Practical Ways to Put Your Plans into Action

League for Innovation in the Community College

Sunday, March 10, 2013 Dallas

Kathleen A. Paris, Ph. D.Interim Campus Manager

Madison College, Madison, WIKParis@madisoncollege.edu

Planning in Your Organization

Just getting started

Have a plan, but not much action

Have a plan and lots of action

Please add your dot on the flip chart!

The Power of Focus

“The purpose of planning is not to create plans, but to create results.”

Patrick J. BelowAuthor and Consultant

Strategic Planning

An organized process through which members of an organization reflect upon the challenges, opportunities, capabilities and resources of the unit, and the needs of their constituents, and identify priorities, future-oriented plans, goals, and action steps.”

Professor Brent Ruben Rutgers University

Strategic Planning Is

Establishing major directions for the organization

Concentrating resources in a limited number of major directions in order to maximize benefits to stakeholders

Ensuring that the budget dollars follow the plan rather than vice versa.

Paris

Your Thoughts?

Why do you think most strategic plans are never implemented?

What We Learned About Planning at the University of

Wisconsin-Madison

Six Practices Correlated with Success

1. Meetings to get input prior to planning

2. Collective review of data

3. Meetings to review proposed plan

4. Identifying measures of success (metrics)

5. Identification of annual or short-term goals

6. Periodic checks on progress

Benefits of Facilitation

Those using professional facilitators were more likely to report higher levels of benefit than those using ad hoc facilitators or no facilitators.

5 Stages for Successfully Implementing Your Plan

1. Creating

2. Evaluating

3. Communicating

4. Executing

5. Budgeting

1. Creating the Plan

The seeds for implementation are sown in how the plan is created.

Involve stakeholders

Stakeholders = Those who will be affected

Why involve stakeholders? You need information about their needs

to create an effective plan.

You need their support for implementation.

“Involving stakeholders is not a courtesy, it’s a necessity.”

Who are your stakeholders?

Use a smaller committee

with multiple ways for many people to have input into the process.

Representative Model

Stakeholders have designated representatives on the Strategic Planning Team whose responsibility it is to communicate with their stakeholder group and bring back feedback.

Example: faculty, teaching staff, clerical support staff, administrators, employers, community representative.

World Café for SWOT

Great graphics for reports

http://theworldcafe.com/book.html

Bring in Fresh Ideas

Study the data together:

Where are we strong?Where are the gaps?What action is suggested?

Require participants to interact with the data, not just listen to a report.

Review and refine plan before finalizing Formal hearings Brown bag sessions On-line feedback Listening sessions

Board members sign plan

Tweet what you learned!

Learned about __________ # 145 #INND13

Formally adopt the plan

2. Evaluating the Plan

Long and Short Term Elements1. Mission (Purpose)

2. A long term vision (3-5 years out)

3. Priorities or goals that are updated (and reported on) every year

Questions to Ask

Is this doable in the timeframe?

Is it a focused plan or a catalogue of all the things we are doing?

Has someone’s “to do” list taken over?

Are the goals measurable?

What can we stop doing or do very differently?

The plan is a contract…

Leader: I will ensure that resources are available for what we are planning to do

Everyone else: I will do my part to achieve the goals in the plan.

3. Communicating the Plan

Different versions for different audiences

If you can’t fit the plan onto one page, it’s not done yet….

2010Arts & Sciences Strategic PlanMadison College 

Mission/Purpose The Madison College School of Arts and Sciences exists in order to serve a diverse community with quality and flexible learning opportunities that support: 

• General Education for occupational and technical programs • The Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees• Seamless transfer to baccalaureate programs • Lifelong learning

 Vision for 2013

 Cultivating the spirit of innovation and a shared sense of purpose throughout A & S  

Strategic Priorities 

A. Effective advising for students B. Physical space matches growth C. Higher proportion of full-time faculty D. Innovative and flexible learning optionsE. Data based decision making F. Producing global citizens

The Power of the Visual!

Strategic Plan Web Site

Service Learning and Community-Based Research

http://www.chancellor.wisc.edu/strategicplan.old/graphs06/serv-learning.html

Use Visuals to Show Progress

http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html

Wordles

An Inspiring Name for the Plan

Sharing

Make it easy to see plans from the whole campus—all departments, services units, administrative units.

Use in public speaking

Champion your plan priorities whenever possible

Keep the message consistent

Encourage everyone to do the same

Find appropriate ways to communicate the message

• On the back of business cards• Banners• Table drapes• Bookmarks• Pens• Notepads• Coffee mugs and water bottles • Mouse pads and flash drives• What else?

4. Executing the Plan

The point person

• Ensures that the goal is moving forward•Connects people working toward the goal•Serves as the “go to” person for ideas•Reports on progress•Does not necessarily have functional authority over the players

•Create a “pull” rather than a “push”

Break down big goals VISUALLYinto manageable steps

Tree diagrams

Step Charts

.

Tree Diagram

Find out what exists now

Create new joint program

Provide joint learning events

Evaluate new program

Find out what “XYZ” offers now

Find out what we offer now

Identify gaps

Hold work session to develop learning materials

Editing/review of materials

Publicize dates/times

Offer classes

Compile evaluations

Make changes basedon feedback

Develop joint professional development program for post docs with XYZ department

Goal:

Planning Process Step Chart

Check on progress

Structure regular staff meetings around individual priorities

Hold formal check events mid-year on the plan

Report annually on progress

Priorities Status Comments required for any warning status’ or key issues

Priority A on track   

Priority B 

caution

Priority C 

on track

Priority D on track   

Priority E 

caution  

Priority F 

warning  

A Dashboard to track Progress

H.R. Linkages

Modify organizational structure Change or add positions Update position descriptions Create professional development cohorts Allocate conference and meeting funds Align format for reporting activities with

plan Use the plan to guide hiring decisions

Technology Can HelpWeb-based execution management systems:• Require performance agreements from all

employees from the CEO on down with at least one link to organizational initiatives.

• Create a structure and process for communication

• Utilize real time checks of progress and feedback

• Create reports, charts, graphs

KeyneLink is a good example

5. Budgeting for the Plan

Build the budget based on the plan

(not the other way around)

“…budgets are a series of goals with price tags attached.”

Aaron Wildavsky (1984)

Questions?

Tweet what you learned!

Learned about __________ # 145 #INND13

Poll

What are some ideas have you heard today that you can you use?

Contact Information

Kathleen A. Paris, Ph.D. Interim Campus Administrator Madison College Kparis@madisoncollege.edu 608-246-6460