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- February 15, 2019
What Is a Strategic Planning Committee?
- --> Written by Nick Price
The two basic duties of boards are oversight and strategic planning. Depending on the size and type of the board and the organization, boards have a few options on how to organize their strategic planning process. Boards can delegate the task by setting up a standing strategic planning committee or task force.
The alternative is for the entire board to work on strategic planning during board meeting time, which works especially well for smaller boards. There’s no right or wrong approach. The important issue is that boards consider strategic planning a work in progress and that they have a designated process for continual work.
According to the Governance Institute , about 50% of hospital and health system boards rely on a standing strategic planning committee to develop their short- and long-term planning strategies. By contrast, almost 90% of the companies reported having a finance committee.
Reasons to Have a Strategic Planning Committee
Strategic planning is one of the board’s fiduciary responsibilities. The board provides the direction that sustains the organization for the upcoming 12 months. Looking beyond the coming year, the board is responsible to develop strategic plans for two to five years.
The average size of a corporate board is about nine members and the average size of a nonprofit board is about 17 members. Boards that have larger numbers of members may be too large to provide the necessary focus for forming important strategic directions. Smaller groups have the time to vet issues thoroughly and come to conclusions quickly. Boards that choose to delegate strategic planning have standing committees do the legwork on planning and bring a draft to the board for consideration. This process saves the board time because they have a base of information to use when asking questions and making requests for revisions.
What Is Strategic Planning?
Strategic planning first accounts for clarifying and solidifying an organization’s purpose and mission. Clarifying the purpose is especially important for charities. Nonprofits are legally required to operate according to their purpose and to benefit the public accordingly.
A strategic planning committee must also consider where the organization is currently; what they want to see happen over the next three to five years; and formulate a plan for how to achieve their goals. Planning includes identifying the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. By analyzing the internal and external environments, a strategic planning committee can help the board identify risks and challenges. This information will help the board establish priorities and set goals. A strategic planning committee memorializes their strategic plan in writing so the board can refer to it regularly to monitor their progress toward achieving their goals.
Strategic planning committees that wish to keep their work safe and completely confidential should be using an electronic board portal by BoardEffect , which includes a highly secure email communications platform.
What Do Strategic Planning Committees Do?
If it’s your first position as a member of a strategic planning committee, a quick internet search will yield lots of information on how the process works. Most committees have their own preferred way of dealing with the details.
Generally, strategic planning committees will begin the process by identifying the strategic issues they need to address. It’s also common to do an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which is also commonly known as a SWOT analysis . Other information that’s helpful in strategic planning is looking at market opportunities and threats, assessing customer satisfaction and demand, and getting input from employees about their perceptions of strengths and weaknesses. These exercises will help the committee members to determine their starting point.
The next phase of the process typically consists of developing the strategies. At this point, the strategic planning committee reviews the mission, vision and values statements to determine if they want to recommend any changes to the board. Working together, the committee then develops the three- to five-year plan, along with a three-year financial projection.
Using the SWOT analysis as a reference point, the committee should be able to set some solid priorities. The next part of strategic planning is to set some short- to mid-term goals.
Any time an organization sets goals, it’s prudent to set SMART goals . The acronym SMART stands for:
S -Specific
M -Measurable
A -Achievable or attainable
R -Realistic or reasonable
T -Time measured
In other words, each goal should be specifically worded and be something that can be realistically achieved. Strategic planning committees should be able to put a timeframe on achieving the goals and should be able to measure the outcomes.
The committee will also need to identify key performance indicators and plan to use them to track the board’s progress against their goals. To ensure that there’s adequate funding to support the new objectives, the committee will need to develop a one-year budget for the short-term plan. The final step in this phase is to assign organizational goals to the responsible departments. They will then be able to get started planning their action steps so they’ll have much to report to the board at the designated periods.
The steps listed above compose the bulk of the work that a strategic planning committee needs to do, but there is one final, important stage in the strategic planning process, and that entails monitoring the performance of the strategic plan.
Upon finalization of the strategic plan, the committee should get a final approval from the board before pursuing implementation. The committee then needs to communicate the strategy to the whole organization, so that everyone feels invested in their responsibility and is contributing to the overall plan.
To keep strategic planning on track, the committee should be careful not to overlook creating a schedule for progress reviews. Most boards find that quarterly progress reports are sufficient for monitoring and follow-up. This gives the board a chance to review the strategic plan and to ask for modifications if they’re necessary. Taking these steps should ensure that boards are seeing specific and measurable progress in multiple areas.
At the end of the year, it’s time to review the committee’s achievements and success and schedule time to build on that success by conducting strategic planning for the next year.
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- What is strategic planning? 5 steps and ...
What is strategic planning? 5 steps and processes

A strategic plan helps you define and share the direction your company will take in the next three to five years. It includes your company’s vision and mission statements, goals, and the actions you’ll take to achieve those goals. In this article we describe how a strategic plan compares to other project and business tools, plus four steps to create a successful strategic plan for your company.
Strategic planning is when business leaders map out their vision for the organization’s growth and how they’re going to get there. Strategic plans inform your organization’s decisions, growth, and goals. So if you work for a small company or startup, you could likely benefit from creating a strategic plan. When you have a clear sense of where your organization is going, you’re able to ensure your teams are working on projects that make the most impact.
The strategic planning process doesn’t just help you identify where you need to go—during the process, you’ll also create a document you can share with employees and stakeholders so they stay informed. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to get started developing a strategic plan.
What is a strategic plan?
A strategic plan is a tool to define your organization’s goals and what actions you will take to achieve them. Typically, a strategic plan will include your company’s vision and mission statements, your long-term goals (as well as short-term, yearly objectives), and an action plan of the steps you’re going to take to move in the right direction.
Your strategic plan document should include:
Your company’s mission statement
Your company’s goals
A plan of action to achieve those goals
Your approach to achieving your goals
The tactics you’ll use to meet your goals
An effective strategic plan can give your organization clarity and focus. This level of clarity isn’t always a given—according to our research, only 16% of knowledge workers say their company is effective at setting and communicating company goals. By investing time into strategy formulation, you can build out a three- to five-year vision for the future of your company. This strategy will then inform your yearly and quarterly company goals.
Do I need a strategic plan?
A strategic plan is one of many tools you can use to plan and hit your goals. It helps map out strategic objectives and growth metrics. Here’s how a strategic plan compares to other project management and business tools.
Strategic plan vs. business plan
A business plan can help you document your strategy as you’re getting started so every team member is on the same page about your core business priorities and goals. This tool can help you document and share your strategy with key investors or stakeholders as you get your business up and running.
You should create a business plan when you’re:
Just starting your business
Significantly restructuring your business
If your business is already established, consider creating a strategic plan instead of a business plan. Even if you’re working at a relatively young company, your strategic plan can build on your business plan to help you move in the right direction. During the strategic planning process, you’ll draw from a lot of the fundamental business elements you built early on to establish your strategy for the next three to five years.
Key takeaway: A business plan works for new businesses or large organizational overhauls. Strategic plans are better for established businesses.
Strategic plan vs. mission and vision statements
Your strategic plan, mission statement, and vision statements are all closely connected. In fact, during the strategic planning process, you will take inspiration from your mission and vision statements in order to build out your strategic plan.
As a result, you should already have your mission and vision statements drafted before you create a strategic plan. Ideally, this is something you created during the business planning phase or shortly after your company started. If you don’t have a mission or vision statement, take some time to create those now. A mission statement states your company’s purpose and it addresses what problem your organization is trying to solve. A vision statement states, in very broad strokes, how you’re going to get there.
Simply put:
A mission statement summarizes your company’s purpose
A vision statement broadly explains how you’ll reach your company’s purpose
A strategic plan should include your mission and vision statements, but it should also be more specific than that. Your mission and vision statements could, theoretically, remain the same throughout your company’s entire lifespan. A strategic plan pulls in inspiration from your mission and vision statements and outlines what actions you’re going to take to move in the right direction.
For example, if your company produces pet safety equipment, here’s how your mission statement, vision statement, and strategic plan might shake out:
Mission statement: “To ensure the safety of the world’s animals.”
Vision statement: “To create pet safety and tracking products that are effortless to use.”
Your strategic plan would outline the steps you’re going to take in the next few years to bring your company closer to your mission and vision. For example, you develop a new pet tracking smart collar or improve the microchipping experience for pet owners.
Key takeaway: A strategic plan draws inspiration from your mission and vision statements.
Strategic plan vs. company objectives
Company objectives are broad goals. You should set these on a yearly or quarterly basis (if your organization moves quickly). These objectives give your team a clear sense of what you intend to accomplish for a set period of time.
Your strategic plan is more forward-thinking than your company goals, and it should cover more than one year of work. Think of it this way: your company objectives will move the needle towards your overall strategy—but your strategic plan should be bigger than company objectives because it spans multiple years.
Key takeaway: Company objectives are broad, evergreen goals, while a strategic plan is a specific plan of action.
Strategic plan vs. business case
A business case is a document to help you pitch a significant investment or initiative for your company. When you create a business case, you’re outlining why this investment is a good idea, and how this large-scale project will positively impact the business.
You might end up building business cases for things on your strategic plan’s roadmap—but your strategic plan should be bigger than that. This tool should encompass multiple years of your roadmap, across your entire company—not just one initiative.
Key takeaway: A business case tackles one initiative or investment, while a strategic plan maps out years of overall growth for your company.
Strategic plan vs. project plan
A strategic plan is a company-wide, multi-year plan of what you want to accomplish in the next three to five years and how you plan to accomplish that. A project plan, on the other hand, outlines how you’re going to accomplish a specific project. This project could be one of many initiatives that contribute to a specific company objective which, in turn, is one of many objectives that contribute to your strategic plan.
A project plan has seven parts:
Success metrics
Stakeholders and roles
Scope and budget
Milestones and deliverables
Timeline and schedule
Communication plan
Key takeaway: You may build project plans to map out parts of your strategic plan.
When should I create a strategic plan?
You should aim to create a strategic plan every three to five years, depending on your organization’s growth speed. That being said, if your organization moves quickly, consider creating one every two to three years instead. Small businesses may need to create strategic plans more often, as their needs change.
Since the point of a strategic plan is to map out your long-term goals and how you’ll get there, you should create a strategic plan when you’ve met most or all of them. You should also create a strategic plan any time you’re going to make a large pivot in your organization’s mission or enter new markets.
What are the 5 steps in strategic planning?
The strategic planning process should be run by a small team of key stakeholders who will be in charge of building your strategic plan.
Your group of strategic planners, sometimes called the management committee, should be a small team of five to 10 key stakeholders and decision-makers for the company. They won’t be the only people involved—but they will be the people driving the work.
Once you’ve established your management committee, you can get to work on the strategic planning process.
Step 1: Determine where you are
Before you can get started with strategy development and define where you’re going, you first need to define where you are. To do this, your management committee should collect a variety of information from additional stakeholders—like employees and customers. In particular, plan to gather:
Relevant industry and market data to inform any market opportunities, as well as any potential upcoming threats in the near future
Customer insights to understand what your customers want from your company—like product improvements or additional services
Employee feedback that needs to be addressed—whether in the product, business practices, or company culture
A SWOT analysis to help you assess both current and future potential for the business (you’ll return to this analysis periodically during the strategic planning process).
To fill out each letter in the SWOT acronym, your management committee will answer a series of questions:
What does your organization currently do well?
What separates you from your competitors?
What are your most valuable internal resources?
What tangible assets do you have?
What is your biggest strength?
Weaknesses:
What does your organization do poorly?
What do you currently lack (whether that’s a product, resource, or process)?
What do your competitors do better than you?
What, if any, limitations are holding your organization back?
What processes or products need improvement?
Opportunities:
What opportunities does your organization have?
How can you leverage your unique company strengths?
Are there any trends that you can take advantage of?
How can you capitalize on marketing or press opportunities?
Is there an emerging need for your product or service?
What emerging competitors should you keep an eye on?
Are there any weaknesses that expose your organization to risk?
Have you or could you experience negative press that could reduce market share?
Is there a chance of changing customer attitudes towards your company?
Step 2: Identify your goals and objectives
This is where the magic happens. To develop your strategy, take into account your current position, which is where you are now. Then, draw inspiration from your original business documents—these are your final destination.
To develop your strategy, you’re essentially pulling out your compass and asking, “Where are we going next?” This can help you figure out exactly which path you need to take.
During this phase of the planning process, take inspiration from important company documents to ensure your strategic plan is moving your company in the right direction like:
Your mission statement, to understand how you can continue moving towards your organization’s core purpose
Your vision statement, to clarify how your strategic plan fits into your long-term vision
Your company values, to guide you towards what matters most towards your company
Your competitive advantages, to understand what unique benefit you offer to the market
Your long-term goals, to track where you want to be in five or 10 years
Your financial forecast and projection, to understand where you expect your financials to be in the next three years, what your expected cash flow is, and what new opportunities you will likely be able to invest in
Step 3: Develop your plan
Now that you understand where you are and where you want to go, it’s time to put pen to paper. Your plan will take your position and strategy into account to define your organization-wide plan for the next three to five years. Keep in mind that even though you’re creating a long-term plan, parts of your strategic plan should be created as the quarters and years go on.
As you build your strategic plan, you should define:
Your company priorities for the next three to five years, based on your SWOT analysis and strategy.
Yearly objectives for the first year. You don’t need to define your objectives for every year of the strategic plan. As the years go on, create new yearly objectives that connect back to your overall strategic goals .
Related key results and KPIs for that first year. Some of these should be set by the management committee, and some should be set by specific teams that are closer to the work. Make sure your key results and KPIs are measurable and actionable.
Budget for the next year or few years. This should be based on your financial forecast as well as your direction. Do you need to spend aggressively to develop your product? Build your team? Make a dent with marketing? Clarify your most important initiatives and how you’ll budget for those.
A high-level project roadmap . A project roadmap is a tool in project management that helps you visualize the timeline of a complex initiative, but you can also create a very high-level project roadmap for your strategic plan. Outline what you expect to be working on in certain quarters or years to make the plan more actionable and understandable.
Step 4: Execute your plan
After all that buildup, it’s time to put your plan into action. New strategy execution involves clear communication across your entire organization to make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and how to measure the plan’s success.
Map your processes with key performance indicators, which will gauge the success of your plan. KPIs will establish which parts of your plan you want achieved in what time frame.
A few tips to make sure your plan will be executed without a hitch:
Align tasks with job descriptions to make sure people are equipped to get their jobs done
Communicate clearly to your entire organization throughout the implementation process
Fully commit to your plan
Step 5: Revise and restructure as needed
At this point, you should have created and implemented your new strategic framework. The final step of the planning process is to monitor and manage your plan.
Share your strategic plan —this isn’t a document to hide away. Make sure your team (especially senior leadership) has access to it so they can understand how their work contributes to company priorities and your overall strategic plan. We recommend sharing your plan in the same tool you use to manage and track work, so you can more easily connect high-level objectives to daily work. If you don’t already, consider using a work management tool .
Update your plan regularly (quarterly and annually). Make sure you’re using your strategic plan to inform your shorter-term goals. Your strategic plan also isn’t set in stone. You’ll likely need to update the plan if your company decides to change directions or make new investments. As new market opportunities and threats come up, you’ll likely want to tweak your strategic plan to ensure you’re building your organization in the best direction possible for the next few years.
Keep in mind that your plan won’t last forever—even if you do update it frequently. A successful strategic plan evolves with your company’s long-term goals. When you’ve achieved most of your strategic goals, or if your strategy has evolved significantly since you first made your plan, it might be time to create a new one.
The benefits of strategic planning
Strategic planning can help with goal-setting by allowing you to explain how your company will move towards your mission and vision statements in the next three to five years. If you think of your company trajectory as a line on a map, a strategic plan can help you better quantify how you’ll get from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to be in a few years).
When you create and share a clear strategic plan with your team, you can:
Align everyone around a shared purpose
Proactively set objectives to help you get where you want to go
Define long-term goals, and then set shorter-term goals to support them
Assess your current situation and any opportunities—or threats
Help your business be more durable because you’re thinking long-term
Increase motivation and engagement
Sticking to the strategic plan
To turn your company strategy into a plan—and ultimately, impact—make sure you’re proactively connecting company objectives to daily work. When you can clarify this connection, you’re giving your team members the context they need to get their best work done.
With clear priorities, team members can focus on the initiatives that are making the biggest impact for the company—and they’ll likely be more engaged while doing so.
Related resources
How to create an organizational chart (with free templates)
How to pitch project management software: A complete guide
Learn how to do operational planning the right way
How to create a CRM strategy: 6 steps (with examples)
University Strategic Planning
Eastern Washington University
Strategic Planning Committee
Committee members as of january 1, 2018.
- Dr. Scott Gordon , Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, Chair
- Chris Robbins , Director of Strategic University Planning, Vice Chair
- Mark Baldwin , Associate VP, Undergraduate Academic Policy & Planning, Academic Affairs
- Heather Veeder , Analyst, Undergraduate Academic Policy & Planning, Academic Affairs
- Dr. Chris Valeo , Professor of English, CALE
- Dr. Marty Weiser , Department Chair & Assoc. Professor of Mechanical Engineering, CSTEM
- Dr. Jonathan Anderson , Interim Dean & Professor of Psychology, CSS
- Dr. Morris Kalliny , Associate Dean & Assoc. Professor of International Marketing, CBPA
- Dr. Susan Burwash , Department Chair & Assoc. Professor of Occupational Therapy, CHSPH
- Dr. Lynn Briggs , Dean & Professor of English, University College
- Liya Deng , Social Sciences Librarian, Library
- Dr. Jackie Coomes , Professor of Mathematics, Faculty Organization
- Dr. Neil Woolf , Associate VP Enrollment Management, Student Affairs
- Virginia Hinch , Assistant VP Student Services & Exec. Director, Career Development, Student Affairs
- Trent Lutey , Associate VP Business & Auxiliary Service, Business & Finance
- Christina Blum , Fiscal Specialist, Advancement
- Chad Karthauser , Associate Athletic Director Business & Finance, Athletics
- Gaige Baisch , President Associate Students of EWU, ASEWU
Purpose :The planning process allows the university to prioritize the activities and resources that support our vision, mission, and values. The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) is charged to support and monitor the planning process in the following areas:
1. The Committee: The Strategic Planning Committee is a standing committee established to develop and monitor the strategic planning process for Eastern Washington University.
The composition of the committee is as follows :
- Academic Affairs: 12 (Admin, CALE, CSS, CSTEM, CBPA, CHSPH, University College, Faculty and Library)
- Student Affairs: 2
- Business & Finance: 1
- Advancement: 1
- Athletics: 1
- Students: 1 (ASEWU)
Terms of service :
- Administrative committee members will be continuous.
- Non-administrative committee members will be set for a predetermined length of time.
Leadership :
- The Provost will serve as Chair of the Committee
- The Director of Strategic University Planning will serve as Vice Chair and manage the completed strategic plan and support assessment of the implementation plan.
2. Strategic Planning Process. The planning process will include the following:
- Development and oversight of all appropriate planning documents (Vision Statement, Strategic Plan, Implementation Plan, etc.).
- A 5-year cycle for implementation of the strategic plan.
- Identification of 3-5 strategic goals (no more than 5).
- Integrates the Academic, Enrollment Management, Budget, IT, Facility, Advancement, Student Services, Library and Athletics plans.
- Development of unit-level (colleges and divisions) plans aligned with the institutional-level plan.
3. Roles and Responsibilities. Committee members will be responsible for the following:
- Understanding the components of an institutional strategic plan and developing those that are necessary.
- Lead unit-level strategic planning sessions across campus.
- Actively participate in committee activities and discussions.
- Develop and support the objectives and goals of the institutional strategic plan.
4. Other Responsibilities. In addition to the roles and responsibilities above, Committee members will:
- Promote and advocate for implementation of the Strategic Plan to all internal and external stakeholders.
- Actively engage in disseminating information about the process, Plan, and its implementation.
- Be aware of strategic issues in the internal or external environment related to the institutional planning process and ensure that the Committee is informed.
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What is a Strategy Committee?
A strategy committee is a group of individuals (typically comprised of leaders from the organization) that represent the board of directors or key decision leaders in a business or non-profit organization. The strategy committee has the primary responsibility and task to formulate strategy by deciding where the firm should compete (what markets, lines of business, and geographies). However, in most organizations, it is the responsibility of leaders from business units or divisions to decide how to compete or how to achieve the overarching goals and mission of the enterprise. The strategy committee reviews, approves and synchronizes the strategic plans of business units or divisions. It is the committee’s job to make recommendations and provide guidance to the board regarding both division level strategies and the overarching strategy of the corporation. This allows the board to give the strategy development responsibilities to those who have greater knowledge about the firm and the industry and focus on the strategy review process and oversight.
What does a Planning Committee do?
A planning committee primarily does the work of researching and developing the overarching strategy of the enterprise. This includes:
- Defining major goals (what to achieve) with corresponding targets.
- Setting objectives (a more detailed and specific set of achievements and outcomes within the major goals).
- Formulating key initiatives or the actual strategic plan (how to achieve the goals at a higher, more conceptual level).
- Tactics (specific details about how each initiative or element of the strategic plan will be accomplished).
It is the planning committee that communicates and explains how the firm will “operationalize” the strategy and move forward with the implementation of the strategy.
What are the Five Steps in the Strategic Planning Process?
Step one: awareness.
Awareness is about collecting data and analyzing information about the environment the organization operates in. Having adequate information about the internal strengths and vulnerabilities as well as external variables such as industry and global environment factors that may impact the health and well-being of the enterprise is essential to the planning process.
Step Two: Translation
Translation requires that you take the external and internal information (collected in step one) about the business landscape and identify opportunities to exploit and risks to mitigate. Translation enables an organization to articulate and explain the implications and meaning of the changes occurring (internally and externally) to the business. An example of translation would be determining if a change in global monetary policy might have a positive or negative impact on the organization’s strategy.
Step Three: Formulation
Formulation is assembling the plan of action and represents what the organization intends to do or accomplish to ensure it remains relevant and competitive in the short and long term. The plan that is devised should explain how the organization intends to achieve the strategic plan, create value for customers and stakeholders and how the business will differentiate itself from rivals who compete in the same space.
Step Four: Implementation and Execution
This step involves the precise implementation of the plan, allocation of resources and delegation of authority to take action that will produce results and help the organization achieve the outcomes and milestones contained in the strategy plan. This step also involves the monitoring process, accountability and measurement based on clearly defined performance indicators.
Step Five: Revision
The strategic plan of action is like a playbook and gives the members of the organization a line of sight into the organization’s direction and intention. However, revision is an often-missed step in strategy. It is critical to anticipate and prepare for adjustments that will inevitably need to be made due to the disruptions and changes in the business environment. Successful organizations are agile and can adapt to new information, leverage success, learn from failures and make course corrections to seize opportunities and manage challenges.
Who Makes up a Strategy Planning Committee?
For a well-functioning Strategy Planning Committee, there should be a representation from the major functions or activities in the organization and it may also include internal and external board members (or subject matter experts) with relevant knowledge and insights about the business environment. Normally, a planning committee would be comprised of leaders with experience in functions such as
- Supply Chain Management
- People Management
A planning committee should reflect the key functions that drive your business. Most strategy planning committees have 5 to 10 people with diverse perspectives who can think creatively and critically about future opportunities and areas of exposure for the organization.
What is Organization Strategic Planning?
Organization Strategic Planning is a process that helps leaders create and envision the future. The process focuses on how the organization can adapt and remain relevant in an endlessly changing world that provides new opportunities as well as emerging disruptions and risks. All of the forces impacting an organization can be managed better with a well thought out plan of action that will enable it to take advantage of favorable circumstances that arise as well as vulnerabilities and perils that may challenge the very survival of an organization.
What is an Organization Strategy Plan?
The organization strategy plan focuses on the ways and means to secure a supply of talent to drive the long-term sustained growth of the business. This includes how the organization intends to recruit, develop and retain the best talent. In addition, the organization strategy plan must anticipate the need for new or different activities, functions, and capabilities needed to transform the business and move it forward as the business environment shifts and changes.
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Strategic Planning
Steering committee and process.
In spring 2022, the President announced the formation of a Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) and invited submissions for nomination. The President and Cabinet reviewed applicants and selected committee members guided by a goal of being as inclusive and diverse as possible across the entire campus.
SPSC Representation and Members
The spsc has the following representation:.
- Representatives from LCAS (Loyola College of Arts & Sciences), the Sellinger School of Business and Management (SSBM), and the School of Education (SoE). These representatives include tenured and teaching and clinical faculty.
- Administrative representatives
- Staff representative
- Alumni representative
- Board of Trustee representative
- Student from SGA representative
The SPSC is composed of the following individuals:
- Kerry Boeye, Ph.D., associate professor of visual and performing arts
- Wendy Bolger, director of the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Seán Bray, interim vice president for mission
- Michelle Cheatem, Ed.D., associate vice president for student development
- Lynne Elkes, M.B.A, teaching assistant professor of economics
- Stephanie Flores-Koulish, Ph.D., professor of education specialties
- Frank Golom, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology
- Sara Hayward, ’11, alumni representative
- Alexa Junikiewicz, ’24, Student Government Association representative
- Matthew Kudler, ’06, MBA ’18, director of advancement communications
- Kirsten Lichtner-Baase, executive assistant for the Sellinger School of Business and Management
- Jennifer Louden, M.A. ’17, dean of undergraduate admission
- Jen Lowry, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and chair of the faculty
- Michael Mansfield, assistant vice president for financial and auxiliary operations
- Eric Nichols, vice president for enrollment management, co-chair
- Paola Pascual-Ferrá, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, co-chair
- Michael Puma, incoming dean of undergraduate studies
- Daniel Rizzo, ’99, trustee
- Kerry Tan, Ph.D., associate professor of economics
- Michael Tangrea, Ph.D., ’96, endowed professor of innovation and biology
Ex Officio Members:
- Terrence Sawyer, president
- Cheryl Moore-Thomas, provost
- Gerry Holthaus, chair, board of trustees
The committee is supported by the following individuals:
- Stephanie Brizee, Ph.D., special advisor to the president
- Rita Buettner, director university communications
- Cyndy Cowles, executive assistant, president's office
- The Rev. Christopher Duffy, S.J., senior associate vice president for mission, planning, and integration
- Tracey Frey, assistant vice president for institutional effectiveness and academic assessment
- Maureen McCord, executive assistant, enrollment
Roles and Responsibilities
The following defines the roles and responsibilities of individuals and groups across campus for the formation and management of the strategic planning process. The final plan should encapsulate a shared vision that the President is responsible to ensure is enacted for the good of Loyola. The President will work with the Cabinet to ensure the successful completion of the plan. As such, the Cabinet is the final management body for the execution of the strategic plan.
Every Member of the Loyola Community
All members of our community are invited—and encouraged—to participate in the planning process. Although not all input will be directly incorporated into the final strategic plan, all input is valuable to the process. Most importantly, all members of the community will be involved in bringing the plan to life as we collaborate to strengthen and advance Loyola University Maryland for generations to come.
Strategic Planning Steering Committee Co-Chairs
The SPSC co-chairs will lead the committee and provide overall guidance to the process. They will call the meetings, establish the agenda, coordinate the members, and ultimately are responsible for ensuring the creation of a final plan that is focused and achievable within an agreed upon timeframe.
Strategic Planning Steering Committee
The SPSC is responsible for managing the strategic planning process from start to finish and for producing the final product. Specifically, they are responsible for:
- Planning and hosting all feedback and data collection sessions
- Planning and working with the Office of Marketing and Communications to ensure active communication with the community (establishing the website, sending out emails, guiding branding process, etc.)
- Creating and sending out surveys
- Collecting and reviewing data
- Accepting nominations for forming smaller working groups once themes are established
- Overseeing working groups and ensuring they produce recommended objectives that are clear, achievable, and meet the overall goals of the plan
- Communicating with constituents and community
- Ensuring a transparent and fair process
Strategic Planning Steering Committee Support
Members from the President’s Office, Marketing and Communications, Academic Affairs, the Cabinet, and Enrollment are providing advisory, coordination, and logistical support to the co-chairs and committee. Their role is to help ensure this process is as smooth as possible and is seamlessly integrated into existing support mechanisms of the University.
Loyola Conference
As part of its charge, the Loyola Conference monitors progress on strategic planning and progress toward the University’s mission and goals. The SPSC co-chairs will keep the Loyola Conference apprised of developments throughout the process and will ensure their feedback and input has been properly accounted for in the process.
President and Cabinet
The President and Cabinet will provide high-level direction for the strategic plan. They will receive frequent updates from the Strategic Planning Steering Committee Co-Chairs and the Strategic Planning Coordinator as the process is occurring and the plan is evolving. The Cabinet will function as the final manager of the plan once it has been approved.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees have the final approval over the plan and will work with the President to ensure it is enacted successfully.
Charge to the Strategic Planning Steering Committee
The SPSC is charged with consulting and forming partnerships with representatives from our students, faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, alumni, parents, community partners and other stakeholders to help craft the vision and direction of the next strategic plan for Loyola. The committee is further charged with formulating a draft of Loyola’s next strategic plan, following the process laid out in the Strategic Planning Guidebook.
The plan should anticipate the overall strategic direction of the University through 2030. A draft of the plan should be completed by fall 2023 to be shared with campus constituencies. After review and refinement, a final draft should be ready to be presented to the President for approval in December of 2023 and then to the Board of Trustees for their approval at the February 2024 Board meeting.
The strategic plan should consider and address the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing Loyola and higher education. During spring 2022, the President spent time with many different constituencies. He also participated in SWOT analyses with the Cabinet and the Board of Trustees. From these exercises the President offered the SPSC four thematic areas that he sees as important to Loyola’s future. He asked us to consider the following:
- How can we improve our commitment to DEI, student success, and wellbeing?
- How can our Jesuit values, specifically engaged learning and academic excellence, be realized in a way that sets us apart from the other 28 schools in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU)?
- How can the Universal Apostolic Preferences, and specifically caring for our common home, be more fully embraced?
- How can employment issues specific to higher education be innovatively addressed, making Loyola a place where people feel valued and love to work?
At the end of Summer 2022, the SPSC engaged in the same SWOT analysis process that will be implemented as part of the Community Engagement Sessions during Fall 2022. The SPSC will schedule and convene these sessions, analyze the community’s feedback, and extract common themes and ideas that will help form a strategic plan that is aspirational and actionable within the timeframe and resources available.

- February 15, 2019
What The a Strategic Planning Committee?
- Written by Nick Price
The two basic duties of boards are slip the politic planning. Depending on this size and type is the board and the organization, boards have a few options on how to organize their strategic planning process. Councils can delegate the assignment by setting upside a standing strategic planning committee or task forceful. Strategic Planning Steering Committee · Planning and hosting all feedback and data collection sessions · Planning press working the the Office of Marketing and ...
The alternative is for the entire board to work on strategic planning during board meeting time, which works exceptionally well-being used shorter boards. There’s no right or incorrect approach. Who important matter is that boards consider tactical preparation a jobs inches progress and that they have ampere designated process for continual work. The Strategic Visions and Planning Committee will can oversight responsibility of administer functions
According to that Governance Institute , about 50% of hospitality and health system planks trusted on an standing strategic planning committee to build their short- and long-term planning strategies. By contrast, almost 90% of the company reported having one finance committee.
Reasons to Have an Strategic Raumordnung Committee
Strategic planning is one of the board’s fiduciary responsibilities. The board offers the direction that sustains the organization for one upcoming 12 months. Looking beyond the coming year, the board are responsible to develop strategic plans in two to five years. The Strategic Planungsarbeiten Committee assists the board includes its responsibilities used the organization's mission, vision and strategic direction. Go readers more... Key ...
The average size of one corporate board your about nine members and that average size of a charity board is about 17 community. Boards that have larger numbers of members may be too large to provide the necessary focus by forming important strategic directions. Smaller groups have the time to vet issues thoroughly the come to concluding quickly. Boards that choose to delegate strategic planning have standing boards accomplish the legwork on planning or bring adenine draft at to board for consideration. The process saves the board time because they have a base by information to use when asking questions furthermore creating requests for revisions.
What Is Strategically Program?
Strategic planning first accounts for clarifying and solidifying einer organization’s purpose and mission. Clarifying the objective is especially important for charities. Nonprofits are lawfully required to operate according till their purpose and in benefit an public accordingly.
A strategic konzeptionelle committees must also consider where the organization is currently; what they want to see happen over the next three go five years; and formulate ampere map for how to reach their goals. Planning includes identifying the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In analyzing aforementioned internal and external environmental, a strategic planning committee can help the board identify risks the challenges. This information will help the committee establish priorities and set goals. A strategy planning committees memorializes their strategic plan to writing so the board can refer to it regularly to monitor their progress head achieving their aspirations.
Politic planning boards that wish to keep their work safe and completely confidential should be after an electronic rack portal by BoardEffect , which includes a strong secure email communications platform.
What Do Strategical Programming Committees Do?
With it’s your first location as a member of a strategic planning committee, a quick internet search will gain lots of information off how the process works. Most committees possess their own preferably way of trafficking with the details. NCAA Division ME Strategic Vision press System Committee
Typical, strategic planning committees will begin the process by identifying one strategic issues they require to deal. It’s also common to do into analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which is also commonly well-known how a SWOT analysis . Select information that’s helpful in strategic planning is looking at market your and threats, assessing purchaser satisfaction and requirements, and getting input from employees about their perceptions of strength and weaknesses. These exercises will help the committee associates to determine their starting point.
The next phase of the process normal consists the developing the product. At this point, the strategic planning committee reviews to assignment, vision and values statements to determine with person like to recommending any changes to the lodge. Working together, the committee then develops and three- go five-year plan, along with a three-year financial projection.
Using the SWOT analysis as a reference point, the committee should breathe able to set some solid precedence. The next part of strategic planning is to set of short- to mid-term goals.
Any time somebody organization sets goals, it’s prudent to set SMART goals . The areas SMART kiosks for:
S -Specific
M -Measurable
A -Achievable or attainable
RADIUS -Realistic or reasonable
T -Time measured
Into other lyric, each goal should be specifically worded and be something such can be close achieved. Strategic programming committees should be able for put a timeframe on get the goals and ought be able to measure which finding. Strategic Planning Committee
And committee willingness also need into identify key performance indicators press set to use them on track an board’s progress against their goals. To ensure that there’s adequate funding to support the new objectives, the committee will need in develop a one-year budget for the short-term plan. The final level in this etappen is to assign organizational goals to the responsible departments. They will after be able to get started konzeption yours move steps so they’ll have much to report to the board at that designated periods.
The steps listed above compose aforementioned loose are the work that a strategic planning social needs to do, but there is one final, important stage in the strategic planning process, and this entails monitoring the performance of and strategic plan.
Upon finalization of the strategic plan, the committee should get a final approval from the board before pursuing implementation. Of select then needed to communicate the strategy to the whole organization, so that every felt invested in their responsibility and is contributing the the overall plan.
To stay strategic planning on track, the committee should be careful not to overlook creating a schedule for progress reviews. Most tables find such journal progress reports am sufficient for monitoring and follow-up. On gives the board a chance to review the strategic plan and for inquire for modifications if they’re necessary. Taking these steps should ensure that boards are seeing specialize and measurable progress on multiple areas. Division I Strategic Vision and Planning Committee
At the end of to year, it’s time to review the committee’s achievements and your and schedule hour to build on that success by conducting strategic planning for an next type.
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The Strategic Role of an Effective Development Committee and How to Create One
Board of Trustees //
November 8, 2020
Your strategically focused Board of Trustees is key to making your development programs effective and sustainable. When your Board centers on decision-making that is future-focused and viability-motivated, your school prospers—inspiring your donors and prospects to commit philanthropic dollars to your school.
To be most effective, your Board must engage in strategic planning, Head support and evaluation, developing and maintaining a culture of giving and getting involved, and due diligence. Your Board and Development Committee must work together to ensure the proper management of donors and prospects.
Here's more about fostering the strategic role of an effective Development Committee.
The Board's Role in Long-Term Viability
The Board should focus on viability, not daily operational issues. In some cases, the Board members can mistakenly become consumed with handling operations or maintenance tasks. Their scope should focus on matters of strategy—tuition setting, supporting the School Head, and fundraising.
When it comes to fundraising, the Board is the leader. School staff, including the School Head, are the facilitators that support the Board's role in development—from annual funds and capital campaigns to major gifts and endowment initiatives.
The Development Committee
To spearhead fundraising, your Board should create a Development Committee (sometimes called an Advancement Committee). The Board's Development Committee leads by supporting the Board's strategic role in the school's development efforts. This committee is responsible for:
- recommending and monitoring the school's development plan, tying directly to the Board's strategic plan and the strategic financial plan;
- providing input and feedback on the school's Case for Giving ;
- participating in the donor cycle including identification , engagement , evaluation , solicitation , recognition , and stewardship of donors and prospects; and
- involving other Trustees and appropriate members of the broader community in the Committee's work.
When selecting people to include on your Board, ISM recommends including eight to 10 individuals who have demonstrated their personal philanthropic support of the school, who are well-connected to your community, and who are able to engage donors and prospects with your school. Include Board members (at least four) and other community members who can help further your school's mission. Avoid selecting individuals who are representatives of constituent groups, clubs, and organizations, like the Parent Association President.

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The Development Quartet
The Development Quartet (which includes the Development Committee Chair, the Board President (or Chair), the School Head, and the Development Director) works in concert with your Development Committee to accomplish your Board’s strategic goals. In addition, the quartet functions as a front-line strategy group when considering fundraising opportunities and prospect engagement plans.
These four leaders are responsible individually and collectively for implementing the donor cycle—identification, engagement, evaluation, solicitation, recognition, and stewardship—to involve major donors and prospects.
The Board Chair
The Board Chair should lead strategic planning and work with the Development Committee Chair to align committee goals with the school’s strategic plan. The Board Chair also sets the tone and pace for giving.
The Development Committee Chair
The Development Committee Chair leads strategic development planning with the Committee and works with the Board Chair to align the goals with the strategic plan. The Committee Chair also helps lead and educate Trustees about their philanthropic duties to the school.
The Development Committee Chair also works with the Development Director to set the meeting agendas, manage the development plan, and create fundraising policies.
The School Head
The School Head is the face of the institution and tells the school's story through the eyes of the students, faculty, parents, and alumni. As guardian of the school’s mission, the Head can speak directly to donors and prospects about the essential reasons for providing for the school's future.
The Development Director
The Development Director is the chief of staff who plans for the implementation of strategic goals and actions in the strategic development plan, which has been reviewed by the Quartet and approved by the Development Committee. As the consummate organizer, the Development Director creates and oversees the implementation of engagement plans as well as coordination of all development programs and special events.
The Development Director works with the Development Committee Chair to set an agenda for monthly meetings and annual planning. Agendas should include reporting and discussion of strategic priorities, and provide opportunities for members to share their knowledge of your donors and prospects and to brainstorm ideas for the future.
Having the right people with the appropriate commitment to your school and mission impacts your development efforts. The strategic role of an effective Board ultimately ensures the Development Committee is working effectively to provide for the soft income that will help underwrite the future viability of your school.
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Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is a process that outlines the direction of an organization. It identifies how an organization will allocate their resources to achieve a desired future state while positioning itself to be competitive within the industry. Through this process, areas of excellence and improvement are substantiated, and organizational goals are aligned to ensure that all entities are moving in the same direction.
Goals, outcomes and benefits of strategic planning include the following:
- Defining an overarching vision for the organization
- Identifying areas of excellence in which to invest
- Acquiring necessary resources for new initiatives
- Prioritizing critical issues
- Aligning organizational goals so that stakeholders are moving in a common direction
- Increasing motivation, commitment, and teamwork/Enhancing communication
- Adapting more effectively to changing circumstances
- Positioning an organization to be competitive
- Developing shared criteria for evaluation
The process of strategic planning itself seeks to answer four fundamental questions:
Where is the organization today.
- Where should the organization be in the future?
- How should the organization get there?
Is the organization getting there?
These questions can be answered for the whole organization, individual departments, or even certain service lines. Developing a plan that answers these questions is a multi-step process consisting of:
- An initial planning phase during which the scope of a given strategic project is determined and stakeholders are aligned.
- An environmental assessment where the organization’s/service’s current position is evaluated through data acquisition and analysis, focus groups, surveys, stakeholder interviews, and benchmarking.
Where should the organization be in the future? AND How should the organization get there?
- A mission, vision, goal, and strategy development process that involves examining the acquired information to articulate a desired future state and the changes necessary to realize this vision.
- The creation of a final plan document as well as an implementation plan and metrics scorecard.
- An ongoing system for tracking the plan’s progress by reviewing key metrics and having discussions with those responsible for the plan’s execution.
Leadership - At its core, strategic planning is a leadership function that benefits anyone in a leadership position. A strategic plan is more likely to succeed if the impetus for strategic planning comes from the top and the organization’s leader is prepared to visibly and consistently commit the organization to a strategic process.
Organizational Integration - To be effective, strategy cannot stand alone or apart from operations. If strategy defines the desired future states and the means to that end, “operations” defines, allocates, and manages the necessary resources. Key areas include:
- Linking to annual forecasts and budgets: Strategic plans involve change, and change often requires the investment of resources. To succeed, the strategic planning process must include the means by which its resource estimates and priorities become part of the institution’s long-range resource forecasts and annual budgets.
- Coordinating with related organization(s): Few organizational units stand entirely on their own. To succeed, the strategic planning process must anticipate and involve participants from other affected units and must be communicated regularly across the organization.
- Assignment of ownership and accountability: The organization’s management must, in the end, embrace assignment of ownership and accountability. To succeed, the strategic plan and the organization’s leadership must clearly assign and communicate organizational and individual responsibilities for the successful execution and implementation of each goal and strategy.
Group on Institutional Planning (GIP) Toolkit (PDF)
Creating Strategic Plans
Step 1: initial planning (approval, scope, timeframe, stakeholders, planning team).
The goals of the initial planning phase are to: 1) clarify the scope of the strategic plan; 2) organize the planning process; and 3) identify stakeholders and possibly a list of steering committee members to be involved with the development and implementation of the plan.
Step 2: Environmental Assessment
The objective of the environmental assessment phase is to define and collect the necessary data to understand the service’s current state. Some questions an environmental assessment hopes to answer include:
- What does the service’s historical performance indicate?
- What trends are impacting the organization?
- What opportunities or threats are facing the service or organization?
- What strengths or weaknesses does the service or organization possess?
This is accomplished through interviews, data analysis, focus groups, surveys, internal and/or external benchmarking, and sometimes an innovation assessment. The end result of this phase should be a summary document that provides an accurate representation of the present environment while identifying both issues and opportunities. Assistance of a business manager is helpful in identifying data and doing the analyses.
Step 3: Mission, Vision, Goal and Strategy Formation
The purpose of this step is to agree on your current mission, create a future vision for the organization/service and generate short-term goals and detailed strategies towards reaching this desired state. The formation of the mission, vision and accompanying goals is accomplished through brainstorming and discussions with senior leadership/stakeholders while the formation of strategies is best achieved by smaller workgroups comprised of those that will be directly involved in implementation. In the last part of this phase, the direction and strategies are used to generate volume projections and a pro forma validating the expected successes of plan implementation.
Step 4: Final Plan Development and Approval/Endorsement
The goal of this step is to: 1) compile the necessary documents for senior leadership and key stakeholders in the organization/service; and 2) secure plan confirmation/approval. The purpose is to provide senior leadership/key stakeholders with the information needed to make decisions regarding the organization/service. In addition, senior management will want to understand how the organization/service will drive implementation (i.e., how the plan will be implemented). An implementation plan and scorecard are useful tools to facilitate this discussion.
Links/Resource Suggestions:
- Four Basic Questions (PDF) Four questions to consider when developing your strategic plan
- Structure (PDF) Visual overview of the structure of the strategic plan
- Environmental Assessment Tools for Research (PDF) This presentation is divided into three parts: Part 1 focuses on an overview of research strategic planning, including trends; Part 2 focuses on assessing the internal environment; and Part 3 focuses on assessing the external environment.
- SWOT Analysis (internal to your organization ) (PDF) Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
- What is Planning? (PDF)
Implementing Strategic Plans
The strategic plan should be a living document that helps drive decision making for leaders and teams. It should be reviewed periodically to assess progress.
Step 1: Develop an Implementation Plan
Once you know what you want to achieve and how, develop an implementation plan that highlights strategy leaders, timeline (including interdependencies) and resources needed (both existing and incremental). This not only helps the department organize around their plan but provide direction for enabling business entities such as advancement, space planning, communications, and government affairs.
Step 2: Scorecard Development and On-Going Review
Prior to the completion of the plan, determine how frequently the plan will be re-evaluated and how often updates will be given to senior leadership/key stakeholders. Develop a scorecard that compares actual performance to targets for key plan metrics.
To ensure that the plan is moving forward, periodic meetings with individuals denoted in the implementation plan may be needed to discuss progress and any factors that mitigate the plan’s success. Adjustments may be needed to the planned timeline, or to strategies and resources.
Step 3: Communications Plan
Once your plan is complete and approved by senior leadership, it is important to communicate it to key stakeholders including faculty and staff, boards, alumni, philanthropists/foundations, politicians and other influencers. Additionally, work with your communication’s team to ensure regular communications tie to the strategic plan progress whenever possible. Encourage your leader to mention their strategic plan in regular interactions and how the plan impacts his/her decision making and prioritization.
- Strategic Planning and Assessment Presentation - This presentation is designed to give an overview of the strategic planning process for those new to the process. It has been used with deans and other executives particularly in higher education, but it is applicable to any organization.
- Strategic Planning: Moving from Point A to Point B Faster - Best practices for strategy and strategic planning.
- Proposed Timeline and Process for Updating the Strategic Plan (PDF)
- Planning within Turbulence: The Changing Nature of Change (PDF)
Use of Data and Scorecards in Strategic Plans
It is important to understand if your actions are creating the progress desired. Therefore, it is important to develop metrics to track your success and make changes to the plan if needed. Leadership and key stakeholders will also want to understand that goals are being achieved.
- Tracking progress allows you to advocate for support, financial or otherwise, as you move forward in your plan. A few points to consider when developing dashboard:
- It will be important to identify metrics in key areas that will demonstrate progress toward goals (e.g., clinical volume, quality and safety, financial, research funding, etc.).
- Targets for each metric should be identified. /Metrics should be compiled in a scorecard for tracking progress over time. Actual performance should be compared to the targets.
Links/Resources Suggestions:
- AAMC Data Resources for benchmarking purposes
- Dashboard example (PDF) of how data can be presented
Recommended Strategic Planning Reading
Culture change.
AAMC President's Address 2007: " Culture and the Courage to Change " (PDF). Former AAMC President Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., delivered the following address at the association's 118th annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 4, 2007
Journal Articles
- Collaboration and Peer Review in Medical Schools' Strategic Planning
- Improving Diversity Through Strategic Planning: A 10-Year (2002–2012) Experience at the Medical University of South Carolina
- Defining the Role of the University of Kentucky HealthCare in Its Medical Market—How Strategic Planning Creates the Intersection of Good Public Policy and Good Business Practices
- Strategic Planning and the Balanced Scorecard for Faculty Practice Plans
- Making Interprofessional Education Work: The Strategic Roles of the Academy
- Strategic Planning in a Complex Academic Environment: Lessons from One Academic Health Center
- Development and Implementation of a Comprehensive Strategic Plan for Medical Education at an Academic Medical Center
Other Publications
Space Planning and Management in Academic Medical Centers
Strategic Planning Presentations
- Developing, Implementing and Monitoring Your Strategic Plan (webinar)
- Operationalizing Your Strategic Plan - Part II (webinar)
- Tips and Tools to Successfully Implement a Strategic Plan (webinar)
- Communicating Your Strategic Plan: To Enlighten, Convince, Motivate, and Align (webinar). Download the related notes by Shari Capers and Rebecca Saavedra.
- The Changing Environment (PDF): How do you plan for the long term in an ever changing environment? This resource provides an overview of things to consider as a clinical, research, educational or institutional plan is developed and how to leverage effective strategies to cope with changing circumstances.
- Introduction to Strategic Planning (PDF): This presentation introduces the concept of strategic planning and illustrates how strategic planning can help your institution. In this presentation, you will learn how to develop the strategic direction, assess the environment and establish goals.
- Environmental Assessment Tools (PDF): Strategic planning emphasizes assessment of the environment both inside and outside of the organization. This presentation includes an in-depth discussion of research data that are publicly available and the practical uses of the data that can be used in the environmental assessment.
- Organization Alignment (PDF): For your strategic plan to succeed, each person in your organization must support it. This session will focus on the importance of, and ways to gain buy-in from, the university or other institutional leaders, identify project leaders, and develop a communication plan.
- Performance Excellence and Continuous Improvement Methods (PDF): There are many tools, methods, templates and frameworks that can be utilized in strategic planning. This presentation provides a brief introduction to some of the more well known frameworks. While the method itself can be a valuable asset in strategic planning, the adaptability of the different frameworks to fit your unique planning needs is where the real value is derived. Gain a better understanding of how to utilize some of the different methods and potential outcomes by utilizing these tools.
- Developing the Action Plan: Moving from Planning to Action (PDF): Moving beyond the development of the strategy and goals, this presentation focuses on elements important for the success of the strategic plan. Coordinated action across the institution is the key to success. In this presentation we will examine how resource plans are constructed and how to develop and identify key stakeholders and resources needed to achieve your goals.
- Managing Your Strategic Plan (PDF): This presentation offers examples of metrics, scorecards, dashboards, and other tracking tools for accountability. Included in the session will be a discussion of return on investment, delegation and assignment of responsibilities, and staffing and effort associated with managing your plan.
- The Future (PDF): What has changed over the years in strategic planning and what should we expect in the years to come? What are the new technologies and technologies coming down the pipeline that will help the strategic planning process be successful? This is a chance to think toward the future, and to help better position yourself, as a strategic planner, to be ‘strategically thinking’ toward future opportunities.
Institutional Strategic Plans
- Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science 2020-2023 (PDF)
- Creighton University School of Medicine 2008-2018 (PDF)
- Strategic Plan FY 2019-2022 (PDF)
- Strategic Plan FY 2020-2024 - Advancing Health Equity and Inclusion for Community and Academic Impact (PDF)
- Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine 2018-2023
- Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine 2015-2020 (PDF)
- Indiana University School of Medicine 2018-2022
- Memorial University of Newfoundland 2018-2023
- Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine 2022-2025
- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 2019-2024 (PDF)
- University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
- University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 2019-2029
- University of California, Davis, School of Medicine 2022-2027
- University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine 2020-2025 (PDF)
- University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine 2021-2023
- University of Central Florida College of Medicine 2021-2026 (PDF)
- University of Louisville School of Medicine 2020-2023 (PDF)
- University of Michigan Medical School 2019-2024
- University of New Mexico School of Medicine 2018-2023
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine 2008
- Wayne State University 2022-2027 (PDF)
- Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine 2022-2026
Strategic Planning Career Development
Planners are masters of process. Planners must skillfully employ a variety of techniques to shepherd participants through the steps of visioning, environmental assessment, development of goals, objectives and strategies, and tactical planning for implementation. The skills involved are both substantive and political.
Planners must be generalists with the ability to master new subject areas quickly. In one instance, the planner may be called on to facilitate planning for managed care networks, and in the next, be called on to plan for a transgenic animal program. The potential topical areas are nearly limitless, and the planner must be comfortable working with technical material that may be unfamiliar.
The roles that planners are called on to play are even more varied than the many different organizations that make up academic medicine. The senior planning position in a large organization, such as an academic medical center, would include all of the elements listed below. Senior planners in smaller organizations, or specialists within a planning group, may have responsibilities requiring some of these abilities, but not all of them.
Competencies are listed below:
- High Performing Teams
- Change Management
- Coaching Skills
- Facilitation Skills
- Leadership Building
- Project Management
- Situation Analysis
GIP Strategic Planning and Management Subcommittee
Learn more about the GIP Strategic Planning and Management Subcommittee . Learn more about the subcommittee's recent hot topic discussions .
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Cal Poly Humboldt

HSU Strategic Plan
- Roles and Responsibilities
Committee Charge
The President’s Strategic Initiatives Committee develops, implements, and monitors strategic and operational planning. The Humboldt strategic planning process is a collaboration between the University Senate, Office of the Provost, and Office of the President.
Using a consultative, campus community-based approach, the committee develops and recommends to the President a strategic plan to guide Cal Poly Humboldt for a five-year period, AY 2021-2026. In addition, the committee will provide oversight of institutional planning, which includes ensuring the strategic and operational plans are completed, assessed, monitored, and updated regularly. As one of the standing Cabinet committees, the President appoints members. The faculty appointments are conducted in consultation with the Deans and University Senate Executive Committee.
In consultation with campus community constituents, implementation of the charge minimally includes:
- Alignment with WASC Senior College & University Commission (WUSCUC) Standards
- The CSU Graduation Initiative 2025
- Academic Master Planning (AMP)
- Recruitment, Enrollment, and Retention Planning
- College of the Redwoods and Humboldt Collaboration Initiatives, and
- Inclusion of educational and workforce development needs of our local and tribal communities
Subgroups and Related Member Responsibilities
The building blocks of the 2021-2026 Humboldt Strategic Plan will be crafted through the research, dialogue, and imaginations of working groups organized around six themes:
- Positive, Meaningful Student Experience and Inclusive Student Success
- Distinctive, Innovative Academic Programs Centered on Student Need
- Future Proof Organizational Mindset and Process
- Employee Engagement and Success
- Resource Stability and Sustainability
- Community Collaboration and Shared Success
Strategic Planning Co-Chairs will coordinate working group processes, as well as support from the technical team, and administrative staff. To coordinate and align their processes, working group chairs will meet regularly with the full strategic plan steering committee. The technical team will provide data, facilitate outreach, monitor and align multiple campus planning processes (e.g., DEIC, AMP), and design and implement a communication plan.
Building Strong Mixed Role Working Group Memberships
The leadership of each working group is charged with bringing together around their theme diverse mixed role teams. The strength of mixed role teams lies in the potential to research and crystalize a plan that has engaged at inception with a broad range of standpoints and related insights. Standpoints are constructed at the intersections of formal organization positions (e.g., student, ASC, faculty member), and identities that shape experiences across roles (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, ability). Memberships will be vetted in dialogue with the full steering committee.
Planning Co-Chairs - Team Captains
- Message and planning framing
- Planning oversight and coordination
- Process integrity, continuity, and timeliness
- Overarching problem solving
- Liaisons to and from President, PAT, Senate and Cabinet
Administrative Support Team - Partners in Success
- Scheduling - Forum and/or Event Planning Resource
- Meeting coordination (including technology needs)
- Agenda setting assistance
- Record keeping and document management
- Website maintenance and updating
Working Group Leadership/Steering Committee - Architects and Ambassadors
- The Chairs of the working groups will serve on the steering committee
- The Chair will collaborate with other WG leadership and draft the strategic plan narrative for assigned working group area
- The WG Leadership are campus champions of the strategic planning process
- Objective approach with campus-wide, broad view of issues and solutions
- Co-implementers of the strategic planning process
- Effective, informed and prepared communicators and participants
- Understanding the industry, technical, market/workforce, community, and state needs/trends.
- Grounding planning and recommendations in knowledge of most critical issues facing the campus
- Identification of working group guiding questions and participants
- Oversight and coordination of working groups/sub-committees
- Participants in and/or leaders of consultation events and activities
- Making recommendations to the university senate, cabinet and president related to the organizations’ mission, vision, core values and strategic goals
- Helping ensure the committee has established an effective strategic & operational planning process, including the development of a five-year strategic plan.
- Annually reviewing the strategic plan and recommending updates as needed based on changes in the market, community, needs, and other factors.
- Monitoring the organization's performance overall through plan implementation based on institutional level objectives and outcomes
Working Group Member
- Meet (bi) weekly with their working group through January 2020 with intensive research, collaboration, and plan vetting in October;
- Read and review planning materials before meetings;
- Actively contribute to theme-based dialogue and planning, while centering the strategic planning “ guiding principles ” and leveraging positionality-based insights;
- Deliberate and construct vision and goals for their strategic plan subarea/theme as framed by working group guiding questions; and
- Vet subarea/theme plan/report drafted by working group leadership.
Technical Team - Subject Matter Experts and Consultants
- Data analysis and support
- Integration of existing strategic initiatives and priorities (Humboldt, CSU)
- Planning, engagement and consultation processes
- Facilitation support
- Stakeholder communication and collaboration support
- Consistent grounding in equity, diversity and inclusion and HSI/MSI missions
- Grounding in WSCUC recommendations
- Understanding current and future student experience and needs
- Change management and training support
- Growth mindset and future proof integration
- Assistance to flesh out and articulate our overarching planning model - including administrative assessment and program evaluation
- Administrative Support Team
- Steering Committee Membership
- Technical Team
HSU Strategic Plan 1 Harpst St Arcata, CA 95521
The Role of the Board of Directors in Strategic Planning

- Corporate strategy is becoming more critical to a company's well-being. A combination of macroeconomic factors, including a downward trend in aggregate global long-term growth and the disruptive effect of increasing technologically driven change, make it abundantly clear that simply extending historically effective strategies won't suffice. The demise of Sears provides a striking example;
- External political forces, such as complex trade disputes and more pressing social expectations in areas like diversity , play a large part in strategy;
- Immediate and frequently competing board commitments can crowd out longer-term efforts such as strategy. A board's legal priorities force more focus upon audit, compensation and governance issues. Heightened regulatory challenges, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act , require a constant eye on compliance. And new risks continue to appear, such as cybersecurity, data privacy and harassment; and
- The accelerating pace of change requires companies to continually review and re-evaluate their underlying strategic assumptions.
Role of Board of Directors in Strategic Planning
- Long-term focus. As mentioned above, a CEO, by necessity, lives in a day-to-day world, and shareholder pressure often ties the next big goal to the end of a quarter. Boards, on the other hand, exist apart from the daily challenges of the company. The board has the luxury to look to the future and mitigate some of the negative impacts of short-term thinking. It is from this vantage point that strategy is perhaps best contemplated.
- Board (and broad) connections. Research demonstrates that companies highlight external noncompetitive economic and political forces frequently in their annual reports. Board members typically have a wide range of connections and contacts in a number of other political, business and industry settings, which can provide a window to important insights. Again, countering the necessary single focus of the C-suite, boards can and should leverage this connectedness to recognize and respond to emerging threats or opportunities.
- Expanded knowledge. We are witnessing a revolution in the opportunities companies now have to quickly expand or cross over industry boundaries. High-technology companies such as Amazon, Apple and Google illustrate how dramatically new business models and technologies allow companies to explore and exploit new sectors and rapidly expand their customer bases. Detailed, sector-specific knowledge only carries a company so far. Board members can bring cutting-edge knowledge about new technologies and competitive opportunities to bear on company strategy and fill gaps in management's skills or knowledge.
- Regular and specific pushback. A board's natural governance role translates into strategy oversight. Rapidity of change and more complex challenges place a premium on effective oversight. Boards thus find themselves uniquely situated to test management's strategic effectiveness in a variety of ways, including regularly challenging key underlying assumptions and ensuring the effective execution of the strategy.
- Educate management about the strategic process. A board can assist management in understanding and selecting the proper process to develop a strategic plan. For example, a good starting point might be a SWOT analysis to better understand the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats;
- Assure that any strategic plan address all of the resources that will be necessary to effectively implement the strategy. For example, identify where additional investment will be required for added personnel and training;
- Create strategic options for the board to initially discuss with management. Introducing options for discussion compels board participation and utilizes individual board member skill and expertise. As a by-product of maximizing the use of respective strengths, resulting discussions will foster understanding and long-term agreement;
- Establish channels for regular communication between the CEO and the board in order to continually keep the board current on the state of strategic plan development and its execution; and
- Identify at the outset and continually be on the alert for red flags and warning signs that indicate the strategy is not returning anticipated results and may need revision.
The most efficient way to enhance board effectiveness is be utilizing board portal technology that can facilitate collaboration and secure communication, as well as empower boards to make better strategic decisions.

The Rising Tide of ESG – Navigating the Road Ahead

The Board's Role in Leading and Enabling GRC

Board and Executive Collaboration: Components of a Secure Platform for the Evolving Workplace

Rick is an international business attorney and currently sits on the Board of Directors and provides general counsel, risk management and compliance services to foreign companies entering the U.S. market including Power Stow America's Inc., a subsidiary of Power Stow A/S in Denmark, the world leader in the supply of tracked conveyor systems to the airline industry. '
Rick has been a partner in a U.S. based litigation firm and has a long history of international in-house counsel experience working with some of the largest multinational companies in the world. His industry experience includes work in the automotive, global telecommunications and electronics, intermodal transport, airline and facility management industries.
Rick is an avid reader and writer with published articles and books on a wide range of topics, including intercultural communication, technology and the practice of law. Rick has lived overseas and works and travels extensively throughout the world.
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Inspiring change, board research, about boardsource, nonprofit strategy and planning, importance of nonprofit strategic planning.
One of the board’s primary responsibilities is to set direction for the organization through strategic planning.
A strategic plan or framework serves as a roadmap and as a tool for assessing progress. Working side-by-side with staff leadership, your board should play an active and substantive role in developing, approving, and supporting your organization’s strategic planning.
The nature of strategic planning is changing, however, in response to the turbulence caused by the most recent recession and the challenge of planning in a constantly changing environment. Plans must be adaptable and reviewed regularly. At the same time, some nonprofit leaders have found that planning in a dynamic environment presents an opportunity to think differently.
Nonprofit leaders are encouraged to incorporate the Purpose-Driven Board Leadership principles to guide your strategic planning process. While this centers around the four principles, in particular, equity mindset and authorized voice and power, can drive the change that most organizations need to take board leadership and thinking to new heights. It is vitally important that organizations incorporate and amplify the voices of the communities served to remove any systemic inequities and lead to greater social impact. As you clarify your organization’s strategic priorities, you may find that they are best accomplished in partnership with others. Consider a strategic alliance with another organization to accelerate your mission work and unlock new opportunities for impact.
BoardSource has also seen a shift away from traditional strategic plans based on three- to five-year time horizons and long planning processes. There has been a move toward strategic frameworks articulating organizational priorities, business plans that combine programmatic and operational goals with financial forecasts, as well as more robust annual plans with clear metrics and timelines.
Whether the path is more traditional or a new framework, the most important planning tool a nonprofit has is the strategic planning process, and this should reflect a shared board and staff vision of the organization’s role, values, and priorities. It should also include a clear focus on the purpose of your organization and the community it serves. Nonprofits need to ensure that those most impacted by the plans have a voice in the planning. According to Leading with Intent, strategic planning remains among the top areas in need of board improvement, and the following resources are designed to help.
The following resources are designed to help boards improve their performance in the area of strategic planning. According to Leading with Intent , strategic planning remains among the top areas in need of board improvement.
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How to hold a strategic planning meeting: A simple, step-by-step guide for facilitators
November 22, 2021
If you’re running or facilitating a strategic planning meeting, there are many factors to consider.
It’s much more than just bringing everyone together to have an open discussion — and it doesn’t just happen on its own, either.
There are several steps you can take to ensure that your strategic planning meeting runs smoothly, but it all starts with preparation.
Today, we’ll explore a few ideas to help you hold a successful session, starting with the basics.

Try Miro’s Strategic Planning Template
Table of contents
21 min read
What is strategic planning?
Best practices for running a successful strategic planning session
How to run a strategic planning meeting in 7 steps
Sample agenda for a strategic planning meeting
It all comes down to solid preparation and visuals.
Strategic planning is the process of analyzing a current situation within your organization and making sure it’s aligned with your specific objectives. If it isn’t, you and your team must develop a plan to “correct the path.”
So, why is strategic planning important?
In short, strategic planning helps you get from where you are today to the future you want. It’s a way of breaking down big, daunting goals into manageable steps that address your current situation and guide your work.

Here’s where strategic planning meetings come into play.
Meetings are the cornerstone of the strategic planning process.
These meetings are typically held by facilitators , but anyone can lead a strategic planning meeting.
We’ll provide you with specific instructions to hold a successful meeting a bit later, but first, let’s answer a crucial question.
What is the purpose of a strategic plan meeting?
Broadly speaking, a facilitator will use meetings to either:
- Gather specific information and feedback from team members, executives, and stakeholders.
- Help team members work together to solve problems, think strategically, and create new ideas to improve the organization.
These meetings aim to provide clarity in decision-making.
This is not a typical meeting where participants spend time reporting out. Strategy planning is all about brainstorming and collaboration .
This way, you can develop solutions to tangible problems in your organization and set the tone and strategic direction for your team.
Who needs to be included?
The best way to ensure that you get all of the most relevant voices in the room is to create an invite list.
Include people from each relevant department, if possible.
This way, you can cover a more complete spectrum of your company’s operations and activities.
You’ll want to include upper management, but don’t stop there.
Bring in members of the sales department, investor relations, human resources, and any other relevant departments or stakeholders.
You might also consider inviting people from outside of the organization who can provide a fresh perspective.
This is particularly useful for organizations that are doing business in a new market or have started offering new products.
Now that you understand the importance of effective strategic planning meetings, the question becomes, how do you actually hold one?
Let’s cover a few of the best practices:

Build buy-in before the meeting starts
First, you’ll want to build buy-in with everyone involved.
Keep what you’re doing top-of-mind, whether that’s through casual conversations or company-wide memos.
In addition, make sure to have a clear agenda prepared, so everyone knows what they can expect out of the meeting. Start by defining the goal, then detail how you’ll get there.
Also, get all the materials you need together in advance.
That may look like coordinating with IT to make sure everyone has access to company software, sending out pertinent documents in advance, or mapping out who will be speaking at the meeting.
Make sure to communicate your expectations clearly so that everyone knows what is expected of them and why.
You’ll want to spend time in your planning stages to keep the tone positive, while at the same time being realistic about what’s possible.
Ultimately, your goal should be to align the team around a shared vision and mission so that you can move forward with a shared perspective.
Now, how can you communicate this agenda?
We suggest you use a centralized space where everyone can see your agenda.
For example, you can use Miro’s Agenda template to create and share your agenda with participants.

You can also use the template to keep notes during the meeting and add refinements later.
This way, everyone can see what’s been discussed and the next steps for moving forward.
Remember; this should be a collaborative effort, so consider asking for ideas from everyone about what they’d like to see covered.
Just don’t forget to actually take those ideas into consideration.
Develop a transparent strategic planning process
During the strategic process, you’re inviting employees to have meaningful discussions around the company’s vision statement, strategic goals, and strategic objectives.
It’s important to have a roadmap in place for how you will facilitate the process so that employees know what to expect.
Your meeting should be an open, engaging discussion with transparent dialog. During the meeting, everyone should get a turn to talk.
Make sure you have a clear process that allows everyone to participate and feel heard, no matter what their role is.
In the planning stage of a meeting, it’s important to have as much input as possible.
You can involve everyone by holding a virtual brainstorming session with this brainstorming template . Once you create a board, you can invite people to collaborate in real-time.

This template helps you create a more engaging and collaborative session while allowing every person on the team to contribute their thoughts.
Create an agenda and stick to it
We all know what happens when an agenda is not set or adhered to.
Creating an agenda for your meeting helps you and your participants stay on track. This agenda should include topics, questions, milestones, and people.
Milestones are the larger topics that will be broken down into smaller questions, and these questions should flow to the ultimate goal of narrowing down your strategic priorities.
You can create milestones by putting together a list of discussion questions that will help your participants get on topic and help you check in with the group.
Your agenda might include an opening discussion, a brainstorming session on ideas, and a closing review of next steps.
When developing your agenda:
- Keep it short: The last thing you want is your meeting to drag on for no good reason, so try to limit each agenda item to ten minutes or less. The whole meeting should only take an hour or two, at most.
- Be selective: Don’t include too many topics or ideas that will bog down your meeting.
- Create a contingency plan: You never know what might happen during your meeting, so always have a backup plan in case your agenda falls through.
- Plan for breaks: For longer meetings or workshops, set aside at least half an hour to take a break, such as during lunchtime.
Make it interactive
As much as possible, you’ll want to make this a collaborative effort, so it’s important to get everyone involved.
For example, you might want to break the group down into smaller sub-teams to brainstorm opportunities for new product features.
You could also task each group with creating a list of opportunities for particular departments within your company.
The point is that you’ll want to encourage open and honest dialog about challenges your company is facing and, where possible, break down any barriers that might stand in the way of progress.
Make sure to collaboratively create strategy documents, provide regular updates on progress, and discuss strategic issues in real-time.

This way, you can work side-by-side to improve your performance, no matter where in the world your team members happen to be.
To get the most out of each session, you should prepare thoroughly — from the agenda to who you’ll involve and how.
Whether you’re holding a remote, hybrid, or in-person meeting, this process will help you out.
1. Define a clear outcome for the meeting
A strategic planning meeting can go totally off-the-rails if it’s held without a defined objective. That’s why the very first step is to define a clear, tangible goal for the meeting.
For example, your objective might be to better align social media with your marketing strategies .
In this case, your meeting might include a discussion on the purpose of social media, its role in the planning process, and how to better align your social media campaign with your organizational goals.
If your goal is to develop a new product , your meeting might look different.
Consider discussing who the target audience would be and how you can get in front of them. You could also discuss how the product should be positioned in the marketplace and what strategies you’ll use to get it there.
You can also set specific strategic planning meeting themes as part of your objectives, such as business growth or innovation.
The point is to be as specific as possible with your goal. That way, it’s easier for everyone to stay on task and make the right decisions.
2. Break the ice
A strategic planning meeting can be a big undertaking, so it’s important to break the ice by engaging participants in some friendly conversation.
You may want to ask participants what they think of the company’s latest direction or engage them in a fun icebreaker activity.
You can also ask them what they think of the new business strategy and how they would implement it.
Or you could ask participants to complete an activity that allows them to interact with one another and develop a better understanding of each other’s unique skills.
For instance, you could assign participants to form teams, then ask them to create a project plan to solve an issue the company might be experiencing.
You can also break the ice by having participants introduce themselves.
If you’re holding a remote or hybrid meeting, you could have participants discuss what they think in a private online chat room, or you could use an instant messaging program for the same purpose.
Make sure they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas with each other before starting the main agenda.
The bottom line?
The more connected the group is prior to the meeting, the more effective the meeting will be.
3. Set clear expectations
Once you know what you want out of the meeting, the next step is to communicate any expectations of participants, such as things they should prepare in advance of the meeting.
Here are some useful guidelines to keep in mind when you’re setting expectations:
- Provide details: The more detail you provide, the clearer it will be as to what’s required.
- Assign roles: Make sure everyone knows their role and responsibilities within the meeting audience.
- Use timelines: Use timelines to remind everyone of what needs to be completed before the meeting and send reminders if necessary.
- Communicate effectively : Encourage participants to talk with their teams about the fact strategy planning is happening. They may want to set up smaller meetings to gather input for the strategy planning workshop or to share the outputs after the meeting to give employees a chance to ask questions..
4. Set ground rules for behavior
Before the meeting starts, make sure everyone knows the rules.

This is especially important when working with external stakeholders.
For example, you might say something like:
“The goal of this meeting is to develop the strategic plan for the next quarter. We want to minimize distractions, so please don’t check your phone during the meeting.”
Another good idea is to let participants know how they’ll be evaluated. For example, if you’re trying to make progress on a project, you might say something like:
“Let’s try and reach a consensus on the first three points. If we can do that, we’ll consider the meeting a success.”
If you’re dealing with a remote or hybrid team, you should take the time to define online behavior standards. For instance, you could say something like:
“If you have a question, please type it in the chat window. Using outside chat programs is not permitted during the meeting.”
This way, you’ll have everyone invested in the outcome.
5. Identify potential challenges
Before the meeting starts, it’s always good to identify potential areas of conflict that might derail the process.
For example, what would happen if someone had to leave halfway through? Will the meeting continue without them, or will you reconvene once they’re back?
You should also consider how to handle difficult participants. Can you remove a difficult participant from the meeting before they hijack all of your time?
What happens if a disagreement comes up and it’s not resolved?
You should prepare for all these things in advance and have a plan ready if they do happen. For example, consider using a countdown timer for specific agenda items or presentations, so that time is allocated fairly.

If you identify potential challenges early on, you can keep an eye out for them as the meeting proceeds.
6. Encourage full participation
Remember that you’re asking people to spend time — and sometimes travel — to participate in your meeting.
It’s essential that everyone feels like they have the opportunity to participate. The best way to do this is by mentioning at the beginning of the meeting that you’d like everyone’s input throughout.
Make sure to keep an eye out for people who aren’t speaking up. If it seems like they may have something to contribute, ask them for their thoughts on the topic.
Also, make sure everyone knows that participation is critical. If you need to take a vote on something, remind people what the vote is about and why it matters.
Finally, make sure you’re speaking in terms that everyone in the room can understand. If there are people who are new to the organization, spend a moment explaining any acronyms you use.
This will allow everyone to feel like they can give their input with ease, leading to a more successful meeting.
7. Use visuals and brainstorming tools to communicate ideas
Having everyone on the same page is critical, even if they can’t be in the same room.
Here’s where visuals and collaboration platforms come in handy.
Using collaborative tools, like our brainstorming templates helps you organize work and removes some of the stress of coming up with ideas on the spot.
It also encourages people to provide input and makes them feel like they have a stake in the outcome.
For instance, you can use Miro’s Reverse Brainstorming template to come up with innovative ideas and display them in real-time. You can save the meeting content on the board too, so you can send it to participants after the meeting.

This can be especially useful if you have multiple participants in different locations involved at the same time. They may not be able to physically attend the meeting, but they can still provide valuable input.
Also, we provide you with a fully customizable strategic plan template .

You can adapt this template to fit your exact business needs and standardize your meetings with ease.
You need to make sure your strategic planning meeting agenda is detailed and thorough enough to keep you on task.
Start with an overview of what you’ll be discussing, then move into individual department updates. This is where you highlight progress against targets.
Finally, spend some time outlining your organizational goals moving forward and, of course, always leave time for questions.
To help you better understand what a strategy planning session might look like in the real world, here’s a sample agenda:
- 10am–11am: Welcome and meeting goals
- 11am–12pm: Leadership team updates
- 12pm–1pm: Department updates
- 1pm–2pm: Lunch break
- 2pm–3pm: Analyze challenges and problems
- 3pm–4pm: Ideate solutions
- 4pm–5pm: Discuss and gain consensus on solutions and goals
- 5pm–6pm: Assign tasks and responsibilities for strategy execution
- 6pm–7pm: Q&A
The best way to ensure your meeting runs smoothly and effectively is to prepare it with anticipation. By creating a clear agenda, you’re able to get the most out of your session.
Also, the use of visuals and brainstorming tools helps you collaborate with your team and communicate your critical points more effectively.
You can hold your planning meetings in a more visual way by creating a board and sharing with your team.
Also, you can use the strategic planning meeting template to get started with fewer headaches.
Want an action-oriented framework to help your team continuously improve?
Try the strategic planning template.

Strategic Planning Committees
The Strategic Planning process is aligned through a steering committee and seven subcommittees.
Strategic Planning Steering Committee
Tamara Allard // Graduate Student, Graduate Student Government
Patricia Alexander // College of Education
Gregory Ball // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
William Bentley // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Craig Beyrouty // College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Robert Briber // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Dean Chang // Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
William Cohen // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Carlo Colella // Division of Administration
Scott Cronin // Undergraduate Student, Residence Hall Association
David Cronrath // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Lucy Dalglish // Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Georgina Dodge // Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Michele Eastman // Office of the President
Steve Fetter // The Graduate School
Megan Gebregziabher // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Danielle Glaros // Prince George's County Council
Jeff Hollingsworth // Division of Information Technology
George Hurtt // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Dawn Jourdan // School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Lisa Kiely // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Jennifer King Rice // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Prabhudev Konana // Robert H. Smith School of Business
Adrienne Lim // University Libraries
Laurie Locascio // Division of Research
Boris Lushniak // School of Public Health
Keith Marzullo // College of Information Studies
Paul Mandell // UMCP Foundation Board of Trustees
Bob Orr // School of Public Policy
Kislay Parashar // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Patty Perillo // Division of Student Affairs
Michael Poterala // Office of the General Counsel
Brodie Remington // Division of University Relations
Jeffrey Rivest // Alumni Association Board of Governors
Katherine Russell // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Laura Stapleton // College of Education
Bonnie Thornton Dill // College of Arts and Humanities
Dean Tobin // University of Maryland, Baltimore
Craig Thompson // UMCP Foundation Board of Trustees
Melekte Truneh // College of Information Studies
Brian Ullmann // Office of Strategic Communications
Juan Uriagereka // College of Arts and Humanities
Amitabh Varshney // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Ellen Williams // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University Senate
Patrick Wojahn // City of College Park
Ann Wylie // Finance Organization
Strategic Planning Catalyst Work Group*
Mira Azarm // Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Erica Estrada-Liou // Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Sharon LaVoy // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost/Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Brooke Smith // Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Kim Wallace // Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Academic Excellence Subcommittee
Patricia Alexander // College of Education, co-chair
Juan Uriagereka // College of Arts and Humanities, co-chair
Ricardo Arevalo // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Elizabeth Beise // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
John Bertot // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Ashley Black // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
DeNeen Brown // Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Kate Izsak // College of Information Studies
Eric Johnson // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Manya Kaur // Undergraduate Student
Patricio Korzeniewicz // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Katie Lawson // Office of Strategic Communications
Marilee Lindemann // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Jennifer Littlefield // School of Public Policy
Jacqueline Liu // Undergraduate Student
David Lovell // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Peter Mallios // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Elisabeth Maring // School of Public Health
Megan Masters // Division of Information Technology
Alejandra Mercado // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Lynn Mullineux // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Sarah Ann Oates // Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Karthik Nambiar // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Madhulika Nallani // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
M Pease // Undergraduate Student, Senate Executive Committee
Lisa Pierotte // Graduate Student
Jordana Saggese // College of Arts and Humanities
Richard Scerbo // College of Arts and Humanities
Antonio Scott // Graduate Student
Madlen Simon // School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Stephen Thomas // School of Public Health
David Tilley // College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Alythia Vo // Undergraduate Student
Ellen Williams // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Discovery, Creativity and Innovation Subcommittee
George Hurtt // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, chair
Suzanne Ashour-Bailey // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Tamara Clegg // College of Information Studies
Andrea Dragan // Division of Research
Joe Drasin // Division of Information Technology
Ramani Duraiswami // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Toby Egan // School of Public Policy
Sinead Farrell // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences/College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Paul Goeringer // College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Ken Kiger // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Marcio Oliviera // Division of Information Technology
Rosalia Reyes-Webb // College of Education
Steve Rolston // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Jelena Srebric // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Nyah Stewart // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Kanitta (Ann) Tonggarwee // Office of the President
Ken Ulman // Office of the President, UMCPF
Min Wu // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Student Experience Subcommittee
Katherine Russell // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, chair
Gloria Aparicio Blackwell // Division of Administration
Oscar Barbarin // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Ada Beams // Undergraduate Student
Kayla Bill // Graduate Student
Audran Downing // College of Arts and Humanities
Amy Eichhorst // Division of University Relations
Tim Foecke // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Angela Jones // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Dahye Kang // Undergraduate Student
Patrick Killion // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Javiera King // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Ross Lewin // Office of International Affairs
Sol Lee // Undergraduate Student
Mary Lopez // School of Public Policy
Valronica Scales // Division of Student Affairs
Josie Shaffer // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
David Tomblin // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Andrew Valmon // Intercollegiate Athletics
Access and Student Success Subcommittee
Lisa Kiely // Office of Undergraduate Studies, chair
Emily Berry // Graduate Student
Kelley Bishop // Division of Student Affairs
James Bond // Division of Student Affairs
Yishan Ding // Graduate Student
Ifeoma Eleazu // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Barbara Gill // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Carlton Green // Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Kimberly Griffin // College of Education
Shannon Hayes Buenaflor // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Paul Jaeger // College of Information Studies
Jacqueline Kautzer // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Warren Kelley // Division of Student Affairs
Wesley Lawson // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Chris Luna // Undergraduate Student
Eva Morgan // School of Public Policy
Amani Nokuri // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Ron Padrón // College of Information Studies
Ana Palla-Kane // Division of Information Technology
Bryan Quinn // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Anne-Bennett Smithson // College of Arts & Humanities
Zahrah Siddiq // Undergraduate Student
George Syrmos // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Anita Taylor // College of Education
Josie Urrea // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Operations and Resources Subcommittee
David Cronrath // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, co - chair
Melekte Truneh // College of Information Studies, co - chair
Dylan Baker // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Nina Jeffries // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Tiffany Jackson // Undergraduate Student, Senate Executive Committee
Valerie Lahoud // Division of Student Affairs
Meredith Lee // Division of Information Technology
Rahul Marri // Graduate Student, Senate Executive Committee
William Olen // Division of Administration
Nabila Prasetiawan // Undergraduate Student
Scott Roberts // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Katherine Sharp // School of Public Health
Gerald Suarez // Robert H. Smith School of Business
Katrina Walsemann // School of Public Policy
Mary Warneka // Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost
Chris Wilkins // Division of Information Technology
Ji-Cheng (JC) Zhao // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Strategic Partnerships Subcommittee
Bill Bentley // A. James Clark School of Engineering, chair
Harry Alford // Office of Undergraduate Studies
Kathy Best // Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Gerald Brown // Undergraduate Student
Eric Chapman // Division of Research
Segun Eubanks // College of Education
Jim Harris // Division of University Relations
Kayleigh Hasson // Undergraduate Student
Winter Hawk // Undergraduate Student, Student Government Association
Jane Hirshberg // College of Arts and Humanities
Bill Kules // College of Information Studies
Tao Lowe // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Margaret McCarthy // University of Maryland, Baltimore
Molly McKee-Seabrook // Office of the President, Government Relations
Patrick O'Shea // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Mihai Pop // College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Chandrika Rallapalli // School of Public Policy
Amanda Stein // A. James Clark School of Engineering
Kathleen Stewart // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Antoinette Waller // Graduate Student, Senate Executive Committee
Gabriela Winter // Undergraduate Student
Alex Zimmerman // Undergraduate Student
*The Catalyst Committee is tasked with facilitating brainstorming sessions with each strategic planning subcommittee to help stimulate the bold thinking and spur the most creative and equitable ideas in each subcommittee's area. It will help the subcommittees reimagine higher education at UMD.
Also, the University of Maryland has contracted with the Huron Consulting Group, a professional consulting services firm, to shepherd its strategic planning process.


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Strategic planning is one of the board's fiduciary responsibilities. The board provides the direction that sustains the organization for the upcoming 12 months. Looking beyond the coming year, the board is responsible to develop strategic plans for two to five years.
Strategic planning is when business leaders map out their vision for the organization's growth and how they're going to get there. Strategic plans inform your organization's decisions, growth, and goals. So if you work for a small company or startup, you could likely benefit from creating a strategic plan.
One of the first tasks that needs to be completed when setting out on a strategic planning process is to put together your strategic planning steering committee. This committee is,...
Committee members will be responsible for the following: Understanding the components of an institutional strategic plan and developing those that are necessary. Lead unit-level strategic planning sessions across campus. Actively participate in committee activities and discussions.
A planning committee primarily does the work of researching and developing the overarching strategy of the enterprise. This includes: Defining major goals (what to achieve) with corresponding targets. Setting objectives (a more detailed and specific set of achievements and outcomes within the major goals).
The committee may provide a useful forum for board members, executives and physician leaders to share views on strategic issues. Each board should determine whether it needs a Strategic Planning Committee, or whether these functions would be better performed by the full board. Overall Roles and Responsibilities
The Strategic Planning Committee shall be responsible for the annual update of the goals and objectives of the Association and preparation of a three-year strategic plan. The Strategic Planning Committee shall be co-chaired by President Elect-Elect and the Strategic Committee Chair.
Strategic Planning Steering Committee Support Members from the President's Office, Marketing and Communications, Academic Affairs, the Cabinet, and Enrollment are providing advisory, coordination, and logistical support to the co-chairs and committee.
Each board should determine whether it needs a Strategic Planning Committee, or whether these functions would be better performed by the full board. Overall Roles and Responsibilities The Strategic Planning Committee assists the board with its responsibilities for the organization's mission, vision and strategic direction. Specific ...
The two basic duties of boards are slip the politic planning. Depending on this size and type is the board and the organization, boards have a few options on how to organize their strategic planning process. Councils can delegate the assignment by setting upside a standing strategic planning committee or task forceful.
Strategic Planning (3-5 Years): Strategic planning is the process of reviewing the long range plan, evaluating the environment and strategizing for the position of the association in the context of the more global environment. Timelines are established and responsible persons assigned to the tasks.
To be most effective, your Board must engage in strategic planning, Head support and evaluation, developing and maintaining a culture of giving and getting involved, and due diligence. Your Board and Development Committee must work together to ensure the proper management of donors and prospects.
Step 1: Initial Planning (Approval, Scope, Timeframe, Stakeholders, Planning Team) The goals of the initial planning phase are to: 1) clarify the scope of the strategic plan; 2) organize the planning process; and 3) identify stakeholders and possibly a list of steering committee members to be involved with the development and implementation of ...
The Humboldt strategic planning process is a collaboration between the University Senate, Office of the Provost, and Office of the President. Using a consultative, campus community-based approach, the committee develops and recommends to the President a strategic plan to guide Cal Poly Humboldt for a five-year period, AY 2021-2026.
Author: Siân Millard, Strategic Planning Coordinator Purpose: Information and Discussion Roles and Responsibilities of Strategic Planning Committee Members Action required: SPC members are asked to: Note the roles and responsibilities of SPC membership Note that there will be a four-member drafting committee and other potential sub-
Strategic Planning Committees. Strategic Planning Committee Description | Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Programs Committee Charter sample. Strategic Planning Committee sample. Roles and Responsibilities of Strategic Planning Committee members. Charter of Strategic Planning and Programs Committee. Also consider.
The development and execution of strategic planning are typically viewed as consisting of being performed in three critical steps: 1. Strategy Formulation In the process of formulating a strategy, a company will first assess its current situation by performing an internal and external audit.
A strategic plan is a road map, the primary purpose of which is to move a company from its present position to a point where the owners and CEO want to take it. The plan typically sets goals and charts a course over a period of several years and is reviewable at intervals established at the outset.
A strategic plan or framework serves as a roadmap and as a tool for assessing progress. Working side-by-side with staff leadership, your board should play an active and substantive role in developing, approving, and supporting your organization's strategic planning. The nature of strategic planning is changing, however, in response to the ...
Whether you're holding a remote, hybrid, or in-person meeting, this process will help you out. 1. Define a clear outcome for the meeting. A strategic planning meeting can go totally off-the-rails if it's held without a defined objective. That's why the very first step is to define a clear, tangible goal for the meeting.
area, the committee will engage the relevant Clinical Interest Council to identify experts to serve in various roles and as resources, and thus collaborate . Appointment process & structure for CICs is the same as that for Committees (described below). Committees SCAI's Committees are aligned to support the Pillars of the Strategic Plan.
Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Tamara Allard // Graduate Student, Graduate Student Government. Patricia Alexander // College of Education. Gregory Ball // College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. William Bentley // A. James Clark School of Engineering. Craig Beyrouty // College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.