the external environment and the internal culture Reinterpretation of mission based on new leadership at head or board level Agreement on key mission words or phrase Start with some basic themes that the Head/Director and Chair find crucial to school success

Groups Present in “Competitive” Format A group facilitator presents for his/her group Top items ranked and defined by budget, timetable and preliminary action plans Each group given some leeway to move outside top five chosen, to revisit the original list or go outside of entire list Each person votes again BOTH on theme and best group presentation

Voting Process Begin with as many as 40 possible strategic challenges Continue voting until consensus is reached on the top 4-7 strategic challenges or goals Assign those items to small discussion groups Groups discuss rank order and why

Data Presentation in Workshop Repeating themes (strategic challenges) from focus groups, interviews and other data Emerging patterns from key themes Outlier patterns Warning signals Confirmation of board/management goals....or Not? How do the above compare to similar schools regionally and internationally?

Synthesis of Results Chair and Head summarize privately: time for editorial “word smithing” by Chair and Head Chair and Head present results to full group Key themes for the strategic plan are now agreed upon and adopted If time allows, workshop participants are sent back to small groups to practice working on action plans and developing Key performance indicators for ONE of the strategic themes adopted These worksheet summations are brought back to whole group and shared. This is PRACTICE only

Preliminary Action Plans and KPI’s Committees are now formed around the 4-7 strategic priorities with the highest votes These committees have co chairs and meet after the workshop for 3 to 5 sessions Each committee begins to formulate 4 to 6 action plans Groups discuss at least two Key Performance Indicators for each action plan These final action plans and KPI’s are then approved by the Head and full Board

Committees Report Back The board responds, make suggestions, "up" or "down" on action plans or send back for further discussion by management Summary of Agreement sent to constituents

End Result Entire process takes 4 to 6 hours with possible second day for more work on action plans and KPI's Strategic Plan written for public consumption by consultant or insider Governance warning: Operations are the realm of management. Board participation in formulating action plans and KPI’s is a crucial and vital role for boards to play BUT staying strategic is often a challenge

Key Elements of All Plans Financial Strengths and Weaknesses: enrollment, fund raising, surplus, profit centers, etc Staff quality, accountability, evaluation and compensation Plant needs Curriculum needs or shifts, program changes Marketing for competitive advantage Risk assessments: staff, legal action, local government and policies, Internet usage/abuse, discipline, personnel policies, etc.

John C. Littleford TEACH Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates Global Issues - Local Solutions