TeamBased Strategic Planning: Off the Shelf and Into Action

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Team-Based Strategic Planning Off the Shelf
and Into Action

• Presented by
• The Reverend George E. Andrews II, Headmaster
• Saint Andrews School
• Boca Raton, FL
• Christina Drouin
• Executive Director
• Center for Strategic Planning
• Boca Raton, FL

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Strategic planning in the new millennium

• Ten key questions to ask before beginning a new
  planning cycle
• 1. What are our goals?
• 2. What outcomes should we expect?
• 3. Who should be involved?
• 4. How long will it take?
• 5. What are the elements of a strategic plan?
• 6. What makes a plan strategic?
• 7. What are the differences between a marketing
  plan, an annual plan and a strategic plan?
• Whats new in strategic planning?
• What can I learn from others?
• Where do we begin?
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
  Boca Raton FL

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Strategic planning defined

• Strategic planning in independent schools is
• a shared journey to a future vision.
• Its hallmark is collaborative thinking and
  decision making about actions and initiatives a
  school needs to positively affect its future and
  that of those it serves.
• The practical goal of strategic planning is for
  every part of the organization to share in the
  directions established by the institutional level
  planning process.
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic anning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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The big question

• How do we implement our plan?
• a/k/a
• Is anybody actually doing anything?
• Better big question What approach should we use
  to end up with a plan that can and will be
  implemented?
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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What you get is what you see

• If you could have the school of your dreams and
  the impact you most desire, what would your
  institution look like in the year 2006?
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
  Boca Raton FL

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Lessons learned from Higher Ed

• University who shall remain nameless The penalty
  of not getting faculty buy-in.
• Brown University Key questions at its faculty
  retreat What are the critical to be included as
  we start this phase of planning? What activities
  and efforts should Brown University be pursuing
  that are not presently being done? What
  activities and efforts are being done at Brown
  which should be ceased? If Brown were to take one
  significant step to improve, it would be
• United States Naval AcademyGoal Groups
• University of Houston Medical Center Creating a
  venue for ongoing strategic planning Strategic
  Thinking Sessions
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
  Boca Raton FL

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3 hallmarks of plans that work

• Inclusivity
• Shared responsibility
• Accountability
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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Inclusivity

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?
• For the NAES2000 Biennial by the Center for
  Strategic Planning and
• Saint Andrews School

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Shared responsibility

• Board
• Teams
• Facilitator
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Plannin
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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Accountability

• Buy-in benefit accountability
• Inputs, outputs and outcomes
• Goals that dont degenerate into work are just
  dreams.
• Peter Drucker
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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Process steps

• Define current status of the school 2-3 months
• Create the vision for the year 2006 1 months
• Evaluate current environment against future
  vision, set goals, identify strategies 2 months
• Build the schools strategic plan 3-4 months
• Inform a case statement summarizing needs
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  StrategicPlanning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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Expected process outcomes

• Vision Statement
• Congruent Mission Statement
• Statement of Guiding Principles or Core Values
• Goals, key strategies, initiatives
• Establishment of Goal Groups/Teams to implement
  strategic plan
• Action Plans with objectives and timelines
• Constituency awareness of, consensus around and
  enthusiasm for school vision
• Leadership competency and confidence in strategic
  planning  
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
  Boca Raton FL

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Definition of terms

• Strategic Plan
• vs.
• Work/Annual Plans
• vs.
• Marketing Plans

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More

• Core Values What is important to us?
• Vision Where do we want to be in five years?
  What does success look like?
• Mission What is our purpose?
• Goals What broad achievements must we attain?
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
  Boca Raton FL

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And

• Strategies What major directions must we take?
• Initiatives What specific programs or activities
  will support our strategies?
• Work Plans Who will do what by when?
• Success Indicators, Outcome Measurements
  Benefits How will we know we have been
  successful?
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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SP process tools
For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
for Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
Boca Raton FL
17
Consensus building techniques

• Exercise in Core Values
• What drives us?
• Vision Casting
• If we could be the school of our dreams and have
  the impact we most desire, what would our school
  look like in the year 2006?
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning ad
• Saint Andrews School

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More consensus building techniques

• Scenario Building What are our
• possible alternative futures?
• Utopia, Global Reality,
• Most Probable and Worst Case
• Future Business History Write
• headlines of local section of your
• city daily under each of these four
• scenarios
• Symposium/Retreat What is
• important to us as a community?
• For the 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center
  for Strategic Planning ad
• Saint Andrews School

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Expected process outcomes prior to implementation

• Vision Statement
• Congruent Mission Statement
• Statement of Guiding Principles or Core Values
• Goals, key strategies, initiatives
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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The Importance of Core Values

• Statement of Core Values
• 1.      We are all members of a learning
  community.
• 2.      Teaching, character education, individual
  self-actualization and college preparation are
  our primary
• missions and are interrelated.
• 3.      We believe in a triad of whole child
  growth and development in mind, body and spirit.
• 4.      We value individual differences,
  cultures, customs, and beliefs while searching
  for points of unity in our
• common humanity.
• 5.      We value academic freedom and innovation
  and believe that the relationship between teacher
  and
• student is at the core of learning.
• 6.      We apply the standards of excellence,
  quality and relevance to all we do.
• 7.      Enhancement of happiness and fulfillment
  of each community member are important.
• 8.      We must provide a challenging academic
  environment.
• 9.      We must foster intellectual and artistic
  curiosity and creativity.
• 10.  We must be good stewards and present our
  individual gifts as offerings of community
  service.
• 11.  Education must be a lifelong pursuit.
• 12.  We must have all members of the community
  participate.
• 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School

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Moving from planning into implementation

• Completion of Plan/Endorsements
• Communicate the Plan
• Goal Groups
• Responsible Person/Team/Sponsors
• Work Plans

2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
Strategic Planning and Saint Andrews School
Boca Raton FL
22
Implementation/Evaluation

• Track
• Measure/Adjust
• Report
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning and
• Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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Implementation Tools

• Strategic Goal 1
• Provide a challenging and supportive
  cross-cultural learning environment
• that fosters excellence in education of mind,
  body and spirit and a love of
• learning in a K-12 community of lifelong
  learners.
• Strategic Initiatives
• 1.1   In 2001-2002 continue to develop
  programs such as the Everglades Day that involve
  the entire School in a
• learning project across the
  curriculum.
• 1.2    Research and assess the possibility
  of integrating interdisciplinary work into the
  team approach.
• 1.3    Expand visitations of other
  independent schools.  
• 1.4   Develop a plan for diverse
  Professional Development programs that
  incorporates mind, body and spirit.
• Identify interest groups across the
  divisions and offer a variety of programs of
  interest .

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Tracking

• FOCUSING on EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING
• GOAL 1 Provide a challenging and supportive
  cross-cultural learning
• environment that fosters excellence in education
  of mind, body and spirit and a
• love of learning in a K-12 Episcopal school
  community of lifelong learners.
• 2000-2001 PRIORITY ASSIGNMENT/SPONSORSHI
  P NOTATIONS
• 1.1
• Develop whole school projects Division Heads
  with Assoc. Head
• 1.2
• Research and assess integrating Division Heads
  with Assoc. Head,
• interdisciplinary work into the team Dept.
  Heads, Team Leaders and
• approach Curriculum Coordinators
• 1.3
• Expand visitations to other schools Division
  Heads and Dept. Heads
• 1.4
• Develop a plan for diverse Division Heads with
  Associate Head

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Reporting

• GOAL 1
• Provide a challenging and supportive
  cross-cultural learning
• environment that fosters excellence in education
  of mind, body
• and spirit and a love of learning in a K-12
  Episcopal school
• community of lifelong learners.
• Priority 1.1 Develop whole school projects
•  
• Sponsor Division Heads with Associate Head
• 00-01 Update
•  
• 00-01 Action Plans

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What is the role of the Board?

• Approve the plan
• Be ambassadors of the plan
• Claim initiatives
• Allocate resources needed or implementation
• Oversee the plans accomplishment
• Evaluate the plan
• 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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What is the role of the head?

• Not to have all the right answers
• Ask the right questions
• Champion plan development
• Oversee plan implementation
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning
• and Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL

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In Summary Off the Shelf and Into Action

• Implementation team-work begins with the planning
  process
• Include everyone
• Dont wait for implementation to attempt buy-in
• If community members plan the work, theyll work
  the plan!
• For 2001 NAIS Annual Conference by the Center for
  Strategic Planning and
• Saint Andrews School Boca Raton FL