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Tool Kit for Transformation
The Strategic Planning Module
Table of Contents

This module has been developed to provide community colleges with a step-by-step guide to strategic planning and can be used to create a strategic plan from scatch. Everything that staff will need to organize and carry out a planning process is included - how to organize a planning committee, develop a workplan, scan internal and external environments, identify priorities, create action plans, and more.

A 120-page workbook is accompanied by a disk on which all forms, charts, checklists, sample surveys, sample letters, and other materials are available to allow a college to easily modify the materials to suit their specific purposes. The Table of Contents for the workbook appears below to give you an idea of the comprehensive nature of these materials:

CONTENTS

The Strategic Planning Module parts

Introduction to the Planning Model

Planning Model and Stages 1
Planning Outcomes 5

Stage 1: Organizing to Plan

Setting Planning Objectives 6
  • *Why Are We Planning? 6
  • *Who Are the Audiences for Planning? 7
  • *What Do We Expect to Accomplish through Planning? 7
  • *Establishing Planning Objectives 8
Establishing Responsibility for Planning 9
  • Who Should Coordinate the Process? 10
  • *Role and Function of the Steering Committee 10
Building a Workplan 11
  • *What Is Our Planning Model? 11
  • *Creating a Workplan and Timetable 12
Getting into Motion 17
  • *Checklist 17
  • Common Planning Pitfalls 18

Stage 2: Collecting Information about the Environment

Questions about the External Environment 20
Types of Information 20
  • *Categories of Information 21
  • *Competitor Analysis 24
  • Analysis of Key Resource Providers 26
Methods for Collecting Information 26
A Word of Advice 26

Stage 3: Profiling the Institution

Questions about the Internal Environment 27
*Types of Information 28
  • *Resources 33
  • *Processes 33
  • *Performance 33
Summing Up 33

Stage 4: External Scan

Purpose of the External Scan 34
*Review and Analysis of Published Reports 34
  • *Population Trends 34
  • *Labor Force Trends 36
  • *K-12 Trends 37
  • *Service Region Characteristics 38
Surveys 39 Surveying High School Students and Teachers/Counselors 39
Reasons for Doing 39
  • Steps 40
  • *Sample High School Student Survey 41
  • *Sample High School Teacher and Counselor Survey 47
  • *Sample Contact Letter 53
  • *Sample High School Student Survey Synthesis 54
  • *Sample High School Teacher/Counselor Survey Synthesis 56
Surveying Employers 57
  • Advantages/Reasons to Do It 57
  • Steps 57
  • *Sample Employer Mail Survey 58
  • *Sample Employer Telephone Survey 65
Tips for Surveys 69
Conversations with the Community 70
  • Methods 70
  • Tips 71
  • *Sample Letter of Invitation 72
  • *Sample Thank You Letter 72
Facilitator Guidelines 73
  • *Focus Groups, Facilitators, Recorders and Observers 73
  • *Process Guidelines for Focus Group Facilitators 73
Competitor Analysis 74
Why Do It? 75
*Stages of Competitor Analysis 75
  • Identifying Relevant Competitors 75
  • What Are Competitors Doing or Intending to Do? 78
  • How Will They Do It? 78
  • Determining Competitive Advantage and Disadvantage 78
Pulling It All Together 79
  • Summarizing Scan Findings 79
  • Getting the Most from Your External Scan 79
  • *Distilling External Scan Findings 80

Stage 5: Internal Review

Purpose of the Internal Review 82
Analysis of Published Reports 82
  • *Data Requirements 82
  • *What to Look for 84
Surveys of Current Students 85
  • Conducting the Surveys 85
  • *Sample Credit Student Survey 86
  • *Sample Non-credit Student Survey 93
  • *Sample Credit Student Survey Synthesis 97
  • *Sample Non-credit Student Survey Synthesis 99
Internal Focus Groups 100
Interviews 101
*Constructing a Profile of College Capacity 101

Stage 6: Gap Analysis

  • Purpose and Description 105
  • *Identifying "Gaps" 105
  • Calculating the Gap 107

Stage 7: Identification of Priorities

*Identifying Priorities 108
*Sample Priorities 109
  • *County-wide Access 109
  • *Outreach and Collaboration 110
  • *Educational Programs and Curricula 111
  • *Infrastructure 112

Stage 8: Action Plans

Purpose of the Action Plan 114
Components of an Action Plan 114
Format Alternatives 114
*Sample Formats 115
Developing the Plan 119

Putting It All Together

Communication Strategies 120
The Role of the President 121
The Role of the Budget 121
Acknowledgment, Recognition and Celebration 121

Please note that all items marked with an asterisk (*) are included on the accompanying disk.

This Workbook is by and for practitioners - the real "customers" in strategic planning. If it helps to make planning easier and more effective, while building internal capacity, it will have served its purpose.