Making Your Strategic Plan Easier to Monitor: Example

Monitoring your strategic plan 1:

Making your strategic plan easier to monitor: Example

The table on the following page shows an extract from the example strategic plan in this section of the main course.

One key aim has been focused on and improved to make it more effective for the monitoring stage of the strategic planning process, and this document shows both the ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions.

Consider the way in which the:

SMART objectives have been broken down into sub-tasks/stages

The person(s) responsible for implementing the key aim have been clarified and developed

The follow-up process has been developed and clarified by adding dates and details

The KPI has been clarified by establishing current data as a point of comparison.

Key aim / Planning reference / Key actions – SMART objectives / Lead [O = Other] / Follow-up and progress / Key performance indicator (KPI)
What do we need to do to realize our vision? / How does the aim link to the university’s plan? / How are we going to get there? / Who will do it? / How will we know we are doing it? / How will we know when we have achieved our aim?
BEFORE
1. To review and develop further our provision for recognizing and rewarding staff excellence in aspiring to the highest professional standards in pedagogy /

University Strategic Plan, Strategic Aim 3
Learning and Teaching Strategy, Aim 5

By establishing a review of the academic promotion process to ensure that it recognizes and rewards excellence in pedagogy – to make recommendations to Academic Board by the end of the year
By initiating and implementing a Staff Development program focussing attention on best practices in teaching and learning – to be launched at the start of next academic year

/ Provost to chair review in conjunction with faculty group appointed by the Academic Affairs Committee / Provost to submit progress report to all meetings of the Academic Affairs Committee until the new process is established / Increase in the number of faculty recognized for scholarly achievement in pedagogy
Year-on-year increase in the number of faculty achieving external peer, national and international recognition for excellence in pedagogy
AFTER
1. To review and develop further our provision for recognizing and rewarding staff excellence in aspiring to the highest professional standards in pedagogy /

University Strategic Plan, Strategic Aim 3
Learning and Teaching Strategy, Aim 5

By establishing a review of the academic promotion processto ensure that it recognizes and rewards excellence in pedagogy – to make recommendations to Academic Board by the end of the year, to wit:

Evidence-gathering on operation of academic promotion scheme to date: numbers of applications; promotions; feedback; evaluation
External evidence-gathering on the variety of different models for academic promotion in peer universities and sector good practice.
SWOT analysis of current promotion scheme
Identifying new potential models for academic promotion
Identifying and agreeing a preferred model and rationale for recommendation to Academic Affairs Committee

/ Provost to chair review in conjunction with faculty group appointed by the Academic Affairs Committee
Initial meeting agreed to extend membership to include Director of HR and external independent with expertise in this area; Chair to brief them and invite to next meeting / Provost to submit progress report to all meetings of the Academic Affairs Committee until the new process is established
(Oct 4) Two evidence-gathering exercises initiated in tandem at first meeting (Sep 20) – to be presented to at next meeting (Oct 30)
(Dec 10) (Dec 10) Evidence-gathering has been completed and group invited feedback from Academic Affairs Committee / Increase in the number of faculty recognized for scholarly achievement in pedagogy
At the end of the past academic year, there were 6 such faculty members, representing 15 per cent of the teaching faculty.