Strategic Planning Manual - Collecting Data

Collecting Measurement Data

• How will we know if our plan is working?

We have to collect evidence, also known as “data”.

• Baseline Data—What are conditions before the plan is implemented? We can’t tell if we’ve changed anything if we don’t know where we began.

• During Implementation—Is it working the way we thought it would? Are there any unanticipated effects of implementing our plan? Is there something we should change before we spend an entire year working on it this way?

• After Implementation—What are conditions now? Have we made a difference?

When do I collect data?

Data collection should be a continuous process.

The schedule and process for data collection should be specified for each key performance indicator when the plan is developed; thus, each group’s planning schedule will be different.

Analysis & Results

• Did it make a difference?

• How much difference from before?

• Did we get where we wanted to go?

• Is there still room for improvement?

• What could we do to make this better?

• What should we put into our next plan, based on what we now know?

• These questions lead to considerations of what should or needs to be addressed in the next plan or modifications needed in next year's plan, based on the results of your work in strategic planning this year.

THOUGHT:

Advice for strategic planning in higher education: aim for doing the very best you can with the resources available to you. If you don't get the outcomes you intended and the resources available aren't going to change, then consider changing how you plan to go about doing what needs to be done.

Basics of Monitoring, Evaluating, & Deviating from the Strategic Plan

Great Value from Monitoring and Evaluation
Too many strategic plans end up collecting dust on a shelf. Monitoring and evaluating the planning activities and status of implementation of a plan is as important as identifying strategic issues and goals. One advantage of monitoring and evaluation is to ensure that the organization is following the direction established during strategic planning.

Note that plans are guidelines. They aren’t rules. It’s OK to deviate from a plan. But planners should understand the reason for the deviations and update the plan to reflect the new direction.

Responsibilities for Monitoring and Evaluation
The strategic plan document should specify who is responsible for the overall implementation of the plan, and also who is responsible for achieving each goal and objective. The document should also specify who is responsible to monitor the implementation of the plan and make decisions based on the results.

Key Questions While Monitoring and Evaluating Status of Implementation of the Plan

1. Are goals and objectives being achieved or not? If they are, then acknowledge, reward and communicate the progress. If not, then consider the following questions.
2. Will the goals be achieved according to the timelines specified in the plan? If not, then why?
3. Should the deadlines for completion be adjusted (be careful about making these changes—know why efforts are behind schedule before times are changed)?
4. Do personnel have adequate resources (money, equipment, facilities, training, etc) to achieve the goals?
5. Are the goals and objectives still realistic?
6. Should priorities be changed to put more focus on achieving the goals?
7. Should the goals be changed (be careful about making these changes—know why efforts are not achieving the goals before changing the goals)?
8. What can be learned from our monitoring and evaluation in order to improve future planning activities and also to improve future monitoring and evaluation efforts?

Frequency of Monitoring and Evaluation
Updated strategic plans are due to the Strategic planning Committee annually. An annual Assessment Report is due to the University Assessment Committee.

Deviating from Plan
It’s OK to deviate from the plan. The plan is only a guideline, not a strict roadmap which must be followed.

Usually the organization ends up changing direction somewhat as it proceeds through the coming years. Changes in the plan usually result from changes in the organization’s external environment and/or client needs result in different organizational goals, changes in availability of resources to carry out the original plan, etc.

The most important aspect of deviating from the plan is knowing why you’re deviating from the plan, i.e., having a solid understanding of what’s going on and why.

Recording the Data Collected
The data provided in the summary of assessment results should be complete enough to convince the reader that the assessment actually took place.

The data collected and summarized should logically flow from the objective’s KPI and criterion that were established and justify how the results were used for improvement.

Document Use of Results for Improvement
The use of results for improvement is linked back to the unit’s objectives and mission, and ultimately provides evidence to validate the institution’s statement of purpose.

The unit will need to create an occasion for review of results. A summary of the data resulting from assessment should be prepared and distributed for review by the staff before the scheduled meeting. Meet to discuss successes, areas of improvement and next steps.

Actions to be taken if the unit meets its criterion for success
• Recognize accomplishments
• Units are encouraged to conduct further analysis of the data to determine if additional information would lead to other areas of improvement.
• Consider bringing forward another objective for assessment
  

Documentation of Assessment Activities and Use of Results for Improvement

• It is absolutely necessary to create at least a minimal, but consistent, “paper trail” for describing assessment activities throughout the campus.
• The information presented should be concise and focused, relating in a systematic manner, objectives, results, and reports of verifiable actions for improvement.
• There needs to be enough information within the report to clearly show the systematic nature of the assessment procedure, convince the reader that the assessment activities actually took place, and describe the nature of the changes in unit operations which resulted from the assessment activities which took place.
• There also needs to be a consistent set of documentation describing such activities across campus.
• There should be one simple, readable, consistent and understandable means for documentation of assessment processes and use of results which visiting team members can readily identify from unit to unit.

TracDat serves this purpose!

TracDat Placement

Access the TracDat Manual Online:

www.oie.eku.edu