Bringing It All Together: Building Your Strategic Plan

Once you have your values, mission, and vision established, you’re finally ready to tie it all together into a cohesive strategic plan. Your strategic plan is the bridge between your mission and vision: it’s the roadmap guiding you from who you are now to who you want to be.

A strategic plan should outline your team’s goals and the strategies you’ll use to achieve them in the coming years. Most plans cover three to five years, but some extend as far as ten. Your strategic plan should be your own, and ultimately, it should guide you toward success.

Follow these steps to start creating your superb strategic plan:

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Step 1: Identify Key Priorities of Your Strategic Plan

Before doing anything else, start by analyzing the work you’ve already done. Take a look at your mission and vision statements to figure out where you need to go. What priorities are at the top of your list? The biggest areas that need attention should be the pillars of your plan.

Look for opportunities that can be used to advance your vision, and talk with your team to hear from different perspectives and align your priorities to shared goals.

Note: Your strategic plan can take on many different forms: There isn’t just one template that works “best” for mapping out your plan. Find one that works best for you and roll with it.

Step 2: Set SMART Goals

Let’s be real: we’ve all heard of SMART goals before, probably too many times to count. And it’s for a reason: SMART goals work! Every goal you set should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. If you’re missing even one of these traits, you’ll have a hard time realistically accomplishing your goals.

Make sure all your goals are as specific as possible, and give each a due date. Even if you don’t have a deadline assigned yet, put one anyway! Finding the motivation to work on it will be challenging if you don’t see a finish line.

If you need help getting started, consider using this detailed SMART goals worksheet to guide the process:

SMART Goals Extended Worksheet (1).docx

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Step 3: Take and Assign Ownership of the Strategic Plan

Every goal needs a champion – someone responsible for keeping things moving along! Taking ownership fosters accountability for your goals. You should not only take ownership of goals you’re primarily responsible for, but also delegate ownership of some goals to other team members based on their expertise and interest.

Making your strategic plan a team effort encourages stronger buy-in and alignment with the plan. A shared sense of ownership inspires team members to find purpose in the plan and motivates them to achieve its goals. Determine how each member can contribute to the plan and align goals with their daily work to maintain long-term engagement.

Keep in mind that the role of ownership should be clearly defined. What is the expected outcome of this goal, and what resources are available to help the goal champion get there? Check in regularly with members leading goal initiatives to offer support and address issues before full roadblocks arise.

Step 4: Develop Effective Strategies

A goal can’t stand by itself – you also need a way to achieve it. Your strategies are the “how” behind your goals. Every goal has its own program, initiative, or specific approach that helps you reach success.

Brainstorm as a team to explore possible strategies and determine their feasibility. The more effective your strategy is, the easier you’ll be able to achieve its associated goal.

Pro Tip: Reflect on your core values and align your strategies with them. For example, if you value collaboration, building partnerships with other departments could be a strategy to achieve a certain goal.

Step 5: Measure Progress of the Strategic Plan

One of the most important parts of following a strategic plan is measuring your progress. After all, it’s hard to tell if your efforts are paying off if you can’t see your progress!

All goals should be measurable, so tracking should be fairly straightforward as long as you keep up with it. Identify clear metrics or benchmarks for each goal, whether quantitative (i.e. response times, participant numbers) or qualitative (i.e. surveys, testimonials).

Routine review periods should be established to maintain regular tracking, whether monthly, quarterly, or annually. These check-ins should not only update progress but also be a time to celebrate successes and accomplishments since the last review.

This review period is also the time for recalibration and goal adjustment if needed. Measurement isn’t just about accountability, it’s also an opportunity to learn and improve.

Step 6: Keep Your Strategic Plan Flexible

Though your strategic plan is designed to provide structure on your journey, that doesn’t mean it can’t be adjusted. Campus needs change and new opportunities arise quickly, so don’t be afraid to make modifications as change occurs. Your review process is a good opportunity to:

• Determine what’s working and what isn’t

• Update goals and strategies based on new data or feedback

• Realign the plan with any changes to your team’s mission, vision, or other responsibilities

Final Thoughts

Building a strategic plan can be a huge undertaking, but it’s a powerful tool to guide your team toward greatness. By following these steps, you can create a superb strategic plan that unites your team and keeps you on track to reach your goals.

Need help crafting your strategic plan? Reach out today to learn more about my coaching and development services. I would love to help your team on your strategic planning journey!